Returning from LepreCon, GRRM updates us again:
I should never go away, though. The amount of stuff that builds up when I leave, even for a short trip like this one, is truly daunting. Hundreds of emails, huge stacks of snail mail (bills, contracts, junk, with a few real letters salted in)… and, for this trip at least, must be a hundred or more new audition tapes for parts both small (Rast, Mord, Jhogo) and large (Lord Tywin, Ser Barristan, Lysa Arryn) in the HBO series. I was keeping up with the auditions pretty well. Now I’m way, way behind…
In the comment section, he also tells us a tad more explicitly about his role in the casting process.
I have a voice, yes… but final decision rests with David & Dan, subject to the approval of HBO.
Hear Me Roar: There we go, more casting confirmed (it could still be that some do not make the final cut as named characters). Seems like no one of note will be really missing the party. Except for poor Desmond.
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57 Comments
He obviously hates traveling. He should seriously considering cancelling some of the upcoming conventions!
Oh, and FIRST!
LexQuote Reply
There is no logic here, move along everyone.
ZephageQuote Reply
I can understand wanting GRRM's input on Tywin, Barristan and Lysa. Absolutely. But do they really need to ask him which Mord, Rast or Jhogo is best at delivering his three lines? Does he really feel the need to have that much input?
They've got a show to make, and he's got some books to write, I would think that it would be in everyone's best interests for him to provide input on the A, B and even C level characters, but when it comes to the rest, just let the casting director earn their money.
stevelabnyQuote Reply
I'm glad he's involved in casting. I doubt it would be on time he'd otherwise spend on his novels and hopefully it will inspire him to write more.
NinepennyQuote Reply
Wait a minute… who exactly was Rast`? I don't remember…
JohnQuote Reply
Rast is one of the boys that are trained with Jon at the Wall. He is the one Jon visits at Night with Ghost when Rast says he will attack Sam in the yard if Allister commands him to.
siranaQuote Reply
Did you read anything about Maester Aemon beeing confirmed?
siranaQuote Reply
You could also read this as "Don't expect to see Dance until sometime next year."
KevinQuote Reply
I guess that if they cast Rast they won't cut Aemon! Anyway, I still don't remember who Mord is… And I'm glad, because it means there is little chance the'll cut someone I do remember. :D
And yeah, I get sick any time George mentions he does something else than writing you-know-what… :|
@AilvaraQuote Reply
Well on a whim I decided to call Doune Castle to see if any filming was planned there this year (and whether I should be planning any days out ;). Staff in the office haven't heard of any filming. I thought they might well re-film the feast in the Paint Hall on a controlled set, plus they can reuse the sets at will etc. At least that's my guess of what they're doing.
Just thought I'd share….
@JacMac30Quote Reply
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that was their plan on along. Get the pilot made quickly and cheaply by choosing location shoots over using elaborate and expensive sets, but once they got the green light they could switch to using sets which will give them more control.
I'm hoping it was that and not that they aren't returning to Doune because of the security issues. :/
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Maybe George can tell us if those auditioning for Tywin and Ser Barristan were big name actors, then we can have a guessing game on who at least auditioned.
I hope Bill Nighy auditioned for Tywin and Christopher Lambert (perfect build and face) for Ser Barristan (plus he knows swordsmanship).
TysnowQuote Reply
I agree WiC. I also thought it might have been a long term plan of theirs.
I don't think there were any security issues at Doune (other than the silver brigade chasing Sean Bean and someone stalking Nikolaj at the loo ;) that weren't encountered elsewhere e.g. the Direwolf at Tollymore. As we've said it probably makes more sense to film in a controlled environment that can be reused easily.
Hope we get to see some footage from Doune though! I know there was a Sansa/Cersei scene filmed there, and wasn't there some Tyrion/Jon stuff done in the court yard?
@JacMac30Quote Reply
I think Mord is the jailor of the Sky Cells at the Aerie, if I'm not mistaken.
TylerQuote Reply
Well, darn. I'm planning on visiting Doune Castle at the end of June and was really hoping they would reuse the castle to film the show while I was there (I knew it was probably a long shot anyways).
RayQuote Reply
Sansa and Cersei scene? That's the first I've heard of anything like that. There's nothing in the books between them, so it must be an added scene. Interesting.
And yeah, we think that they filmed the Jon/Tyrion encounter outside the feast in Doune's courtyard. But I don't think that was ever a definite (the way that the interior feast scene being filmed at Doune was).
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
George's hectic convention/travel schedule is a constant source of frustration for many fans. To make it worse, he doesn't do any writing while he's traveling and only works on the book from his home office, on his comfy chair, on his ancient DOS PC running WordStar.
ADwD is four years late, and with audition tapes to review, script revisions to write, more conventions to attend, a writer's workshop to teach, and Fort Freak to edit, there is no end in sight. Since the book has no deadline, all his other responsibilities have to come first. He should have announced a long time ago that he is not going to make any more public appearances until the book is finished, yet he continues to spend half the year on vacation. How many careers would let you get away with that?
When George was blogging regular ADwD updates in January and February, I naively got my hopes up that he was going to come through and finish the book this year. Now I believe anxiety over whether the show would be greenlit motivated him to work hard and reassure HBO executives he was committed to finishing the series. Now that pressure has lifted, he's procrastinating again. It doesn't appear he's made any significant progress on ADwD in the last three months.
FilliamHMuffmanQuote Reply
well i'm not wanting to be rude, but this issue has been discussed over and over again here, always leading to "bad behavior", i just want to say that, the top issue here on wic imho, of course, is the show and not the book, it's just so tiring to discuss again and again about the book, i mean, really, what is the point? making more people angry and revolted as much as you are? how can this be considered constructive? It will not change anything at all, neither enlight no one…Just my opinion though…and i mean no offense.
@JehphgQuote Reply
One more thing I'd like to add, with production of the series behind schedule and filming delayed to July, is it really necessary for George to be so involved in the casting process? I can't help but think his involvement is slowing the process down.
FilliamHMuffmanQuote Reply
On the most basic level, I think D&D getting GRRM's input is the right thing to do. It's "nice" of them to include him, and if I were in his position I would feel really good to be part of the process. Also, if you're interested in having the series be faithful to the books, getting the author to chime in is invaluable. GRRM can tell them exactly what his vision of these characters are, rather than just them relying on their own interpretations. That doesn't mean they can't deviate, but it's great to have him as a resource. Perhaps the most important aspect is that GRRM knows the future of the books, and therefore the future of the series. He can throw up a red flag if they're making a casting choice that will become problematic in the future.
paulgudeQuote Reply
I actually agree with this one. He's already doing everything else possible to eat into his writing time, watching 40 videos of some creepy teenager hoping to play Rast the Rapist is just beyond necessary.
@KelseyCMSchmitzQuote Reply
I agree, it's frustrating as a fan.
Honestly, at this point, I have stopped even waiting for the next book. I'm much more eager for the HBO show, because I know that will happen. I do not think the book series will ever be fully finished. Given George's age, his tortoise-like writing pace, and flat-out refusal to make series' completion a priortiy over his other interests (games, conventions, swords, editing), we should resign ourselves to the fact the books will never be completed.
It's not the end of the world.
shadallionQuote Reply
I am not sure if I am remembering correctly but didn't someone mention months ago that D&D were going to send George the tapes for their top choices for each role and get his input on them. I don't think they would send George like two or three dozen tapes for just one role, but more than likely D&D narrowed down the choices to three to five candidates and sent him those. I really hope this is the case, which means casting is close to being finalized for the roles mentioned in this post along with a few others.
TysnowQuote Reply
Even if it wasn't explicitly stated, this seems to make the most sense to me.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Topic: Actress for Dany
Just saw "The Lovely Bones". Wonderful little movie, even though maybe a bit overly religilous. Still, wonderful script and acting.
The main female actress is Saoirse Ronan, born in NY 1994.
I think she really fit my picture of Dany. She's not the classic beauty….more like the akward ugly duckling ready to turn into the swan. She's got glowing blue eyes that would dtill be glowing turned into purple.
She is woulnarable, still strong…..just like Dany.
The only problem is that she's an american.
What do you all think? Look at the movie. Her acting is really okay. She's got a light in her eyes.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1391693568/nm1519680
covenantQuote Reply
That was what I was guessing was happening. But now GRRM is saying he has "hundreds" of new audition tapes, so who knows.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
She's Irish..
JennyQuote Reply
First of All: She isn't American, she's Irish.
Second of All: She's an in demand film actress, so her availability is next to nothing.
Third of All: She is WAY too young to fulfill the require, um, scenes and experiences that our HBO Dany will have to be able to tackle. She just turned 16.
She has been mentioned several times on different sites as a potential Dany, but unfortunately, she doesn't meet certain requirements. She's fabulous though.
@KelseyCMSchmitzQuote Reply
There's been discussion on here about her, and some think she would be a good choice, based on her acting. However, she's legally too young to play the role at 16. Even if she were 18, she would have to be willing to do the sex scenes – not always a given. I could be wrong, but she doesn't seem the type to me. She'll probably be a hot commodity for movies anyway. According to IMDb, she's currently filming "Hanna" and has another movie lined up.
Jaqen_HgharQuote Reply
and let me ad: her acting is fantastic, but she is too young. for the scenes. legally.
JennyQuote Reply
Ugh, I missed that.
paulgudeQuote Reply
I would imagine he's looking at more than 3-5 for characters like Dany, Barristan, Tywin and Lysa. If you put those closer to 10-15 and think he's probably looking at 3-5 for characters like Shagga, Bronn, Rast, Mord et al he could easily be looking at over 100 tapes.
I would take "hundreds" with a grain of salt though as everyone like to exaggerate when they have work to do about how much they have.
ScottQuote Reply
GRRM said in the comments on Not a Blog that filming is being pushed back to late July:
http://grrm.livejournal.com/153810.html?thread=10…
"Also, FWIW, I am now informed that the start of principle photography has been pushed back to late July."
BrudeQuote Reply
Thanks Brude.
I know that this means more waiting – but if the final result is succes of the series.
I am fine with it.
And it is understandable – it is really a big production.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
That girl looks a lot like our Sansa.
Ser_NAQuote Reply
I just remembered when I was looking through work by the crew that one of them actually HAD a picture of a breastplate with nipples on it in his gallery. Wish I had mentioned it when I found it because I thought it was funny.
In searching for it again, I noticed that one of the folks in the costume and wardrobe department was Peter Norcliffe. He's listed as, "costume prop maker: for Ivo Coveney" on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/fullcredits
Peter created headcasts for Kick Ass:
http://www.peternorcliffe.com/Projects.html
He also created some for the Royal Shakespeare Company:
http://www.peternorcliffe.com/Photos-Props.htm
Just a guess, but he may have created a headcast for Richard Ridings.
Don't know if this has been mentioned before, or if it's even news. Still, thought it was interesting.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Lucy Cohu is being auditioned for Lysa Arryn
lou121967Quote Reply
??
Any details, maybe?
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
Well, that is her .
I can see her as Lysa Tully, definitly.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
She does bear some resemblance to Michelle Fairley and, judging by that shiny trophy she’s holding, she also seems to be a distinguished actress. But as they aged Cat up, Lucy Cohu might perhaps be too young and lively-looking for Lysa. It would change the dynamics between the Tully sisters, but considering Lysa's mother status, she cannot be too old-looking.
NemoQuote Reply
Yeah, I agree, the first thing I have noticed was that ressemblance.
I watched her in several british productions in various roles – she can pull Lysa without any problem.
And remember Lysa is the younger sister in the books (Not sure how much exactly).
If they (HBO) are planning to torture us with more waiting, we will be forced to digg the whole cast on the net :D
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
Yes, I remember that Lysa is the younger one. But wasn't she looking older than her age? Not sure of the age gap, but I thought them to be pretty close to each other, hence Lysa = older-looking. Well, not a big deal, to be honest :) The resemblance thing is a way more important and Fairley and Cohu work just fine in that respect
NemoQuote Reply
There is still make-up solution of that problem.
Make-up could do a miracle, even could make Lucy Cohu to look older and less fit than Michelle.
But the ressemblance is evident, I agree.
We should find a suitable Edmure for them :)
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
Make-up is a solution for everything :) Although, they cannot make Lysa (nor Cat) to look *too* old, since both of them are mothers to young sons.
Edmure is a tricky one. How old is he supposed to be anyway? So young that him remaining unmarried till the Red Wedding isn't strange in a society like Westeros… but how old is that? Although I guess we need to age him up as well.
Could Damian Lewis be an option? http://ordtolax.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/damie…
NemoQuote Reply
Here's a picture of her as Alice Carter on Torchwood:
http://therebelprince.files.wordpress.com/2009/07…
It doesn't take a lot for me to imagine her as Lysa to Michelle's Cat.
paulgudeQuote Reply
She's also been cast by Nina Gold before in Einstein and Eddington.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Might just be me, but I think she looks more like Jennifer Ehle in that picture, but can definitely imagine her being Michelle's sibling as well.
ChrisQuote Reply
I just found this for Lucy Cohu on You Tube (slightly NSFW if your boss is too prudish).
Ironic that she reminds me of a slightly-heavier Gillian Anderson–many peoples' first choice for Catelyn.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Of course this makes me see a definite resemblance to Fairley.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Edmure's 27 or so.
CalculonQuote Reply
Hmmm..Just a bit too old, I think.
@KelseyCMSchmitzQuote Reply
What about Eddie Redmayne?
He's 28 and was in "Black Death" with Sean Bean:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519666/
paulgudeQuote Reply
You might be right, Lewis isn't my first choice (that was Simon Woods, but I like paulgude's suggestion of Eddie Redmayne too), I just thought we need someone older as they've aged up almost everyone. And if they want to make it as sort-of rule (harsh life etc), they should age Edmure as well. So, do you think Lewis is too old to play the aged-up Edmure? I wasn't sure about that.
NemoQuote Reply
I could totally see Eddie Redmayne as Edmure, but is he too young? Edmure's supposed to be an uncle to Stark kids and he looks barely older than Robb's actor. Well, there are very young uncles IRL, so it isn't as problematic as it might be (e.g. Edmure doesn't need to be a father to a teenager). And Edmure should be young enough, he's insecure and sort of immature in many ways. But OTOH, same goes with many other characters and they are aged up.
NemoQuote Reply
I was completely working off of Calculon's "27 or so" quote, trying to find someone that age. Obviously, they might cast Edmure's actor older like they seem to have most of the other actors.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Lysa is meant to be over weight and haggard looking compared to Catelyn, its not a very glamorous role. Cohu seems a bit too polished for the role.
anonQuote Reply
wow Lucy Cohu as Lysa , can't wait to see those breast feeding scenes……
ChrisQuote Reply