Game of Thrones

[mickey]

Greetings,

This looks like it is going to be da BOMB. Since I no longer watch television, I will have to wait for the dvd. SHUCKS!!! DOUBLE SHUCKS!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpJYNVhGf1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm0ikHOkGOY


mickey

[Lucas]

same deal. have you read the song of ice and fire series? if you havnt check it out. one cool thing is the author does not approve fan fiction and is going to be pretty strict in the transition. its a very good series, still uncompleted, but very good.

on the top of my list for sure. also if you havnt read it, just be ready to not get attached to to many characters lol. a lot of people die. a lot.

it is a fantasy but starts out very light in that respect, but gets deeper and deeper into the fantasy realm as it goes on. the first book, a game of thrones, is mainly a power struggle in a kindgom that was once ruled by a high king that has died, all kings battle and maneuver for power to try and gain more thrones and eventually become a high king.

[JamesC]

Best written fantasy series ever. Period.

However, fans have been waiting on the next book in the series for YEARS.

[mickey]

Hi Lucas and JamesC,

It looks like I will have to check out the book series. Thank you for your suggestions.

mickey

[JamesC]

Btw, I was able to find a trailer I can watch at work.

That has got to be one of the best castings i've ever seen. Everyone is a near perfect fit for their character.

[mickey]

Yes,

I have been reading that in the posted comments at u tube. The only other time I noticed that kind of psycho/reality connection was with the voices of the Marvel comics cartoons that came out in the '90s. Everyone I spoke to agreed that the characters spoke the way they imagined them to.

mickey

[Lucas]

Best written fantasy series ever. Period.

However, fans have been waiting on the next book in the series for YEARS.

ya...too long :(

from the posts tho i cant wait to get home and look at those youtube vids...oh man i hope they do the whole book series eventually to film!

JamesC have you read wheel of time?

i think in part on the casting thing is the author is really strict on his work. which i think is very commendable. if it cant be done right....

[JamesC]

Yeah I have. I'm excited to read the last book in the series.

I really enjoyed The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight. I like Sanderson's writing more than Jordan's. After book number 5 or 6, Jordan's pacing of the series slowed to a crawl and it was inevitable that there were going to be so many loose ends.

I'm glad that Sanderson had the balls to split the last book into 3. Otherwise we would have been left with a very incomplete series, imo.

As a side note, a release date of July for A Dance of Dragons has been announced. Awesome.

[Lucas]

I agree with you on Brian Sanderson he did a great job, the first book in the trilogy final was epic.

And WOOOHOOO on that release date!!

Ty for the update :D

[Lucas]

Greetings,

This looks like it is going to be da BOMB. Since I no longer watch television, I will have to wait for the dvd. SHUCKS!!! DOUBLE SHUCKS!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpJYNVhGf1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm0ikHOkGOY


mickey

WOW now i cant wait. very rarely do you see film adaptions stick so closely to the original. got to love authors that make a solid stand with their work.

[JamesC]

Saw the premiere last night.

Although there are a few differences from the book, it sticks VERY closely to the source material. Uncommonly so, in fact.

All the changes I noticed were most likely put in place for filming purposes as well as for the people not familiar with the books. Obviously certain things need to be told differently through film than in writing.

Overall, I thought it was quite good for a premiere. To me, the opening episode of any show usually seems unpolished. Like the actors haven't quite settled into their characters yet.

The opening scene of the first episode(which would be the prologue in the book) was the best scene, in my opinion.

[Lucas]

where can i see that?

[Zenshiite]

It was excellent, and has gotten me to aquire the books and give them a read.

Thank God for FIOS doing a tax weekend preview of HBO!

[Lucas]

july 12!!!!! im so freaking excited, wrapping up a feast for crows as a refresher....are you stoked as me bro?

[Featherstone]

I've been enjoying the series, will have to grab the books next time I make it to the book store.

[Lucas]

i have not seen them yet, but i really want to, i have to wait until they are out on dvd or in netflix... :(

[sanjuro_ronin]

So far so good :D

[taai gihk yahn]

great series; best thing I've seen from the genre since LOTR movies; first series I've followed regularly since, idk, Seinfeld, lol...

also got hooked into The Borgias, since it's on right after, also pretty good, although takes some "poetic license" with the actual history;

Boardwalk Empire is also a great series, watched a few episodes of that;

only other two things worth watching are Royal Pains and White Collar...

[Zenshiite]

july 12!!!!! im so freaking excited, wrapping up a feast for crows as a refresher....are you stoked as me bro?

I'm about halfway through A Clash of Kings.... so it's going to be a minute before I can read A Dance With Dragons... but yeah, I'm stoked. These books are just so **** good.

[Lucas]

Oh dude you are in for some more fun twists and turns ;)

i'm glad you guys are saying that this is good, i would be kinda ****ed if it sucked. i'm assuming g.r.r.m. is making sure no one messes with is baby tho.

[doug maverick]

Oh dude you are in for some more fun twists and turns ;)

i'm glad you guys are saying that this is good, i would be kinda ****ed if it sucked. i'm assuming g.r.r.m. is making sure no one messes with is baby tho.

when it comes to books once the rights are bought, it really doesnt matter much what the writer says or does. i remember when they made color purple the original writer was furious that speilberg was directing till she saw the film, same thing goes for interview with the vampire, ask alan moore about that...he hates almost every movie made from his comics, if not all of them. this series was created by people who truly loved the material as evident by the what is on the screen. not to mention its HBO, which has time and time again gone to bat to make amazing series. hopefully we get to see all the books, but with something like this...the cost are huge and they are only going to get bigger as the series goes on. so im hoping we get the first four books at least. this is the only way to tell this story a movie just wont do.


i think i said this before but ill say it again...peter dinklage(the imp) steals every scene he is in. and im glad the kid actors are so good, because this is their story so having strong actors in those roles is a good move for the years to come.

[Lucas]

oh that makes sense...im wondering how those negotiations went. and ya the tyrion is a pretty strong character, and a freaking genius.

minor spoiler:

jaime ends up being one of my fav characters by the end of a feast for crows...but whats funny is i hated his character at first. thats some good writing. most of all i want to know what arya turns into, she has potential to be so bad ass, and if she reunites with her wolf...and of course john snow is gangster.

[Lucas]

also now that you mention it that would be nice to get the first 4 books in, then finish it with a movie for the final book.

[taai gihk yahn]

cool tidbit about the series:

this guy

http://www.ktnb.net/caps/knights/knights16.jpg

is this guy

http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/news/gameofthrones/gillen610.jpg

[Lucas]

i cant see the second image!

[Dragonzbane76]

huge fan of George R.R. Martins. Read the books and pre-ordered Dance of Dragons the other day.

I agree Tyrions character is perfect, couldn't have picked a better person for it.

Martin did a lot of research on the War of the roses. And drew from the warring monarch families of that time period. Interesting stuff.

Anyhow, I like The wheel of time series as well but it got pretty dry towards the middle of the series. Haven't read the last couple books but plan on picking them up. I really liked Sandersons writing with the Mist born series he did.

If your into that genre like I am you guys should pick up Hyperion, great series in itself.

If you like the adult writing go for "The blade itself" by Joe abercrombie. Gritty, dark, bloody.

[Lucas]

I liked mistborn...ill have to check out Hyperion. Sanderson first book to continue wheel of time was really good...the title escapes me. The blade itself might be my next book :)

If you like epic battles, assassins and gritty dark brutal fantasy check out the night angel trilogy. Its not too long but is a fast paced ride i think martial artists can appreciate.

[JamesC]

I liked mistborn...ill have to check out Hyperion. Sanderson first book to continue wheel of time was really good...the title escapes me. The blade itself might be my next book :)

If you like epic battles, assassins and gritty dark brutal fantasy check out the night angel trilogy. Its not too long but is a fast paced ride i think martial artists can appreciate.

Night Angel was a pretty badass story.

I'm gonna change my name to Durzo Blint. :cool:

Also, my wife has been watching A Game of Thrones with me. She usually hates fantasy and she isn't a reader, but the show is that good that she is hooked.

This gives me hope for the series to continue. If the general public likes it now, I can only imagine how much they will when it gets to the next books. The battles and scenes at the wall are standouts. Not to mention Arya, of course.

I can't wait to see Arya as a Faceless Man.

[Lucas]

lol ur the only other person ive talked to that has read night angel...durzo blint is the ultimate bad ass lol.

and ya, just imagine if arya meets up with her wolf and somehow gets to run with the pack its alpha of lol talk about the wolf of house stark haha... she has those wolf dreams so she might be a skinchanger too...

[Hebrew Hammer]

I must say, that not only is this series great, but George RR Martin is one of the best fiction writers, I have have EVER read. The characters show great depth and complexity, his plots are completely unpredictable...superior twists and turns...I'm completely addicted. Already completed Games of Thrones, now into Clash of Kings...in fact bought the whole series. I love Tyrion and Jon the *******...can't wait to see where this goes.

Oddly I always thought Dire Wolves were fiction but they really existed, apparently they could get up 240lbs in size...thats a lot of Puppy Chow.

[JamesC]

Hebrew, wait until you get to the end of A Feast for Crows. Most compelling cliffhanger ever written, I swear. If he doesn't finish the next book for another ten years i'll still have to buy it to find out what happens.

Also, thanks for that info about Direwolves. I didn't know they were real either. Sweet.:cool:

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_Wolf

[Lucas]

Hebrew, wait until you get to the end of A Feast for Crows. Most compelling cliffhanger ever written, I swear.:

seriously, im glad he did a small write up to explain himself at the end of the book. because it does leave you hanging something fierce.

WHAT ABOUT DANY!?!!?!

[Dragonzbane76]

lol ur the only other person ive talked to that has read night angel...durzo blint is the ultimate bad ass lol.

I've read it as well, good storyline, only hang-up I had was how it kinda ended. Can't remember the names of the characters but the teacher from the begining and how he came back for a few chapters was kinda gay, i thought they should have left him dead, give it more meaning IMO.

[Dragonzbane76]

anyone else keeping up on the new episodes on HBO of game of thrones?

watched the one tonight. Pretty good. I heard they've already signed up for the next season and next book.

[JamesC]

i have been. didn't watch last night's yet, though. have it on dvr

[Lucas]

If you like the adult writing go for "The blade itself" by Joe abercrombie. Gritty, dark, bloody.

i was at the book store looking at the first law trilogy but they only had those giant paperbacks that may as well be hardback and i hate them, so i picked up his newer book, "best served cold' which i am really liking so far. always love a suggestion to a new author i can get into. thanks man.

[Dragonzbane76]

ask away if it's in the sci-fi or fantasy genre i've probably read it. You into the dark, gritty type? Or maybe more alternative history stuff? A-typical D&D stuff?

myself I like the bloody, dark, gritty, and most of the character are actually people with "real" people issues in that genre.

Read all of abercrombie's stuff. Your starting in the middle of the series, I suggest picking up the first one. But he's pretty good at picking the reader up and pushing them forward in his writing. Read the recent on "The heroes" which was awesome to say the least.

[JamesC]

Btw, don't ever read L.E. Modesitt.

He's a boring writer and he uses onomatopoeia obsessively.

[taai gihk yahn]

myself I like the bloody, dark, gritty, and most of the character are actually people with "real" people issues in that genre.

have u read Donaldson's Covenant chronicles?

[Dragonzbane76]

Btw, don't ever read L.E. Modesitt.

He's a boring writer and he uses onomatopoeia obsessively.

actually its a woman writer I believe and yes I've read some of her stuff. Not the greatest, pretty bland actually.


have u read Donaldson's Covenant chronicles?

yes, nothing says real issues like having Leprosy. :) good read.

[taai gihk yahn]

yes, nothing says real issues like having Leprosy. :)
Leper, outcast, unclean! Hellfire and bloody d@mnation!


good read.
yeh - although Donaldson can get a little wordy and really make you "wait for it", as far as the payoff (maybe it has something to do w his being a Shotokan BB, who knows...)

I read the first two "chronicles" over the course of JrH and HS (btw that and MP Flying Circ my brain was pretty screwed up); I'm debating reading the 3rd series, he's done 3/5 of them...I just need to find the time...

if u like sci-fi, his "Journey into Gap" series was also pretty cool...

[Dragonzbane76]

Read the "unbeliever" chronicles and agree with you that he can be a bit "wordy." But at the time frame of his writing it was an orignial idea that he came up with. The switching of "worlds" and madness induced by disease and Lonliness.

I've not read the others in the series. Probably pick them up sometime.

anyone read the "the malazan book of the fallen"? Steven erikson author?

Hard read, especially the first book, "gardens of the moon" (believe thats the right title.) after the first book the series gets pretty dam good. Finished it up with "the crippled god" which I was sorely disappointed in. But heck there are like 10 books in the series and saying 2 of them are not up to expectations isn't a bad %. He shifts a lot between stories and it's hard to follow sometimes but a very dark and blatant look at the human factor with some of his characters.

[Dragonzbane76]

another great read I've had the pleasure of is a woman author named J.V. Jones. Which I'm not a great fan of women writers for a lot of different reasons. One being that they cannot seem to describe relationships between men. but that's off topic.

First book is "A cavern of Black Ice" which is the first in the sword of shadows series. great read. Only complaint is the time frame she puts her books out. They are spaced far appart. But if you started now you have 4 books in the series complete and can get a good grasp on her world building.

[Dragonzbane76]

one more episode left. Been really good so far. Last episode was the best (9) to date.

[sanjuro_ronin]

There once was a man named Ned, who went and lost his...
:D

[SimonM]

Anyone (who, like me hasn't read the book yet) want to place bets on Joffrey's life expectancy?

[JamesC]

Anyone (who, like me hasn't read the book yet) want to place bets on Joffrey's life expectancy?

Heh, I want to spoil that for you SO bad. But, I won't.

[taai gihk yahn]

for anyone who hasn't read the book, I recommend it - polished off Game of Thrones in a week; looking for Clash of Kings, but can't find it anywhere at present, lol...

liked the scene in Ep 8 where Sylvio trashes the Lannister guards, after they call him Dance Master - kinda like a TCMA forms guy beating up a room of MMAists (well, it IS fantasy :eek:)

[JamesC]

for anyone who hasn't read the book, I recommend it - polished off Game of Thrones in a week; looking for Clash of Kings, but can't find it anywhere at present, lol...

liked the scene in Ep 8 where Sylvio trashes the Lannister guards, after they call him Dance Master - kinda like a TCMA forms guy beating up a room of MMAists (well, it IS fantasy :eek:)

If I have my copy at home i'd be more than happy to send it to you. I've already read it a couple times. Let me know.

[SimonM]

You can bet that Game of Thrones is on my list - particularly since I hear that Martin uses a similar perspective structure to me - it is just that my reading list is long and meandering.

[taai gihk yahn]

If I have my copy at home i'd be more than happy to send it to you. I've already read it a couple times. Let me know.

lol, thanks bro, that's very generous of you, I appreciate the offer - but I have this thing about "breaking in" a book, the whole feel of it becoming "yours" as you read through it, I think u get what I'm saying; anyway, I'm sure it'll turn up at B&N soon, once the initial furor dies down;

[taai gihk yahn]

btw, what do u all think in terms of the the series creating the "feel " of the book? I know that there are some changes in the plot structure (e.g - they added in some fight scenes where there weren't any, as well as a few others); overall, i think that visually and the whole flow of it they pretty much got (Martin is not one to spend an excess of time on things that don't move the plot, and so encapsulates his chapters into dense pockets of narrative for example, which is why I think it works for TV);

[SimonM]

It is a well-paced show. That much is sure.

[Dragonzbane76]

you guys catch the season ending? Was a great ender.


btw, what do u all think in terms of the the series creating the "feel " of the book?

I thought they did a great job. The major pivotal points were there. The characters are well done and the celtic/arab/medieval feel is present. Martin was a screen writer back in the day before he started The song of Ice and Fire. He worked on some major projects back in the day so I figure he brings a lot to the table when they contrive the show.


Anyone (who, like me hasn't read the book yet) want to place bets on Joffrey's life expectancy?

haha I'll give you this, don't get attached to many of the characters, Martin has a way with poetic justice. Not spoiling anything for you just giving you a general blanket statement about the characters.

The story lines in all the books get better and better in my opinion. They have set up the northern campaigns and the politics that are happening on all fronts. The feeling that something "big" is going to happen in the north is always present like in the books. Love how everyone is so wrapped up in the politics of whats going on in kingslanding that they overlook the happenings beyond the wall, and believe me the sh!t is going to hit the fan down the road. :p

[SimonM]

Now THAT was a season finale.

If only other shows were half that good. What an ending!

[taai gihk yahn]

Now THAT was a season finale.

If only other shows were half that good. What an ending!

I haven't read beyond GOT (can't find COK anywhere, lol - but I wil, no worries); based on what I have seen characteristicwise (e.g. - what traits Martin seems to "like" in someone), the ones who are most adaptable to rapid changes in circumstance seem to do the best; so my bet's on who survives in the long run are (in no particular order, and not an exhaustive list), are Arrya Stark, John Snow, Tyrion Lannister and Danerys Targaeryon (and now she have Dwangons!); I guess time will only tell...

[SimonM]

LOL Add Robb Stark to that list and you have a Who's Who of my favourite characters.

There is literally nothing about Tyrion that isn't awesome.

[JamesC]

I haven't read beyond GOT (can't find COK anywhere, lol - but I wil, no worries); based on what I have seen characteristicwise (e.g. - what traits Martin seems to "like" in someone), the ones who are most adaptable to rapid changes in circumstance seem to do the best; so my bet's on who survives in the long run are (in no particular order, and not an exhaustive list), are Arrya Stark, John Snow, Tyrion Lannister and Danerys Targaeryon (and now she have Dwangons!); I guess time will only tell...

Some very astute observations actually...

[SimonM]

Some very astute observations actually...

I do like the fact that I don't know who is going to win yet. The protagonists are spread out across four groups, some of which are in direct conflict with each other and yet they remain protagonists.

The Lannisters seem to have more than their fair share of antagonists but they aren't quite monolithic enough to push Tyrion and his crew into the antagonist group.

I'm looking forward to reading the books. Gotta get down to Bakka Phoenix...

[Dragonzbane76]

give you a heads up Jamie lannister's character takes on a whole new outlook on life in later books. Not giving away the story any just pointing out that many of the characters you hate for being selfish @ssholes have a turning point. One thing Martin does well is bring diversity to his characters.

[sanjuro_ronin]

give you a heads up Jamie lannister's character takes on a whole new outlook on life in later books. Not giving away the story any just pointing out that many of the characters you hate for being selfish @ssholes have a turning point. One thing Martin does well is bring diversity to his characters.

That seemed a bit obvious when Jaime DIDN'T kill Edd when he had the chance.

[SimonM]

None of the characters lack for complexity the bit where (highlight for spoilers) Joffrey has the minstrel's tongue cut out seems to indicate that even the nastiest, most self-centered and all around psycopathic character in the show has an internal monologue, thoughts, feelings, desires and goals beyond being evil.

I like that about the story. I like that about stories in general. It's part of what makes Dune so great, it is also part of what makes Jin Yong such an awesome author.

Prior to watching GoT I'd have said Yue Buqun was the best antagonist of all times but I'm beginning to suspect that Cersei will be a threat to his title.

[Dragonzbane76]

That seemed a bit obvious when Jaime DIDN'T kill Edd when he had the chance.

Well, it was more out of honor of him killing him at that moment. He was pis$ed that it was taken away from him.

anyways that's just a little taste of what changes come. There is an event that happens that really turns the tables on Jamie's charcter and make him look even deeper within himself.

[JamesC]

Yup. He becomes one of the best in the series.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Finishing up Storm of Swords, and it just keeps on getting better! I love his dialogues and plot twists...

Here is just a snippet from the end of book III "****** did not, in the end, sheit gold." I broke out laughing...brilliant. I won't mention which character its referring too.

[Dragonzbane76]

hum... wonder whom you are refering :)

yeah as you stated the books get better and better. Honestly though the last book he wrote was off the "beatin" path on the main story line. Lot of characters introduced that had great story lines and some that were side characters that advanced.

[SimonM]

As long as he never writes a book like the WoT one which was 650 pages of secondary characters going "Look, over there!" at the thing Rand did at the end of the book previous.

After that I was never able to get back into the series. ;)

[Dragonzbane76]

WOT is a dry read agreed. Lots of repetitive intros and stuff. Only thing about the series I do like is the world building. Jordan was very good at that.

[Lucas]

A lot of the re introduction i tend to just graze my eyes over to catch any additional info that he might be sneaking in, but to get it out of the way quickly. i think jordan is kind of an aquired taste in terms of discriptive qualities, he often went overboard, but i personally like that...i mean ive read the entire series front to back 3 times...I first got into jordan from his conan novels, which are pretty awesome.

its been a long belief of mine that the WOT characters are largely modeled off of conan. if you look at the pin point of each characters qualities; rand's unbreakable will and constant care for others well being (namely women), matrim's luck and natural battle strategy, perrins strength and ferocity, lan's total mastery of combat, the unfailing endurance of the aiel, etc... those are all pieces of what make up the total character of conan. as the story developed my first time reading it i could not help but notice this, i dont think it is coincidence...

[JamesC]

As an aside, Brandon Sanderson has been great for the end of the WoT series.

He's not mindnumbing to read and he actual moves the plot along. Not to mention the fact that he's being careful to tie up all the lose ends that Jordan left in the series. Thankful for that.

[Lucas]

As an aside, Brandon Sanderson has been great for the end of the WoT series.

He's not mindnumbing to read and he actual moves the plot along. Not to mention the fact that he's being careful to tie up all the lose ends that Jordan left in the series. Thankful for that.

word. i enjoyed his contribution greatly. before picking up his addition to WOT i wanted to check his style, the Mistborn series is really good. worth checking out. its a very interesting world he created.

[JamesC]

I've read the first one, but I haven't gotten around to reading the others in the series.

I'm actually reading The Age of Kings right now. I think it is great so far. He has some very original ideas and this one is no exception. It's very original and MUCH grander in scope than his others. Very much in the vein of WoT in terms of epicness.

[Lucas]

hmm i'll have to check that out. still havnt gotten dance with dragons yet so maybe after i knock that one out.

[Dragonzbane76]

sanderson is a really good writer IMO. His mistborn series is very epic in nature. I've read all the WOT series up till he starts writing (sanderson) and I'll probably pick it up some time when I have some down time off the many series I'm reading now. I recently started the new Tad Williams Shadowmarch series. Not bad so far but Williams tends to over explain things to much but his world building is right on. I have DOD's for July, (pre-ordered) and as soon as i get it I will start on it.


I'm actually reading The Age of Kings right now

Author?

[SimonM]

I'm facebook friends with Tad Williams... gotta remember to read some of his books again some time soon.

[Lucas]

I've read the first one, but I haven't gotten around to reading the others in the series.



ya dude, it starts to get really bad ass AFTER they visit the well of ascension...then all **** hits the fan.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Last nights episode was awesome, after reading about it for years, I finally saw a Dwarf hack someone's leg off with a battle ax! Oustanding work HBO, they have brought the books to life and has endeared some of the characters to me more than the books did.

Here is to my new favorite Scottish Hottie Rose Leslie aka Ygritte!

http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/movies/galleries/meet-the-new-cast-of-game-of-thrones-season-2?page=9

[kuniggety]

The only word to describe that show is epic.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Last nights episode was awesome, after reading about it for years, I finally saw a Dwarf hack someone's leg off with a battle ax! Oustanding work HBO, they have brought the books to life and has endeared some of the characters to me more than the books did.

Here is to my new favorite Scottish Hottie Rose Leslie aka Ygritte!

http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/movies/galleries/meet-the-new-cast-of-game-of-thrones-season-2?page=9

Ah dude, I am truly enjoying this series, far more than the Spartacus one ( season 3 was "meh" at best).
The siege was excellent and yes Tyrion was awesome.
His scar will give him a new look to say the least !
I am wondering how his dad is gonna react to the true hero that his "disregarded son" has become.
Funny how the one that was "written off" has become THE Lannister of all Lanissters.

[Featherstone]

Love the show, bummer that there is only one more episode for the season. :(

I may just have to pick up the books and find a way to get to reading them!

Was awesome watching him cleave that leg right off!!

[Lucas]

Ah dude, I am truly enjoying this series, far more than the Spartacus one ( season 3 was "meh" at best).
The siege was excellent and yes Tyrion was awesome.
His scar will give him a new look to say the least !
I am wondering how his dad is gonna react to the true hero that his "disregarded son" has become.
Funny how the one that was "written off" has become THE Lannister of all Lanissters.

tyrion has one of the most up and down crazy rides in the entirety of a song of ice and fire. that little guy has way more in store for him yet!!! its only just begun!

[Lucas]

Love the show, bummer that there is only one more episode for the season. :(

I may just have to pick up the books and find a way to get to reading them!

Was awesome watching him cleave that leg right off!!

if finding the time to read is an issue try audio book while you commute or something.

[kuniggety]

Ah dude, I am truly enjoying this series, far more than the Spartacus one ( season 3 was "meh" at best).

Spartacus started off really awesome. I loved that show but it has kind of gone down hill, I feel. Game of Thrones, I think, trumps even the first season of Spartacus. I just wish I had shows like these when I was growing up.

Having not read the books, I'm interested in seeing what Lord Tywin does after swooping in and saving the day. Hopefully he boots his idiot nephew from the throne.

[Featherstone]

ya know, thats a good idea! I'll have to see if I can find them.

[Lucas]

i just looked it up on amazon. but you can also find a free torrent online for sure. also maybe your local library system has it for a free.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Having not read the books, I'm interested in seeing what Lord Tywin does after swooping in and saving the day. Hopefully he boots his idiot nephew from the throne.

Lord Tywin, on screen is a much more interesting character, especially with his interactions with Arya. I actually kind of like his character, in the books he's more of a ruthless and I mean ruthless mob boss type. It's all about the family.

That's the great thing about George RR Martin's writing, even some the most 'evil' or 'noble' characters have intriguing sides and good/bad traits to them. You can't pigeon hole them all as good or evil.

[sanjuro_ronin]

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/576800_10150837141208428_703038427_11810361_371390 206_n.jpg

[Hebrew Hammer]

Here she is, everyone meet the new gf.

[Lucas]

Lord Tywin, on screen is a much more interesting character, especially with his interactions with Arya. I actually kind of like his character, in the books he's more of a ruthless and I mean ruthless mob boss type. It's all about the family.

That's the great thing about George RR Martin's writing, even some the most 'evil' or 'noble' characters have intriguing sides and good/bad traits to them. You can't pigeon hole them all as good or evil.

jamie for instance. i started the series hating that guy, and now in a dance with dragons, hes one of my favorite.

arya stark is hands down my favorite, jon snow in a close second.

danny gets a wold all her own.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Here she is, everyone meet the new gf.

So far she hasn't look that good in the series...

[Lucas]

i havnt seen the show really, just one episode to see the cross over. waiting till its complete,then i'll watch it all at once.

anyhow quick question. has 'the mountain that rides' been introduced yet, and if so who plays that monster??

[sanjuro_ronin]

i havnt seen the show really, just one episode to see the cross over. waiting till its complete,then i'll watch it all at once.

anyhow quick question. has 'the mountain that rides' been introduced yet, and if so who plays that monster??

Not sure if you mean "the hound" with his burnt face?

[Hebrew Hammer]

The Mountain's brother the younger Sandor "Hound' Clegane has been a prominent character, he just ran off with Sansa in the last episode. The Mountain has had a few scenes, very few...showing him as a Lanister henchmen, but has yet to 'ride'. Its about that time in the story line, maybe next season as there is only one episode left. Don't know the actor but he is huge, a white Big Foot Silva if you will.

He did chop his horse's head off nice in season one after losing the joust to the knight of flowers.

[Lucas]

Not sure if you mean "the hound" with his burnt face?

ya the hounds gigantic pscyho brother...not that the hound has it all together but ya...

i will say that if they do a good duel between the mountain and the snake (trying to be cryptic) i'll be watching that. a totally epic duel in the book. let me know!!!

[Lucas]

He did chop his horse's head off nice in season one after losing the joust to the knight of flowers.

hell ya!!! ah loras tyrel...lol what a brave kid.


im glad they made this into a show, now i can talk about one of my favorite stories with everyone.

[sanjuro_ronin]

The Mountain's brother the younger Sandor "Hound' Clegane has been a prominent character, he just ran off with Sansa in the last episode. The Mountain has had a few scenes, very few...showing him as a Lanister henchmen, but has yet to 'ride'. Its about that time in the story line, maybe next season as there is only one episode left. Don't know the actor but he is huge, a white Big Foot Silva if you will.

He did chop his horse's head off nice in season one after losing the joust to the knight of flowers.

Ah yes, that schmuck.
We shall see what comes of that but one assumes that he will be hunting his brother and Sansa.

[ShaolinDan]

Great. Thanks to all your rave reviews I started watching Game of Thrones first season on youtube...watched ten episodes in three days and now I'm itching to start season two, although I think maybe I'll just get the books instead.

Fun stuff, but I've got work I'm supposed to be doing. :)

[@PLUGO]

Hasn't The Mountain been serving under Tywin Lannister at Harrenhal?

Interestingly Gregor Clegane was played by Conan Stevens in Season 1 but was recast and played by Ian Whyte in Season 2.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Hasn't The Mountain been serving under Tywin Lannister at Harrenhal?

You are correct...in the books he's the terror of the River Lands during the warring period...the show has cut out a big portion of the rumors, fears, and evil deeds conducted by the Mountain and his merry men. The acts he's most famous for they have already shown, cutting his horse in half, dueling his brother briefly and probably in next season he will have the epic battle with the Viper of Dorne. That should be great.

There are just too many story lines for the HBO to follow them all, although they've done a fantastic job.

[Zenshiite]

I just hope next season they can get the guy that played the Mountain in season 1 back. The guy in season 2 lacks the presence and bulk of him, he's just super tall.

Season 1 Mountain is, however, busy with the Hobbit playing a feared Orc King.

[Treznor]

The Mountain's brother the younger Sandor "Hound' Clegane has been a prominent character, he just ran off with Sansa in the last episode. The Mountain has had a few scenes, very few...showing him as a Lanister henchmen, but has yet to 'ride'. Its about that time in the story line, maybe next season as there is only one episode left. Don't know the actor but he is huge, a white Big Foot Silva if you will.

He did chop his horse's head off nice in season one after losing the joust to the knight of flowers.

Sansa didn't go with him... He told her to but then left on his own.

[GeneChing]

I know I'd get addicted and I'm already addicted to too much media. Perhaps I'll binge watch it the next time I'm sick.

Unlikely Mix: Rappers, Dragons and Fantasy (http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579417603138479142)
HBO Hires Hip-Hop, Latin-Music Artists to Promote 'Game of Thrones'
By Robbie Whelan
March 4, 2014 6:29 p.m. ET

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-BT923_throne_G_20140304183559.jpg
Time Warner's HBO hopes to attract more rap fans to watch 'Game of Thrones' with a hip-hop mixtape featuring rappers like Big Boi. HBO

On a Tuesday night a few weeks ago, the rapper Wale showed up with his entourage at Premier Studios in New York's Times Square, entered the vocal booth, and over a string-heavy march-like instrumental track, started rapping about medieval-style mythical warfare:

I'm tellin' whoever messin' with me

I can bring you that Khaleesi heat

Use my King, knack for words, as an actual sword

I can decapitate a rapper…

The subject matter was unusual for Wale (real name: Olubowale Victor Akintimehin ), whose last album, "The Gifted," released by Maybach Music Group and Atlantic Records, dealt with more typical hip-hop themes: rising from modest means to a life of driving Maserati sports cars, dating sexy women and wearing expensive chains.

This time, he was rapping about "Game of Thrones," a TV series based on fantasy novels written by George R.R. Martin and beloved by fantasy geeks. (Ned Stark, a key character in the series, is famously decapitated in Season 1; Khaleesi refers to a character known as the "Mother of Dragons").

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-CK531_THRONE_DV_20140304191721.jpg
Rapper Big Boi Getty Images for HBO

Over the years, rappers have influenced the buying habits and brand preferences of urban audiences just by mentioning the items in a song, helping to drive sales of everything from Dom Pérignon champagne to Nike basketball shoes.

Now Time Warner Inc. TWX +0.58% 's HBO, the premium cable channel that produces and airs "Game of Thrones," has hired 10 hip-hop and Latin-music artists to rap about the TV series, which the network hopes will encourage more rap fans to watch the show. The result, a 10-song hip-hop "mixtape" called "Catch the Throne," is expected to be released online on Friday. HBO declined to say how much the campaign cost or how much the artists are being paid.

A team of producers at New York's Launch Point Records layered samples of dialogue from the show and music from its dramatic, orchestral score over hip-hop beats, while the artists rapped verses about sword fights and fire-breathing dragons.

In addition to Wale, the album includes songs by rappers Common, Big Boi of the Atlanta-based group Outkast, as well as several Latin-crossover artists including reggaeton star Daddy Yankee and rapper Bodega Bamz.

The goal is to reach out to the show's urban, "multicultural" audience, a demographic that includes African-Americans and Latinos, and help capture more viewers and expand the premium cable channel's subscriber base.

"Our multicultural audiences are a very important part of our subscribers, and we don't want to take them for granted," said Lucinda Martinez, HBO's senior vice president for multicultural marketing.

The latest effort began after HBO's marketing executives realized that "celebrity influencers"—famous rappers and others with large followings on social media and the radio—from the hip-hop world were fans of the show. Magazeen, a Jamaican-born dancehall-rap artist, says he watches "Game of Thrones" on DVD while on tour, and that his favorite character is the murderous boy-prince Joffrey Baratheon.

"It's a lot of sword-swinging, a lot of fighting, man—It's just raw!" Magazeen said.

HBO typically airs episodes of its series multiple times a week and makes them available through on-demand and online-streaming services. Across all those platforms, "Game of Thrones" has about 14.3 million viewers, HBO says, making it the network's most-watched series. Yet HBO wants to expand the appeal to include larger numbers of African-Americans, Latinos and the broader "urban" market.

Over the course of the third season, which aired in 2013, viewers of "Game of Thrones" prime-time telecasts were on average 13.2% black, 9.2% Hispanic and 76.6% white, according to Nielsen.

Overall, 16.8% of HBO's prime-time viewership was black last year, while 12.3% was Hispanic and 72.9% was white, Nielsen says. The channel's prime-time black viewership has fallen in each of the past two years, while the percentage of Hispanic viewers is down slightly from two years ago.

HBO points out that blacks and Latinos are overrepresented in HBO's subscriber count relative to their makeup in the wider population, and says that Nielsen's numbers don't capture the full size if the network's audiences because they don't take into account HBO Go, the company's online-streaming video service and other viewing platforms.

The mixtape is also part of a broader strategy on HBO's part to attract more viewers generally. Michael Morris, an analyst at Guggenheim Securities, said that HBO's subscriber base has been stuck at roughly 30 million in the U.S. for the last few years, although in an earnings call with analysts last month, Jeff Bewkes, chief executive of Time Warner Inc., said the channel had added two million subscribers last year, the biggest yearly increase in nearly two decades.

"I think it's interesting that as HBO looks for growth, they may be looking at certain segments of the population that have been underserved in the past," Mr. Morris, the analyst, said.

Chicago-based rapper and actor Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., better known by his stage name, Common, said that he has watched "Game of Thrones" through the middle of Season 2, and said he loves its complexity and the depth of characters such as Tyrion Lannister, a raconteur, womanizer and royal adviser played by Peter Dinklage.

He compares the mixtape to records made in the early 1990s by Staten Island hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, which featured audio samples of dialogue from 1970s Chinese action movies and references to Shaolin Kung Fu, an obscure martial-arts method associated with a Buddhist monastery in central China that Wu-Tang Clan brought into the mainstream.

"Twenty years ago, Wu-Tang was breaking ground," Common said in an interview. "Nowadays, people are open to anything. There are no limitations in hip-hop culture."

Common said his song on the mixtape is about what it feels like to battle to be top dog, and the things people are willing to do get there. "I sit and think when I'm in my zone / This life is like a Game of Thrones," he raps over a rising swell of strings and timpani drums.

Antwan André Patton, also known as Big Boi, an Atlanta rapper known for his lightning-quick verbal style, is a die-hard fan of the show, and says he has watched the whole series and is currently reading one of the books on which it is based ("I wanted to see what happens in the next season," he said.). On the HBO mixtape he, too, raps about Khaleesi, "the mother of dragons," over a military march-style instrumental track, with a chanted chorus of, "Dungeons, dragons, kings and queens!"

For the musicians involved, the HBO mixtape, which will be distributed for free on the Internet, will be an opportunity to reach millions of new listeners.

Some, like Wale, aren't regular watchers of the show. But for others, like Big Boi, who is also a fan of the Harry Potter series and comic books like Daredevil and Thor, being on the mixtape is an honor.

"I'm really happy. I get to be part of the process of one of my favorite shows," he said.

[wenshu]

I know I'd get addicted and I'm already addicted to too much media. Perhaps I'll binge watch it the next time I'm sick.

Sat through all three seasons a couple months ago, all the buzz about The Red Wedding finally convinced me. Plus HBO Go makes it super convenient. You would definitely enjoy it G. You would especially appreciate certain characters from the city of Bravos.

The wife is all about house Targaryan, but I think Arya Stark is the most compelling storyline.

Valar Morghulis.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnsqCyyqvqE

[wenshu]

Spoilers, obviously.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IYvhnjqXc1U

[Dragonzbane76]

Martin has a way of writing characters that make you hate them at first and come to love them later, except for Jophrey, no one likes him. Arya's story is a great one, you'll definitely enjoy her story line this season.

[wenshu]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--D238qG-b--/c_fit,fl_progressive,w_636/gvqtll61zdbau3wcpqfe.png

[wenshu]

http://i.imgur.com/OsdbYF4.jpg

[Dragonzbane76]

Just finished up watching the new episode and was impressed with the "red vipers" fight scene. I did a little search and found that he had trained in some CMA's and learned some spear tactics. Gene I didn't know if you had seen that or not. Don't know how long he had done it, the review I read didn't say. Anyways thoughts?

[GeneChing]

I know I'd enjoy it, if just for this story alone.


Texas Game of Thrones fan staves off an intruder with a MEDIEVAL SWORD instead of a gun because he is a christian who doesn't believe in killing (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2763175/Texas-Game-Thrones-fan-staves-intruder-MEDIEVAL-SWORD-instead-gun-christian-doesn-t-believe-killing.html)
Thomas McGowan, 25, broke into the home of Jimmy Morgan, Jr. on Tuesday night in attempt to hide from the police
Jimmy Morgan Jr. saw McGowan and used a medieval sword to fight him off
'I am a Christian man and I don't want to take life, however I want to make sure that he understands that his life was mine to take. I let him have it, ' said Morgan Jr.
Jimmy Morgan Jr. is a Game of Thrones fan who practices medieval sword fighting but does not own a firearm
By Alexandra Klausner
PUBLISHED: 23:12 EST, 19 September 2014 | UPDATED: 07:11 EST, 20 September 2014

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411183154120_wps_7_Thomas_McGowan_jpg.jpg
Intruder: Thomas McGowan, 25, broke into the home of Jimmy Morgan Jr. to hide from police

A homeowner sporting a Game of Thrones T-Shirt and brandished with a medieval sword says that he could have taken the life of an intruder who entered his home but that he is a Christian and doesn't believe in killing.
Thomas McGowan, 25, broke into the Wichita Falls, Texas home of Jimmy Morgan Jr. at midnight on Tuesday but retreated with terror leaving splatters of blood on the wall after Morgan Jr. whipped out a medieval sword and told him to get lost.
McGowan broke into Morgan Jr.'s home to hide from police after crashing his car during a police chase.
Police drove after McGowan for driving a car that was reported stolen.
As it turns out, the car belonged to McGowan who reported the theft but later forgot to tell police he found his car.
Morgan, who practices a medieval fighting method called SCA armored combat, told reporters from KDFX about how he stopped an intruder without use of a firearm despite many of his Texas neighbors who own a gun.
Morgan Jr. is also a fan of the HBO television drama Game of Throne which features sword fighting and bloody battles.
Morgan says he heard McGowan enter from the window. Upon seeing him he grabbed his trusty spear.
'He started retreating and I started advancing and I was stalking him here, you never cross your legs, and I cornered him right here,' says Morgan Jr..
Morgan explains how when McGowan tried to exit through the door he panicked when he realized it was locked.
'The door was locked and shut. He was panicked at this point. He said, 'I can't get out, I can't get out'.
'As he was running, he smeared blood from here to high heaven and he splattered here and he splattered there and splattered all over there. It was like a deer,' Morgan Jr. added.
While Morgan Jr. doesn't think fighting back to an intruder is always the safest thing to do, he's trained in a medieval fighting practice that came in handy the other night.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411183826179_wps_12_image007_png.jpg
Night's Watch: Jimmy Morgan Jr. is a game of Thrones fan who is well studied in medieval sword fighting and has his own way of dealing with intruders who dare to enter his lair

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411185445545_wps_14_image003_png.jpgHeard a noise: Jimmy Morgan Junior heard the intruder enter his home so he cornered him into the hallway with his sword and told him to get out of his house

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411185454159_wps_15_image004_png.jpg
Blood everywhere: As McGowan ran away from Morgan Jr. he splattered blood all over the walls 'like a deer' said Morgan Jr. who chased him through the home like a member of the Night's Watch

'It's called the SCA. It's a medieval fighting and we do use spears and swords and things of that nature. I don't have a firearm so I have a short spear, very quick, very agile and very deadly,' Morgan Jr. says.
Morgan Jr. had the intruder cornered the other night and easily could have killed him but he says he is a religious and moral man who doesn't believe in taking someone's life.
'I am a Christian man and I don't want to take life, however I want to make sure that he understands that his life was mine to take. I let him have it.'
McGowan crashed his vehicle and was able to outrun police. That's when he broke into Morgan's trailer.

McGowan is charged with evading arrest with a vehicle, criminal trespass of a habitation, and driving while intoxicated.
Myhighplains.com reports that McGown was taken to the hospital for his injuries, treated, and then booked in jail on $5,000 bond.
This may be McGowan's first encounter with a member of the Night's Watch but it is not his first run-in with police.
In April 2013, a grand jury declined to indict McGowan after he was charged with arson for an October 2012 fire at a Wichita Falls apartment complex.
The fire department said McGowan intentionally lit the house on fire to cover up a burglary.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411185436187_wps_13_image001_png.jpg
Caught: When police finally caught Thomas McGowan he was covered in blood so he was transferred to the hospital for treatment and later booked in jail on $5,000 bail

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411185488250_Image_galleryImage_No_Merchandising_ Editoria.JPG
Game of Thrones: Jimmy Morgan Jr. drove off an intruder with his sword but decided to let him keep his life and embodied the spirit of the noble and brave characters in the popular HBO drama Game of Thrones

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/09/20/1411185625353_Image_galleryImage_No_Merchandising_ Editoria.JPG
Beware the blade: Jimmy Morgan Jr. practices the art of medieval sword fighting like the character Jon Snow in Game of Thrones who is known for his swordsmanship and deadly blade

[@PLUGO]

http://youtu.be/__poCm1Od20

Dornish (wushu-ish) weapons!

[GeneChing]

Fun article from the Royal Armouries.


21 AUGUST 2017 ROYAL ARMOURIES COLLECTING CULTURES
Cutting Edge Fantasy | Swords in A Game of Thrones (https://blog.royalarmouries.org/2017/08/21/cutting-edge-fantasy-swords-in-a-game-of-thrones/)

As HBO’s epic retelling of George R.R. Martins ‘Game of Thrones’ draws to a close, Stefan Maeder, Director of Collections here at the Royal Armouries gives us a fascinating insight into the swords of the series.

Swords and Symbolism

Having become obsolete as a weapon of war, the sword even today maintains its significance as a potent symbol. In the bible it epitomises the word of God, as well as being a synonym for justice, punishment, and violence in general. Already in the Old Testament the popular quote of “turning swords into ploughshares”, has a less popular counterpart by the plea to “turn ploughshares into swords”. Jesus himself points out once that he has “not come to bring peace, but the sword”.

In the European Early Middle Ages, swords were often regarded as animated beings with varying characters, and were named accordingly. Later, the distinction between secular and ecclesiastical power was symbolized by the concept of a “worldly sword” and a “spiritual sword”. Most of us are still familiar with the sword as a living symbol for weaponry in general, violence, justice, honour, but also for ambiguity, e.g. when referring to a problem as “a double-edged sword”. Thus, it is not surprising to encounter this “weapon of weapons” in popular game-culture, fantasy-literature and motion pictures. The most influential among the latter presently being “A Game of Thrones”, the better-known title of “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin.

Swords in A Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin’s historically inspired fantasy-novels have become an iconic constituent of Western pop culture. This observation holds true even more perhaps for their adaptions into the epic HBO television series. Both at present influence and shape popular concepts of what still today is vaguely termed as “the Middle Ages”.

As we gradually approach the final stages of a gripping game of thrones, the odds for a diplomatic settlement of claims for the iron throne and a romantic happy-end seem unlikely. Let’s just hope a befitting end is not sacrificed to pyrotechnical megalomania. The technically tempting perspective of indulging in excessive applications of dragon or wildfire would be too reminiscent of a Wagnerian twilight of the gods.

Compared to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” with its easy to grasp outlook on good and evil, Martin is exploring the virtues and abysses of his central characters quite exhaustively. They literally come alive, being stricken even with basic human urges. It is a more than rare instance that heroes and heroines of literary fiction follow the call of nature and even can get killed while doing so. In this respect – as well as in the choice of weapon – the ballistic patricide executed by Tyrion on Tywin Lannister is a memorable feat; indeed a Freudian implementation of the not exactly poetic German invocation “may lightning strike you while utilising the closet” (polite version). Apart from crossbows, we encounter in ‘A Game of Thrones’ a near complete arsenal of mostly medieval-inspired arms, armour and even artillery. While it would be pointless to postulate historical accuracy with respect to the plot or material culture described in a piece of fiction, George R.R. Martin reintroduces an aspect of history that is mostly lacking from the written historical sources: the perspective of the vanquished, as it was referred to e. g. in the prologue to ‘Braveheart’ (Mel Gibson,1995).

As is the case in the “Lord of the Rings” or Michael Moorcock’s cycle of novels around “Elric of Melniboné”, the sword is the most prestigious of weapons in GoT. But what would its historical counterparts look like? From Martin’s descriptions it is obvious, that he had medieval European swords in mind for the swords of Westeros (the Arakh of the Dothraki being inspired possibly by the Egyptian Khopesh, a “sickle-sword” dating back to the later 3rd and 2nd millenia B.C.). The mention of *******-swords, one- and two-handed swords together with leather-. mail- and plate armour reminds one of the battle-scenes in lavishly illustrated European manuscripts from the 13th to 15th century. An exceptional type of sword, primarily designed to “stick ‘em with the pointy end” is Arya Stark’s “Needle”, the blade of which may correspond to an early type of thrusting sword, an Estoc, appearing in the 15th century.

https://royalarmouries.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/ra_needle.jpg?w=712
Arya Stark’s Needle

In the TV-series however “Needle’s” design was apparently inspired by 17th/18th century smallswords rather than by earlier thrusting-types. Interestingly enough, there were “needle”-like smallswords made for boys of noble or otherwise privileged descent in the 18th century. These were by no means toys and often displayed a needle-sharp point.

https://royalarmouries.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/sword-1631-16701.png
Pillow Sword (1631-1670) (IX.1374), close in form to Arya Stark’s ‘Needle’.

Trying to establish a typology of famous fantasy-swords is not very likely to yield exciting results as the descriptions of the literary prototypes leave much room for interpretation. Already by now the notions of GoT swords like “Ice”, “Longclaw”, “Heartsbane”, “Lady Forlorn”, “Widow´s Wail” and “Oathkeeper” or Jaime Lannister´s sword have been influenced by the design of the TV-series’ props. Still, apart from Stannis Baratheon’s “Lightbringer”, George R.R. Martin has managed to add a magical dimension to the “sword-lore” in GoT by inventing “Valyrian Steel”. The first instance where this “magical high-tech material” enters the game is the scene when Lord Eddard Stark has to behead Will (resp. Gared in the novel), the deserter from the Night´s Watch. “Ice” the hereditary great-sword of the Stark-Clan calls to mind a late 14th to early 16th battle-sword (“Schlachtschwert”) and is assimilated to a mid 15th century type in the TV-series:

“Ice,” that sword was called. It was as wide across as a man’s hand, and taller even than Rob. The blade was Valyrian steel, spell-forged and dark as smoke. Nothing held an edge like Valyrian steel.” (A Game of Thrones, Bran 1). continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://royalarmouries.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/bearing-sword-1400-1430.png?w=196&h=595
Two Hand Bearing sword (1400-1430) (IX.1025)

In “A Clash of Kings”, Chapter 55, Catelyn refers to “Ice” again, after it had been used by Ilyn Payn to behead her husband, Eddard Stark:

“Robb will avenge his brothers. Ice can kill as dead as fire. Ice was Ned’s greatsword. Valyrian steel, marked with the ripples of a thousand foldings, so sharp I feared to touch it. Robb’s blade is dull as a cudgel compared to Ice.”

Turning “Ice” into a shining example for economic recycling, Tywin Lannister ordered two blades to be forged from it, a process which resulted in “Widow’s Wail”, the sword given to King Joffrey on the occasion of his wedding with Margaery Tyrell, and “Oathkeeper”, the sword given by Jaime Lannister to Brienne of Tarth. A shorter weapon with a Valyrian steel blade we encounter in the novel and the TV-series, is the dagger with which Bran is attacked by a paid assassin. John Snow´s “Longclaw”, being bestowed upon him by Jeor Mormont, the “Old Bear” and commander of the Night’s Watch, is a hereditary *******-sword of house Mormont, also sporting a blade of Valyrian steel. Jon´s remark on the fitting irony of a ******* being equipped with a *******-sword is another example for the author´s admirable capability of “changing skins”.

The Symbolism of the Hilt

Another aspect of swords raised in Martin’s novel is the symbolism transported by the design of sword-hilts. It is probably not too far from historical realities that “Longclaw’s” pommel in the shape of a bear’s head, the heraldic emblem of house Mormont, was changed to a direwolf’s head, associated with house Stark to which Jon belongs – and doesn’t belong at the same time. The custom of designing weapon-parts, especially sword pommels in the shape of animal and/or human heads can be traced back to a time-range between ca. 1200 and 800 B.C. in what is now Iran and Eastern Turkey. On Roman swords animal-head-shaped pommels occur, compare e. g. the eagle head sword-hilts on the so-called tetrarch-relief (4th cent. AD) on a corner of St. Marc’s Basilica in Venice.

https://royalarmouries.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/ra_longclaw1.png?w=712
Longclaw, sword of Jon Snow.
https://royalarmouries.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/pattern-1803-flank-officer-s-sword-1803.png
Lion head pommels were quite common among British 18th/19th military swords such as this Pattern 1803 Flank Officer’s Sword (IX.620)

Stylised animal-heads sometimes still occur on early medieval sword-pommels up to the later Viking-period (10th/11th cent.), then largely disappear until their revival/Renaissance from the 16th to the 19th century (mainly lions, eagles and bears). There is much more left to find out about the construction, use and symbolism of the medieval sword than can even be hinted at here.

https://royalarmouries.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/curly.png
This British 19th century bandsmen’s sword is very like those shown in GoT, for it’s stylized animal head. (1800-1899) (IX.599)

So, should you decide to follow the challenging but rewarding path towards a deeper understanding of facts and myths concerning medieval swords, one principle is given away already at this stage: when a swordfight became a matter of life and death, it was hardly ever the “better” weapon deciding the outcome, but the better fencer. Thus direct comparisons of the merits of Japanese Swords in relation to European ones are largely futile as they were developed for different styles of fighting and adapted for use against different kinds of armour. Interesting examples for successful inclusion of edged-weapons and fencing research into historically inspired movies are “The Duelists” (Ridley Scott, 1977) and “Rob Roy” (Michael Caton-Jones, 1995).

You can still nowadays encounter medieval types of armament in 3-D when visiting European churches containing effigies of fully armoured knights. Or, should you decide to get more than a glimpse at the real thing: visit Leeds, explore the Royal Armouries’ “War”, “Tournament” and “Oriental” Galleries and come face to face with arms and armour involved in many a “game of thrones and power”.

The Royal Armouries is now an officially licensed UK retailer of Game of Thrones merchandise, approved by HBO.

The Royal Armouries site is awesome. Got to hand it to GoT for turning me on to it.

[Cataphract]

The idea that a little girl learns fencing using an estoc is a little weird though. Rapier-like weapons were in use since the bronze age. Clearly more fit for a young lady than some highly specialised weapon against full plate armor.

[GeneChing]

https://media.gq.com/photos/59a09331ffc1774a35c3d1d5/16:9/w_1280/2017-08_GQ_GOT-Sword_3x2-TOUT.jpg
TV
How Game of Thrones Created a Mini-Industry of $3,000 Swords (https://www.gq.com/story/game-of-thrones-valyrian-steel-swords)
BY CAM WOLF
3 days ago

Valyrian steel can cut down White Walkers—plus you can resell it and buy a trip to Disney World.

The only thing more beautiful than the flow of Jon Snow’s mane as he sprints across Hardhome is his blade twisting through the air. The sword does a full Simone Biles in Snow’s hand before it’s thrust into the chest of the half-zombie half-skeleton wight. Cha-ching. The wight flails around, so Snow uses his sword, known as Longclaw, to pin the creature against the wall. Cha-ching. Snow pirouettes and swings Longclaw into one wight, takes a thwack at a second, and uppercuts a third. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching. A part-human, part-ice White Walker appears, and its arctic weapon easily shatters the sword of an opponent. Snow seems destined for the same fate, but Longclaw sustains the Walker’s blow, then bats the Walker’s weapon away with one hit and turns the creature into nothing more than a shattered vase with the next. Cha-****ing-ching.

“Lots of free advertising,” says Chris Beasley, the founder of Valyrian Steel, a company that makes swords modeled after the Game of Thrones television series and the books it’s based on. “We sold a lot of Longclaws that week.” Scenes like that one from the episode “Hardhome” are part of why companies like Beasley’s—companies that make swords, small miniatures of the characters, precious coins, and ornate jewelry—have found success. Game of Thrones is one of the most over-analyzed, content-creating, and recapped shows of the century. Diehard fans—and I’d assert there are no half-hearted GoT watchers—froth over Kit Harington’s every haircut, so as you can imagine, an authentic sword is like Viagra for this crowd.

Valyrian Steel, the company, takes it name from a magical material in Game of Thrones; it’s what Snow’s Longclaw sword is made out of, and the stuff is legendary. In A Storm of Swords, King Tyrion Lannister describes Valyrian steel blades as “scarce and costly.”

That description also works IRL. Beasley’s company makes its products in limited numbers, and they too are often passed on from person to person in exchange for massive sums on sites like eBay. Swords that retailed for $600 can more than quadruple their worth and resell for close to $3,000. The blades, literally, are worth more than gold.

Secondary market prices climb to such outrageous figures that Beasley’s customers use them as investments. Beasley tells the story of a man who bought four $600 swords out of a 100-piece run. Initially, he hid the swords from his wife and made Beasley ship them to four different locations. “Several years later, he sent us an email, tells us he sold them, built a pool in his backyard and took his kids to Disney World,” Beasley says.

https://media.gq.com/photos/59a489d7798c7d6ae9acf496/master/w_1280/2017-08_GQ_GOT-Sword_3x2-updated1.jpg
The anatomy of a sword

None of this would have been possible if Game of Thrones had remained only a series of books.

To say the cottage industry around GoT is bustling isn’t exactly true. It’s mostly hobbyists who have held licenses with author George R.R. Martin long before HBO came sniffing around. But for Valyrian Steel, which got in on the ground floor and was the only one of the pre-existing licensees to sign on with HBO, it’s been a goldmine.

Before the TV series, Beasley says that a run of Longclaws languished in his warehouse. He eventually discounted the product and it sold out after two years. Now, the sword sells out almost instantly. Beasley says that when the show was picked up it was “a big, big celebratory date. That was very exciting. It continues to be exciting.”
But signing on with the show means taking what for many was a side gig and making it their full-time commitment. Jim Ludwig, the founder of Dark Sword Miniatures, which makes figurines based on characters from Martin’s books, first got in touch with the author in early 2005.
“I got an email from this guy raving about the miniatures, and he signed it George R.R. Martin,” Ludwig says. He was “an admirer,” Ludwig says, and they eventually became buddies. The company now holds the the license to Song of Ice and Fire, the book series Game of Thrones is based on.

Ludwig’s hand-crafted miniatures are intricate works of art built up from a putty underneath a microscope. Not just anyone can do it, and Ludwig insists on working with the best. One of the main sculptors is Tom Meier, who Hasbro used to call upon to ensure actor likenesses were dialed in on Star Wars action figure faces, Ludwig says. That’s what we’re talking about here.


“I got an email from this guy raving about the miniatures, and he signed it George R.R. Martin,” Ludwig says. He was “an admirer.”
Ludwig balked at the opportunity to partner with HBO, but he’s still cashing in on the series’ success. He says the show definitely drives interest, even though he gets complaints from people who wonder why the faces on the minis don’t match the ones they see on their TV screens on Sunday nights. And he recently partnered with the popular gaming company CMON on a board game using his miniatures. The project raised almost $1.7 million on Kickstarter.

Many of the companies in Martin’s universe, like Dark Sword Miniatures, haven’t been able, or were hesitant, to work out the same sort of deal Valyrian Steel did. These companies are small and care about authenticity above all else; they don’t typically have the money or workforce standing by to make it work. Family-owned Badali Jewelry, for example, had the chance to make accessories based on HBO’s Game of Thrones. However, founder Janelle Badali says the “understandably large upfront guarantee to secure the license” was too much for her. Even Beasley says he needed $125,000 up front to produce his first full run of swords and every partner he asked turned him down—an obstacle at the time, but something Beasley is now grateful for since he retains full ownership of the company.

For the deals that do work out, though, it’s not hard to see why. These companies essentially get a free 60-minute commercial every Sunday that’s watched obsessively by millions of people. Game of Thrones is also a show perfectly formulated for Dark Sword and Valyrian Steel’s potential customers. Beasley says that he bet big on Valyrian Steel for a couple reasons. The first is that the swords in the show and books have names. And to be sure, the blades have a rich and compelling backstory of their own. I sat enthralled, along with two million-plus other viewers, and watched an 18-minute video breaking down what Valyrian steel is, how it’s made, and which characters have swords made out of it. One commenter writes, “By the middle of [the] video, I started to think that these are part of actual human history.” The blades really feel like their own characters.

Of course, the market is exactly right: “People who buy swords tend to read books,” says Beasley. A sprinkling of luck is involved, too: “It's helpful that Kit Harington is not a tall man,” Beasley adds. “He wears [the sword] on his hip but because he's not a tall man, the pommel of the sword sits at about his sternum in every scene he's in, more or less. So, it gets a ton of screen time.”

Lastly, this is a crowd that craves authenticity, and Martin works closely with each of these companies to design the items and gives a final sign-off on everything. HBO is a prestige television network and it asks the same quality from its partners. “This is a product category that requires a highly skilled licensee, and the resulting collection of replica weapons and armor gives fans a way to own beautiful and faithful copies of what they have seen on air,” Jeff Peters, HBO’s vice president of licensing and retail says over email.

None of this would have been possible if not for Martin’s fierce loyalty towards his licensees. When he signed on with HBO, the author ensured that the companies he worked with as part of the books got right of first refusal and served as a sounding board for those on the fence about licensing with HBO. It didn’t work out on a large scale for everyone, but in creating a cult show, Martin also created a tiny industry for his friends.

"Cha-****ing-ching." :D

[@PLUGO]

. . . for this piece of fanart I illustrated to accompany my "appearance" in Sifu Mimi Chan's (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=117) podcast CULTURE CHAT (https://www.culturechatpodcast.com/gameofthrones/).

10381 (https://www.culturechatpodcast.com/gameofthrones/)

I changed the pommel a bit as I never really liked the televised version.

[GeneChing]

I'm not in this week's episode, but I hope you'll support it anyway. :cool:


https://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/a404e16194938cdf33d949a15dca01a6/5C60E27F/t51.2885-15/fr/e15/s1080x1080/43044119_278342366119821_1363603616847957203_n.jpg

elreynetwork (https://www.instagram.com/p/BowjExbgtBt/?taken-by=elreynetwork) You are at the Red Wedding, which weapon do you use to defend yourself?


EPISODE 2
WEAPONS OF FANTASY
In this episode of Man At Arms: Art of War, Danny and the smiths forge two iconic weapons of modern Hollywood fantasy - the Oathkeeper and the Red Viper Spear. The team then puts the blades through and array of tests.

THREADS:
Game of Thrones (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones)
Man at Arms: Art of War - Original Series from EL REY Network (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70140-Man-at-Arms-Art-of-War-Original-Series-from-EL-REY-Network-with-Gene-Ching)

[GeneChing]

Like I said, I'm not on tonight, but my brother in arms Da'Mon Stith tags in as weapons expert.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpPl4pTUUAAlhiD.jpg:large

El Rey Network (https://twitter.com/Elreynetwork)
‏
Verified account

@Elreynetwork
46m46 minutes ago
TONIGHT! @OfficialDannyT & the builders bring the weapons from Game of Thrones to life! Don't miss the all-new Man At Arms: Art Of War 8p ET @ElReyNetwork! #dannytrejo #manatarms #weapons #gameofthones #got #jaimelannister #brienneoftarth #oathkeeper #redviperspear #elreyallday

I'm actually off for the next few episodes.


THREADS:
Game of Thrones (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones)
Man at Arms: Art of War - Original Series from EL REY Network (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70140-Man-at-Arms-Art-of-War-Original-Series-from-EL-REY-Network-with-Gene-Ching)

[GeneChing]

Didn't expect it would be fatal. :(


'GAME OF THRONES' FAN STABBED NEIGHBOR TO DEATH WITH CEREMONIAL SWORD (https://www.newsweek.com/game-thrones-fan-stabbed-neighbor-death-ceremonial-sword-1211849)
BY DAVID BRENNAN ON 11/12/18 AT 9:00 AM

https://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/md_thumb/public/2018/11/12/knife-pic.jpg
This photo shows the ceremonial sword Douglas Plumpton used to kill Iain Maddocks in March.

A man has been sentenced to life in jail after killing a neighbor using a ceremonial sword he bought as inspiration for the Game of Thrones-style novel he was writing.

Douglas Plumpton, 26, killed Iain Maddocks in March over an unpaid debt, though he claimed he was acting in self-defense, the BBC reported. A judge in Liverpool, U.K., sentenced Plumpton to serve at least 19 years in jail following the murder, which occurred on the victim’s 32nd birthday. Though the defendant admitted manslaughter, he denied murder.

Plumpton, also known as “Ratsa Jack”—called the emergency services as Maddocks lay dying, claiming the victim had come to his home to attack him. “If he dies, it's his own…fault,” he said in a recording of the call played to the jury.

He claimed Maddocks was armed with a large knife when he arrived at his apartment. Plumpton said he then grabbed one of his two ceremonial swords—which he owned to help him visualize scenes for his fantasy novel—to defend himself.

The court heard that Maddocks bled to death having suffered multiple stab and slash wounds. An injury to the femoral artery in his left leg proved fatal, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Judge Alan Conrad said Maddocks died in “horrific circumstances” which have “caused misery and pain to those close to him.” Addressing Plumpton, he said, “He had done nothing to deserve the brutal armed violence that you used and which ended his life.”

Conrad said Plumpton was a known drug dealer, and Maddocks one of his customers. The victim fell into debt with Plumpton and this, Conrad said, was “the real cause of your annoyance.”

https://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/embed_tablet/public/2018/11/12/douglas-plumpton.png
Douglas Plumpton, 26, was sentenced to at least 19 years in jail for the murder.
MERSEYSIDE POLICE

Plumpton had damaged Maddocks’s car over the outstanding £140 ($180) payment, which they had agreed would be paid back in £70 ($90) installments. But the first month, Maddocks only paid £40 ($51). In retaliation, Plumpton smashed the headlights on Maddocks’ car.

“When Mr. Maddocks came to your door, believing you were responsible for damaging his car, you armed yourself,” Conrad said. After the stabbing, the judge said Plumpton tried to cover his tracks by placing a large knife next to the incapacitated Maddocks and even considered moving him to a nearby empty flat.

When told he was being arrested on suspicion of murder, Plumpton replied, “Oh dear, I thought at most it would be manslaughter. He came around to mine kicking off, it was self-defense.”

In a statement supplied to the court, the victim’s mother—Linda Maddocks—said her son’s death was “the worst day of my life.” She said he “was always smiling and loved life so much. This is something you never get over as a mum. I just wish I could change places with him."

This article was updated to include images of Douglas Plumpton and the murder weapon.

THREADS
Game of Thrones (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones)
Bad Day for Samurai Wannabes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52919-Bad-Day-for-Samurai-Wannabes)

[GeneChing]

An update for Game of Thrones (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones).

And for Star Trek 4 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68329-Star-Trek-Beyond-(ST3)), 'That project has since been shelved.'


‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel HBO Pilot: SJ Clarkson To Direct; Naomi Ackie & 7 More Cast (https://deadline.com/2019/01/game-of-thrones-prequel-hbo-pilot-s-j-clarkson-to-direct-naomi-ackie-7-more-cast-1202531071/)
by Nellie Andreeva • tip
and Denise Petski
January 8, 2019 9:30am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/naomi-ackie-sj-clarkson3.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
Shutterstock/HBO/Sky

SJ Clarkson (Marvel’s The Defenders, Jessica Jones) has been tapped to direct and executive produce HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel pilot from feature writer Jane Goldman and author/GOT co-executive producer George R.R. Martin. Naomi Ackie (Lady MacBeth, Yardie), Denise Gough (People, Places and Things, Colette), Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), Sheila Atim (Girl From the North Country, Harlots), Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans, Doctor Who), Georgie Henley (Narnia franchise, The Spanish Princess), Alex Sharp (How To Talk To Girls At Parties, To The Bone) and Toby Regbo (Reign, The Last Kingdom) are set as series regulars, joining previously cast Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse.

I hear Clarkson was recruited by HBO for GOT after she recently became available. Earlier this year, Clarkson was the first female director to be tapped to direct a Star Trek movie when she was hired to helm the fourth feature in the current series. That project has since been shelved.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/gough-bower-atim-jeremiah.jpg?w=360&h=242
Top L-R Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower; Bottom L-R Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah
Ruth Crafer/Netflix

Created by Goldman & Martin and written by Goldman based on a story by her and Martin, the untitled prequel takes place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. It chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/georgie-henley-alex-sharp-toby-regbo.jpg?w=326&h=223
L-R: Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, Toby Regbo
Netflix

Goldman will serve as showrunner and executive produce alongside Martin as well as fellow GOT co-executive producer Vince Gerardis and Damages and Bloodline co-creator/exec producer Daniel Zelman, Clarkson, James Farrell and Jim Danger Gray. Chris Symes is co-executive producer.

Clarkson most recently directed and executive produced Collateral, a four-part BBC/Netflix four-part limited series starring Carey Mulligan and written by David Hare, and previously directed and executive produced the pilots for Marvel’s The Defenders and Jessica Jones for Netflix.

Ackie will be seen in a leading role in J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars: Episode IX, set for release in December 2019, and recently wrapped filming a leading role in London-set crime thriller The Corrupted opposite Sam Claflin.

Gough will next be seen on screen in Wash Westmoreland’s Colette, alongside Keira Knightley and Dominic West, and in the lead role in Monday, alongside Sebastian Stan.

Jeremiah will next be seen on the big screen starring in drama The Flood.

Henley, known as young Lucy in all three Narnia franchise films, recently wrapped the first season of The Spanish Princess, a limited series for Starz.

Sharp will next be seen in MGM’S Nasty Women starring alongside Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

Regbo is currently shooting Medici: The Magnificent, season 2 of the Netflix series, led by Daniel Sharman.

Clarkson is repped by WME in the U.S., Curtis Brown in the UK. Ackie is repped by CAA, Hamilton Hodell in the UK and Cinetic Media and Peikoff Mahan in the U.S. Gough is repped by Independent Talent Group in the UK and United Talent Agency in the U.S. Bower is repped by Paradigm, Dalzell and Beresford in the UK, Sloane, Offer, Weber, and Dern and Vector. Atim is repped by Middleweek Newtown Talent Management, Fourward, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Jeremiah is repped by Scott Marshall Partners Ltd and Luber Roklin Entertainment. Henley is repped by ICM, Hamilton Hodell and art2perform and Peikoff Mahan in the U.S. Sharp is repped by CAA and Elin Flack Management. Regbo is repped by Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Independent Talent Group and attorney Karl Austen at JTWAMM.

[GeneChing]

Not quite what I expected from GoT's Emilia (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones) but looks like Crazy Rich Asian's Henry & Michelle (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones) are doing parallel roles. It's easy to stereotype the Asians. And Emilia probably wanted to get away from bare boob scenes. :p


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9CEIcmWmtA

[GeneChing]

First the bad news...



‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel Pilot Starring Naomi Watts Not Going Forward At HBO (https://deadline.com/2019/10/game-of-thrones-prequel-pilot-dead-hbo-jane-goldman-naomi-watts-1202771609/)
By Dominic Patten, Nellie Andreeva
October 29, 2019 11:56am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/game-of-thrones-hbo.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
HBO

EXCLUSIVE: HBO has more Game of Thrones in the pipeline, but the prequel written by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts is no longer happening.

Showrunner Goldman has been emailing the cast and crew of the project to tell them that the pilot is dead, we hear. The development has not been confirmed by HBO.

The prequel, created by the Kingsman scribe and George R. R. Martin, takes place thousands of years before the wars, romances and dragons of the Emilia Clarke- and Kit Harington-led GoT, which wrapped up its blockbuster eight-season run in May. Weaving in issues of race, power, intrigue and White Walkers, the Goldman-run prequel was given the pilot green light back in June 2018.

It was picked among several GoT prequel scripts that had been commissioned by HBO. While the pilot, carrying heavy corporate expectations, was in editing, HBO in September gave an unofficial pilot green light to a second prequel project from Martin and Ryan Condal, which is set 300 years before the events in Game of Thrones and tracks the beginning of the end for House Targaryen.

Word of the Watts-led pilot, penned by Goldman and directed by S.J. Clarkson, not going forward comes after a lengthy post-production, which included re-editing of the initial cut after it was not well received, and rumors about issues during filming in Northern Ireland.

That is not altogether unheard of for a production of such scope — hardcore fans of the Emmy-winning mothership series will recollect that the $10 million pilot for the show created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss also had a rocky road. The duo and others have admitted that the original GoT pilot was a mess that required it to be re-shot almost entirely at great expense before HBO execs would give the go-ahead to take the project to series.

News of the prequel’s demise comes as HBO owner WarnerMedia hopes to blow some dragon fire of its own today with an investors day presentation of its HBO Max streaming service on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank.

Set to launch next spring, the AT&T-owned media company’s latest foray into the streaming wars has its eyes set on a prize almost as large as the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. With AppleTV+ premiering on November 1 and Disney+ on November to crowd the space already occupied by Netflix, Amazon and the Disney controlled Hulu, plus NBCUniversal’s Peacock on the horizon for 2020 too, AT&T CEO Randell Stephenson declared yesterday that he sees big numbers for HBO Max in such a tight landscape.

The telecom conglomerate boss said in a forecast issued Monday that HBO Max aims to have 50 million U.S. subscribers in its first five years. A desire for more Game of Thrones likely is partially fueling that ambition.

Now the good news...

HBO gives Game of Thrones Targaryen prequel a full series order (https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/29/game-of-thrones-targaryen-prequel-ordered-hbo/)
By James Hibberd October 29, 2019 at 07:57 PM EDT

As one Game of Thrones prequel dies, another rises from the ashes.

HBO announced Tuesday that its GoT prequel project about the Targaryen civil war has officially received a full series order for 10 episodes.

The spot-on title: House of the Dragon.

Also announced: Emmy-winning GoT director Miguel Sapochnik will serve as co-showrunner and direct the pilot. Sapochnik directed acclaimed episodes such as “Battle of the *******s,” “Hardhome” and “The Long Night.”

The announcement comes just hours after news broke that the network’s first GoT prequel project from showrunner Jane Goldman starring Naomi Watts was not moving forward.

The new prequel was co-created by author George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony) — who will also be a showrunner on the series.

A poster was also released with the tagline “Fire Will Reign”:

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/eifauv4u8aawz_v.png
HBO

“The Game of Thrones universe is so rich with stories,” says Casey Bloys, president, HBO programming. “We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George.”

House of the Dragon is based on Martin’s 2019 book Fire & Blood, a history of House Targaryen that spans roughly 150 years. GoT writer-producer Bryan Cogman originally developed the project at the network. Like the other prequel, the story takes place long before the events in GoT, but not nearly as far back as the Goldman project (a couple hundred years before Ned Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, give or take). So Westeros will look different than it is in Game of Thrones, but not too dramatically different based on what Martin has written about the era.

House of the Dragon also takes place during a time in Westeros that has plenty of dramatic established history penned by Martin to serve as a backbone for a story, whereas the pilot only had some vague references to build on.

The events in the new series will eventually lead up to The Dance of the Dragons, a massive civil war in the Seven Kingdoms held between two rival branches of House Targaryen.

The prequel order is the latest in a dramatic succession of Game of Thrones-related news over the last 24 hours. On Monday, Lucasfilm announced GoT showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss (who opted not to be involved in the prequels) are stepping away from their planned Star Wars trilogy. Then the Goldman project — which shot a full pilot in Northern Ireland this summer — was scrapped. Now HBO’s other prequel has lept from development into an official series order.

The news was announced at WarnerMedia’s presentation to investors on Tuesday focused on the launch of its 2020 streaming service HBO Max.


By James Hibberd
@JamesHibberd

Let's start that GoT (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones) spin-off thread now: House of the Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71567-House-of-the-Dragon)

Dracarys!

[GeneChing]

Hmm, no thread on the SAG Awards? Well, that's easily remedied.

Winners selected for those we've discusses as always.



CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
RECIPIENT
PARASITE

Outstanding Performance by a
MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
RECIPIENT
JOAQUIN PHOENIX
Joker

Outstanding Performance by a
MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
RECIPIENT
BRAD PITT
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Outstanding Performance by a
MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
RECIPIENT
PETER DINKLAGE
Game of Thrones

STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
RECIPIENT
AVENGERS: ENDGAME



THREADS
Screen Actors Guild Awards (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71681-Screen-Actors-Guild-Awards)
Asian Film Festivals and Awards (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48392-Asian-Film-Festivals-and-Awards)
GOT (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones)
Parasite (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71321-Parasite)
Joker (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71455)
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70864-Once-Upon-a-Time-in-Hollywood)
Endgame (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71016-Avengers-Endgame)

[GeneChing]

Game of Thrones makers to adapt Chinese sci-fi classic for Netflix (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53994191)
7 hours ago

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/14FBE/production/_114205958_hi030500470.jpg
HBO
Can the Games of Thrones team pull off a Chinese sci-fi saga?

Netflix has announced it's recruited two of the masterminds behind Games of Thrones to adapt bestselling Chinese sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem.

Writers David Benioff and DB Weiss will work on the series with True Blood writer Alexander Woo.

The news has drawn mixed reactions with some fans doubting a US adaptation of the Chinese story will work.

The book is the first instalment of the trilogy Remembrance of Earth's Past by writer Liu Cixin.

First published in 2008, the books were soon translated into English and have received both critical acclaim and a global readership, counting former US President Barack Obama and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg among their fans.

The plot of the saga spans from China's Cultural Revolution to events several thousand years in the future.

"Liu Cixin's trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we've read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe," Netflix cites writers and executive producers Benioff and Weiss as saying.

"We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world."

The pair signed an exclusive deal with Netflix in 2019.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/15A44/production/_109444688_benioff_weiss.jpg
GETTY IMAGES
Benioff and Weiss brought the Game of Thrones books to the small screen
The streaming company has not released any information on the release date nor other details about the series.

Fears over 'western stereotypes' of China
By Zhijie Shao, BBC News Chinese

Before Liu Cixin and his "Three-Body" series, Chinese science-fiction was not prominent, even among Chinese audience. The country has a history of suppressing its development, which used to be seen by the government as "a western view of the future of mankind".

Liu's work captured the imagination of Chinese fans in both scientific and philosophical terms without avoiding some controversial parts of Chinese history and society, bringing an innovative sense of modern China to the world stage. And he did it without being a dissident.

A whole new generation of Chinese sci-fi authors and fans have emerged after Liu's success.

On the Chinese internet, Three-Body fandom continues to go strong. A group of fans even made an experimental adaptation in Minecraft style,

But when it comes to a proper film adaption, many fans doubt that China's sci-fi film industry is sophisticated enough to handle the grand ideas presented in Liu's books.

A case in point: the first attempt of a film adaptation of "Three-Body" was announced in 2015 and reportedly finished filming in only a few months. It was never released.

Now with Netflix and a team of western writers involved, fans are instead worried that the Chinese characters and historical events in the story might fall into "western stereotypes".

Either way, they're worried they could never enjoy it as much as they have the books.

Liu Cixin, the Chinese author of the novels, will be involved in the project as a consulting producer.

"I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences," he said in a Netflix statement.

"It is a great honor as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix."

The movie adaption of The Wandering Earth, another Cixin novel, in 2019 became one of China's highest-grossing films of all time.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/9ED4/production/_114206604_41530b10-3816-43ac-bf2b-f56177e666ca.jpg
NETFLIX
Liu Cixin's trilogy has become an international bestseller

The Netflix announcement was welcomed by some fans hoping the producers will create a series as successful as Game of Thrones while others were doubting it was the right team.

Many Chinese netizens were pointing out that they did not think that US producers could do justice to the novels.

Others though said Netflix will be free of any censorship constraints while a Chinese adaptation would be limited in how it could portray events around the Cultural Revolution for instance.

Chinese streaming platform Tencent earlier this year announced its own adaptation of the novel after having already launched a comic book adaptation last year.

thread
3 body problem (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69592-The-Three-Body-Problem)
wandering earth (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71046-The-Wandering-Earth)
got (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?60090-Game-of-Thrones)

[GeneChing]

Fabergé to sell ‘Game of Thrones’ dragon egg worth $2.2 million (https://nypost.com/2021/04/06/faberge-to-sell-game-of-thrones-dragon-egg-worth-2-2m/)
By Hannah SparksApril 6, 2021 | 11:25am | Updated


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZE2wxb6xs
It’s been almost three years since the epic finale of “Game of Thrones.” But for Fabergé, the tale of one bedazzled dragon egg has just begun.

The storied brand has announced a new piece in their collection of rare, jeweled eggs: an “egg objet” inspired by Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), a k a Mother of Dragons, on HBO’s blockbuster series “Game of Thrones.”

Replete with diamonds, rubies, 18-karat white gold and fine enameling, the price of the egg is estimated at around $2.2 million, and it’s being hailed as a “one-of-a-kind bespoke creation” that marries Fabergé’s “superior craftsmanship and artistic ingenuity with one of the 21 century’s most iconic TV series,” according to the website.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/game-of-thrones-egg-3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1566
“Game of Thrones” costume designer Michele Clapton collaborated with Fabergé’s Liisa Tallgren to re-imagine the spirit of Daenerys Targaryen.
Fabergé
Atop a crystalline lattice base that mimics a dragon’s scaled tail, the sparkling sphere opens to reveal a ruby dragon that clutches a miniature crown for the would-be heir to the Iron Throne, featuring a “responsibly sourced,” pear-cut Mozambique ruby.

“I knew instantly what the secret gift should be, there was never a doubt; it had to be the crown that Daenerys believed throughout her life was her destiny. With the crown, I referenced her dragons, their wings sweeping around protecting the beautiful Gemfields ruby that represents Daenerys, her house color, and her fierce quest to rule,” said “GOT” costume designer Michele Clapton in a statement on the jeweler’s website. Clapton collaborated with Fabergé’s Liisa Tallgren to re-imagine the spirit of the Lady of Dragonstone as the dazzling curio for which the historic brand is known.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/game-of-thrones-egg-2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1226
The latest Fabergé egg creation is replete with diamonds, rubies and 18-karat white gold.
Fabergé
The House of Fabergé began creating their iconic eggs nearly 180 years ago in Saint Petersburg — more than 100 years after the French Fabergé family (then dubbed Favri) fled religious persecution by Louis XIV during the late 17th century and resettled in the Baltics.

There, the family rose to prominence as choice purveyors of fine ornaments for Russian nobility — known to be such fervent Francophiles that French had been selected as the official language of Russia’s royal court. In 1885, Tsar Alexander III commissioned the first Fabergé egg as an Easter gift for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/game-of-thrones-egg-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1244
Fabergé’s announcement is tied to Easter, of which decorated eggs are symbolic, and comes weeks ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the “Game of Thrones” premiere.
Fabergé
Today, the Fabergé family no longer manages the brand. Meanwhile, the priceless — and pricey — eggs are now subject to widespread forgery. In January, leading London-based art dealer Andre Ruzhnikov accused the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg of displaying more than 20 “tawdry fakes” from the collection of Alexander Ivanov at a recent Fabergé exhibition. The Russian oligarch and art collector denied the allegations, adding in a broad statement to the press that “the consensus of the expert community is not easy to obtain.”
Fabergé’s recent announcement comes as observers celebrate the Easter holiday, for which decorated eggs are symbolic, and ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the April 2011 premiere of “Game of Thrones.”

I've never quite understood Fabergé eggs. It's like the epitome of decadence.