George R. R. Martin has made a post doing his customary recap of the actors cast in Game of Thrones so far, this time covering the characters in the Vale. Near the end of the post, he touches on a subject many fans have been wondering about since HBO first released the fact sheet.
A few last words about a part that has NOT been cast. Since the release of the HBO fact sheet last week, I’ve gotten several emails wanting to know about a role that was not listed — another knight of the Vale, Ser Brynden “Blackfish” Tully, uncle to both Lady Lysa and her sister Catelyn. Some of you wanted to know if he’d been dropped.
Not dropped, no. But, alas, his appearance has been postponed. Even with such a huge project as ours, there are budgetary constraints that require some characters to be cut, combined… or deferred to later seasons. That’s what is happening with the Blackfish. The plan, I am told, is to delay the introduction of the Tullys (Lord Hoster and Ser Edmure as well as Ser Brynden) until the second season. Brynden’s part in the events of A GAME OF THRONES will be filled in part by Ser Vardis Egen, and in part by Ser Rodrik Cassel.
This will upset the purists among you, I know. I regret that. But some changes of this sort are necessary whenever a book as big as mine is adapted to television or film. You will get your Blackfish eventually (assuming we get that second season). Just not now.
Winter Is Coming: I have to say I’m not surprised. With a cast this large, some characters had to be shuffled off to season two. I’m suspecting Lord Beric and Thoros may get the same treatment. The silver lining to this news is, if the show is a big success, we may just end up with a big name or two for these key roles.
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171 Comments
No official character cuts yet, right?
Petter Kristian VikestadQuote Reply
Desmond is officially dropped.
DukaynQuote Reply
No significant ones. George has said Jory will probably be the only Stark guard in King's Landing with any lines, but other than that.
DemokritosQuote Reply
Reposting from last post:
I can see how they'll do it. They'll have Ser Vardis Egen meet Cat at the Bloody Gate and escort her to the Eyrie, filling her in on backstory. That's why they cast much younger than the character, as they needed someone who could more plausibly ascend 10,000 feet of mountain and look like he does it regularly. This also gives us a solid amount of time to build up character empathy for him.
Then we get his little meeting with Bronn…
Actually, that's a brilliant idea. Makes that duel (one of the two most badass in the season, aside from Syrio's) much more interesting and exciting.
We then get Rodrik Cassel escorting Cat away and giving her advice like the Blackfish does in the book. It's even possible that he stays with Cat until the Whispering Woods and gets sent home to Winterfell after that point (at the end of S1 or the start of S2). I know that Rodrik's fate in the TV series will be the same as in the books (Ron told us so in Belfast), so he has to go home at some point.
The way of handling the ending could also be simple. Have the battles of the Whispering Woods and the Camps, and the Northern host get word of Ned just before entering Riverrun. The North and Riverlords present (not including Hoster or Edmure who are stillin the castle) immediately proclaim Robb on the spot, still outside the castle. We then meet Hoster, Edmure and the Blackfish – who had returned home in a last-ditch effort to mend relations with his desperately ill brother – in S2 Episode 1.
Simples :-)
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
It makes sense to have the Tullys show up in Season 2, I think it was a smart move. I bet Podrick Payne gets pushed to Season 2. Maybe even Ser Kevan as well
I hope we get to Season 2!
winterqueenQuote Reply
Desmond was officially dropped… our literal Ser Not Appearing In This Film…
… until last week when GRRM mentioned he was still in but had no lines.
So as of this date we still have no actual cuts or omissions—just a lot of rapid movement on the ol' chess board. I should have a Character Cuts post up early next week; I'm just waiting for this weekend's news and any potential word on the Baratheon kids and bloodriders.
Hoping for a Mirri Maz Duur announcement too, though that could come late, much like Tywin.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
I'm not as upset as I thought I'd be. Since we hadn't heard anything at all about the Blackfish, this isn't really a surprise. I do think it bode's well that they're thinking about season two, and have plans already. Like Adam said, it could be just as good. Fleshing out Vardis Egen (who until the casting announcement could not have but a name to) and Rodrik (because Ron deserves more screen time just for showing up at the book signing) couldn't hurt.
nerdvortexQuote Reply
Ron Donachie is genuinely the nicest guy in the entire world. He also gave us the funniest moment of the night when a whole bunch of us were talking to GRRM about ADWD and Ron came in and got George talking about American football instead. It was like a real-life GRRM blog post: "Hang on, we want to hear more about ADWD! Not American football! Nooo!" :-)
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
I would actually hope that they play with canon a little more and give the Blackfish a proper and dramatic entrance. Just having him show up at the same time we meet Hoster feels a little anticlimactic.
I would possibly do a flashback where we see the antipathy between the brothers first. Were I writing it. Which I'm not!
If we're going to be without Hoster and Edmure, I would also put off the whole of Riverrun to season 2. The scene in which GRRM writes Catelyn's return to Riverrun feels both huge and cinematic–you can nearly smell the rust on the massive water gate as it lifts–and I would very much like to see that as Riverrun's debut in season two.
I'd much rather "right" than "right now."
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
I agree that Podrick Payne, Kevan Lannister, Thoros of Myr, and Beric Dondarion probably won't be appearing until season two, and in Kevan's case perhaps not even until season three. I'd also add Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark to the list.
FilliamHMuffmanQuote Reply
(Spoilers)Yea the only thing I don't like about introducing the Tullys in season 2 is the whole proclaiming Robb King of the North in Riverrun. I'm sure it will be handled a little differently, but I'm not that broken up about it.
dizzy34Quote Reply
I really hope when they do cast Sir Beric it is Henry Ian Cusick. I think he would be great as the lightning lord.
Buddy BurtonQuote Reply
I agree with Adam, increasing Egen’s role will make that fight twice as epic. Genius move on HBO’s part.
VellyrQuote Reply
The Blackfish is one of my favorite characters. Robb wouldn't have won The Whispering Wood without him. It might not change the overall story to leave him out of Season 1, but it does change the character.
@LookinmyheadQuote Reply
What about Greatjon Umber, I think he appears at the end of Book 1 to proclaim Robb king.
I would hate to see him left out, he has some memorable scenes (Grey Wind taking his finger off).
NingrimQuote Reply
Oh I really hope they keep that scene. That really is THE scene that we see Robb is no longer a boy and can be "Lord Stark" and eventually "King in the North"
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
I like the Blackfish, but… I was recently saying that I didn't think he was essential to the plot. If the Blackfish is one of the only characters we lose, I think we're still pretty lucky.
LexQuote Reply
That particular fact might not need to change. The Blackfish's entrance on screen and his entrance into Robb's retinue need not be the same thing.
Consider that the Whispering Wood occurs very near the end of the book/season, and we may not hear anybody talk about the genesis of the tactical plan. When Brynden Tully appears in Season 2 (I'm so optimistic to say 'When'), he can, if necessary be given credit. At the very least, his presence in the battle can be noted, and fans in the book will know he was much more than merely present.
KyleQuote Reply
Please consider using spoiler alerts for anyone who might be stopping by that hasn't read the books, yet.
KyleQuote Reply
Would it be a good idea to have a ‘spoiler’ warning at the beginning of every main post …that saves everyone the trouble of trying to remember to add it their comments , while at the same time warning the nubies they read at their own peril… Spoilers abound
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Reposting the answer :)
I had the same thoughts … They can still get the characters on screen very organically in season 2, and nothing really would be missing in season 1, where Blackfish serves more as a foil / background filler. I won't go check the details of GOT again, so I can enjoy the series more :) It's a reasonable move and I am sure a shift very reasonably dealt with.
Didn't think about the ending, but yes, makes sense no Riverrun characters are shown, otherwise they haven't saved much with the shuffling :) Wonder about the duel, though – what will be Bronn's advantage? Will Egen be as stupid as to wear the heavy armour from the books? doesn't fit with his younger character somehow.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Maybe it will just be a regular old duel. Will give the fightchoreografers a chance to be a little creative. It will be the time when they establish Bronns figthingstyle. Can´t see them going with the fast vs. slow now. Maybe they will just make Bron a technically excellent, but also ruthless figther, and just have him be plain old better than ser Vardis. It would be good for the drama of the outrage from the Valelanders, if Bronn used some kind of dirty trick, and just butchered him. I bet they will still use the statue in some creative way that the choreografers will dream up.
Peter JørgensenQuote Reply
Yes, thank you for the reminder. Appearently there is no way to edit posts on here huh?
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
There is, if you are signed in thru IntenseDebate. Wouldn't worry about that much though, things change … some times very quickly, like this weekend.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
I'm really disappointed with this news. We've got all these characters in but Blackfish doesn't make it? He does more than most in terms of story function. It's not like he's Jalabar Xho.
Thomas StreetenQuote Reply
He'll be in the story, just not on screen … until next year. All is well ;)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
a good point at the end there.. i think they can present the advantage in attitude and drop the armor part- the arrogant, overconfident anointed knight who thinks he will wipe the floor with the common mercenary scum.
AnomanderRakeQuote Reply
Wow, it would be a stunning choice! LOST's "Desmond" can do fierce and anguished as no one else.
Since we're talking about the "not appearing yet", Michael Fassbender http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1055413/ might also be considered for the role of some younger character, such as Beric or Edmure. He was born in Germany but I think his nationality is British or Irish.
Blackfish_BluesQuote Reply
What if in Season 1 he appeared in the Whispering Woods, or elsewhere, as a kick-ass warrior in a black armour with a fish on top of his helmet? Sort of a mystery knight for the viewers (of course the characters know him).
And only in Season 2 we see his face and discover who he is.
This would cheer me up a lot after this heartbreaking piece of news ;)
Blackfish_BluesQuote Reply
ha, I just realized Henry Ian Cusick looks like my mental image of Sir Beric. :)
LibelleQuote Reply
I hope they don't just make Bronn win everything because "he's badass". Because a) the fact that Bronn won not through being badass but by being smarter and more cunning is one of the things that helps elevate the books above cliche and into realism, b) the fact that Bronn only took the fight because he'd out-thought his opponant makes it make sense that he doesn't take the duel in the third book – whereas if we knew 'Oh, Bronn's an incredible badass with a sword', we'd be wondering 'well why doesn't he try taking on [spoiler]?'; and c) if you DO make Bronn an incredible badass with a sword, you're eating into the badassery of other characters. There can only be so many incredible fighters, after all, and every passing mercenary should not be in that category.
vacuouswastrelQuote Reply
Not to cut up about this news IF it is handled correctly. They'll be able to spend more time looking for and hiring better, more well known actors for the parts and they're not TOO essential to the first season. The only thing that worries me is how they will handle the proclamation of Robb as King in the North. If they delay the introduction of the entire Tully family then they really need to do the same for the Riverlords as well, or have them fight alongside the northern host but withhold their homage until season two when Hoster/Edmure can acknowledge Robb as King in the North AND the Riverlands. There's no way they would swear themselves to Robb without their liege's/his heir's approval, and if they did it would drastically sour the relationship between Robb and his kinsmen for accepting it.
Really like the idea someone suggested though of having the Blackfish present at the whispering wood as a “mystery” knight though. It would be really cool if we see this faceless night riding down Lannister’s with ease during the battle and then in season two we get a scene where he rides back to Robb from scouting the way to Riverun and pulls back his visor and it’s Jeremy irons or someone.
Dolorous EddQuote Reply
I've often wondered if Sean Bean realizes he'll only be in 10 or 11 episodes?!?! Same goes for Harry Lloyd.
jwsnasaQuote Reply
Actually, he's probably going to be in only 9 of the 10 episodes.
amirQuote Reply
SPOILER (though most have been spoiled already.
I'm 99.99999% sure they know. A rather big star such as Sean Bean might not have wanted to sign up were it not for his rather short appearance in the series. All actors are ofcourse very interested to know how long they might be working on a show before they decide whether or not they would want to. And theres no reason in the world why the producers wouldn't tell them.
Sean will be in less than 10 episodes btw.
sjweningsQuote Reply
I want HIC for Davos.
@Mormegil99Quote Reply
Edd, thx, it was me with the mystery knight, and the way you describe it makes it look even more awesome, especially if they manage to secure a recognizable actor.
Of course we would be thoroughly spoiled before they even shot the scene, but I don't think the average HBO viewer lives on these boards day and night like we do :)
Blackfish_BluesQuote Reply
Right!! Where as Jon Snow and Daenerys are in …..all of them? If this series is a big as us, rabid fans hope, those kids will be huge stars after 7 seasons. So I can't help but wonder why the hype and focus about actors who won't be around long. For example, Conan was passionate about getting the role of Mountain, but truthfully he has, what, 3 scenes (including his death match in season 4)?? I barely see any discussion about Jon Snow / Kit Harington.
jwsnasaQuote Reply
And I guess the real concern is going to be marketing. What if they sell the show as "Game of Thrones, starring Sean Bean"?? The non-reader fans will be in for rude awakening when Sean's out.
jwsnasaQuote Reply
I think Sean Bean fans familiar with many of his other films and TV shows will not be all that surprised :)
MyrilQuote Reply
Sorry – forgot to include the link to a well known list among Bean fans (spoilers by the way for several films):
http://www.compleatseanbean.com/deathbycow.html
MyrilQuote Reply
If Kit were as vocal about his part and joined the discussion here and all like Conan has, we would discuss him a lot more.
If they don't like the show by the time Sean leaves, i guess most wouldn't follow it much longer anyway – with or without him. But sure – some will be dissapointed. I would think that most would have found another favourite or two out of the many great actors/characters in the show, though.
sjweningsQuote Reply
thats awesome
jwsnasaQuote Reply
eh? I don't get it. Are you saying in effect "only old guys are stupid enough to wear heavy armor in a duel?" Why can't a younger, cockier knight wear heavy armor just as easily if that's how he's accustomed to fighting? I assure you that the young are far more likely to be "stupid" than the old.
jojoziggyQuote Reply
when thinking about the end of season 1 and the fact that the blackfish won't be appearing, i think it would be the best to end the storyline of rob right before he starts the attack in the whispering wood; something like that you see the arrows being shot an robb charging down; then you can end the first episode of the second season with him being proclaimed as king of the north, what would be a nice cliffhanger;
then u don't need the blackfish, and it is possible to blame jaime even more for the loss;
on the other hand it would be possible to follow robbs campaign in the west more and give the blackfish an important military role there
nap-DesaixQuote Reply
Forget about it. Henry Ian Cusick is too much a large name now for a near-cameo role lice Beric Dondarrion.
The cast so far has proven that the smaller the role, the less known the actor is (or cheaper).
Please not that I'm not saying the cast is lacking quality.
I simply accept that such dream cast as an Ed Harris Tywin, HIC Davos or Beric or Jeremy Irons Blackfish are simply not going to happen.
CaedesQuote Reply
From Tower of the hand:
"Physical Description: He is young, with red-gold hair."
Fits Henry Ian Cusick to a tee… :-)
CaedesQuote Reply
I like that.
The Blackfish is too cool a character to use him as a simple background exposer.
Better out that oddly in, with no so much to do.
CaedesQuote Reply
I think a younger character would be more likely to wear the heavy armor, because knights work so hard for it and believe it is inherently superior. A younger man would be arrogant enough to just laugh at an unarmored foe.
mratfinkQuote Reply
Agreed. Sticking a "mystery knight" with a black trout cresting his helm (face hidden) in Whispering Wood wouldn't be that hard at all. It would suitably tease the character for the following season, and would give us (those in the know) a nice little surprise to cheer for.
We need to start a "Tease the Blackfish!" movement.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Yesss. Namedropping, sigildropping, faceless/wordless cameos…
AoedeQuote Reply
It's entirely possible that all the Riverrun lords could be helmeted or unfocused extras for the "King in the North" scene, which gets revisited in the first episode of second season as they introduce all the Riverrun lords properly. It would require a little cheating, but would be eminently doable.
Critical_GeekQuote Reply
Where do we sign up? :D
Blackfish_BluesQuote Reply
:D!
@ChryseeDotComQuote Reply
I'm a little bit disappointed. I liked the Blackfish too and paticulary his and Hoster's relationship. But I'm more bothered by cutting out of the rest to the Tullys. If they're going to do that I think I'd prefer them not to get to Riverrun in Season 1 cause it would seem stupid to me if they get there and are then just hanging around outside. Though if they do end the first season before that, then would they also postpone that last great scene with Robb? I think that would be an even bigger shame cause that and Dany's last chapters are such a great ending and set-up for the next installment
Michael BQuote Reply
Are you saying he can't play Gregorstein too?? :)
Honestly I'm sure all the actors know how long their stays will be since I'm sure the contracts for some of these people run only a certain number of seasons / episodes.
@VohdreQuote Reply
Maybe Bean was happy about it being a short commitment? I mean, he's a busy guy. Not that filming for a TV series (particularly one where not all the characters are around all the time) would take up ALL of his time, but he is in movies fairly often and a 7 year commitment might not be his thing.
@ChryseeDotComQuote Reply
I'm honestly OK with some of the "minor" characters being melted together or pushed off to another season if need be. I know that SOME creative license must be taken when it comes to fitting preexisting material into a different format. As someone above me said, I'd rather see it done "Right" than "Right Now".
@VohdreQuote Reply
There's hype for the well-known actors of course. And for those active in the fan-community with easy-to-relate-to Cinderella-esque stories.
I think Kit was an excellent choice and totally looks the part and has a good strong theatre background. But honestly? That's all anyone can say at this point. We can't go watch movies he's been in and decide if he'll be a good Jon Snow, but people can go watch The Wire and be super excited about Aidan Gillen's ability to be Littlefinger. What is there to say about he unknowns except to over-analyze their appearance (not even in costume)?
@ChryseeDotComQuote Reply
My guess is they still end Robb's season one story arc with "KIng in the North!" It's far too iconic, and much too rousing a teaser for next season to be ignored.
I would agree with Adam that they crown Robb prior to entering Riverrun–but I would even have them do it further away. No Riverrun in the backdrop, with few if any river lords in attendance. It always seemed a little odd, for me, how readily the river lords accepted Robb as their king; granted their lands are the ones being raped at the moment, and they would likely gravitate to a strong leader who seemed a savior of sorts. But another part of me thinks they might not want their own king based in Riverrun. That is unless they have almost no confidence in Edmure. Riverrun is the south, not the north.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
No you need Rob being proclaimed King in the North as the season finale plus they better not blur past any battles especially when Rob beats Jaime that a huge moment. Season 2 would start after that battle when everyone thinks the North is on the move and going to win and then . . .
Timothy Aaron NielsenQuote Reply
I suspect with Lord Beric and Thoros we will only see them at a distance or from behind. One knight with a Lightening standard and one fat man in red with a hammer will look roughly the same from behind.
Besides, when we actually meet/talk to them in book 3 (I think that's the one), they're both physically changed anyway, so any difference between the actors and the season one non-speaking stand-ins can be shrugged off that way.
world_dancerQuote Reply
I agree, I think King of the North should definitely happen in the first season. It wraps up that storyline nicely, but is also a nice "Oh shit!" moment that will get people excited about next season. Plus, I think ending the seasons with a battle just starting is a bit too cliffhanger-y, at least for me…
ChrisQuote Reply
Yea, I get the feeling Bean would not be in it if it was for more than a season or two. A TV show is probably a big commitment for an actor who is already established himself and is probably not hurting for work at all.
ChrisQuote Reply
Ouch! I think this is the worst news I've yet heard on the whole project. The ripples created by this will probably make the later seasons unrecognizable, and worse, it would have been easy enough to keep things as they were. This is like spending a billion dollars on a new statue and then letting bird crap pile up on it because you want to "save money." I can see from other comments that most people are taking this better than I am. I don't know if that is stoicism or faboyism.
Lord_of_StarfalQuote Reply
With this series it makes complete sense. There will be plenty of money freed up season to season as Martin kills off your favorite characters. Actors and actresses, buck up those contracts unless you have read the series and feel that you are good for four books…outside of that, unless you are Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, or a child of Eddard (by my estimate), I wouldn’t bet on seeing this thing to the end.
hvacigarQuote Reply
Thx Jodan! Sorry for the OT, but does any of you know how "Open ID" works? I have a Blogger account, so I should be able to log in to Open ID and comment on GRRM's blog, but… no way. I don't want to open a LiveJournal account, I have a million accounts already.
Does the term "purists" have a negative connotation? I know that I've never considered myself a "purist", I try to keep an open mind, but when it's about my fave characters I seem to convert to "purism" immediately… it was the same with Harry Potter.
Blackfish_BluesQuote Reply
Stop nitpicking! ;-)
LibelleQuote Reply
For me it's just realism. They simply cannot do a shot by shot re-creation of the books. It would be dozens of hours per volume, insanely expensive beyond what is already being done, and would require more time than most of the working actors have available to them. So I accepted the day I found out they MIGHT do a show years ago that it's not going to be perfect. However, after seeing everything they HAVE done to get this right and as close to the source material as possible I really am amazed they're going to be as close as they are.
The idea that pushing back the introduction of the Blackfish to season 2 is somehow going to completely ruin the story quite frankly is ludicrous. There is NO WAY every single speaking role from the books is making it onscreen. People will be cut, moved, and combined or this series will never get made.
<tangent> I am a Tolkien fanboy as well, and when I found out about those movies (and more importantly who was directing) a good decade or so ago I was terrified. Then I remember the day I heard they had a bunch of English blacksmiths making armor with real Tolkien elvish carved into it and said "OK, this might not be the books, but it will be good." and I was thankfully right. Perfect? Hell no. But a damn sight better than the disaster it could have been.
@VohdreQuote Reply
Well people, the greatest news today (this week!) is that we'll be saying goodbye to IntenseDebate! I'm going to the pub and then when I'm back hopefully there'll be some kind of newsthingy from the TrueBlood panel at San Diego (or wasn't that tonight?).
KnurkQuote Reply
I think it's mostly money. In season one you already have to build Winterfell, Winter town, Castle Black, Mole town, Pentos, Vaes Dothrak, Lhazareen town, multiple chunks of King's Landing, the Eyrie, Moat Cailin, the Crossroads Inn … and even the Twins (if Walder Frey is indeed going to be in season one–he's certainly not leaving his home). Building Riverrun (exteriors, sets, digital screens, etc.) is yet another cost added to something that–let's be real–they're thus far only committing one season to.
Do I think they'll go a second season and then build Riverrun? I'm pretty sure we'll get a second season. It'd have to be a literal disaster to not continue, especially since the above mentioned places will already be built. Season two will not have more sets to build than season one had (off the top of my head I'm thinking Riverrun, Harrenhal, Pyke, Dragonstone, Craster's home, Vaes Tolorro, Quarth … that unnamed holdfast Amory Lorch attacks …)
So yeah, more than a few new locations, but not as many as season one. Hopefully by the time they decide how much to build they'll have an idea how successful the series will be. Just as important as subscriptions is how critically it's received.
So people not screaming about Riverrun being moved to season two … I certainly don't see it as "fanboi"ism so much as even-minded pragmatism. We want everything, sure–but we know we can't have everything. I'm personally more-than willing to let a few things go, and have thus far been pleasantly surprised by all they've kept.
So long as the story is told, and told well, I'll be a happy dude.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
At the meet up Ron Donachie, Richard Madden and Alfie Allen all knew about the fates of their characters, that they would be spending a lot of time offscreen and, in Ron and Richard's case, their ultimate fates even before they'd read the books. I took that to mean that HBO explained their characters pretty thoroughly in the auditioning process.
According to one person at the pilot read-through, Sean knew his character's fate and took part in some joking over his tendency to expire in everything he's been in ;-)
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Where did you hear about ID? :P
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Agreed. Anyone who has come into this expecting that every character and scene would be faithfully translated to screen has wildly unrealistic expectations. The Blackfish is an amazing and important character, but I really don't think I'm at all bothered by delaying his entrance to a later season (now, if he was eliminated completely, my eyebrows would raise, but I am reassured by GRRM's words on the matter). The earlier Tolkien example with the Peter Jackson films is actually well-made here, since he did something similar in those films by moving Shelob's cave from Book Two to Film Three.
Just be glad that things that are being done with Game of Thrones are being done with GRRM's input and blessing, as would not be the case in many film adaptations (even several where the author is still living).
Jon Snow's BastardQuote Reply
"Hello, I'm Sean Bean. I specialize in death scenes."
Jon Snow's BastardQuote Reply
"Is A Game of Thrones the most eagerly anticipated TV show ever?" http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradio…
NinepennyQuote Reply
Maybe a CG Riverrun added in postproduction. Preferably a ways off so they're not locked into a specific design.
I still can't figure out why the wildly dissimilar Gollum models from Fellowship and Two Towers weren't reconciled for the Extended Edition LOTR discs.
Jon Snow's BastardQuote Reply
Spoilers
Spoilers
"….. Alfie Allen all knew about the fates of their characters,"
Alfie knows more than we do then :-)
@Mormegil99Quote Reply
You don't need to build all those places you mention. Mole Town, Pentos, the Lhazareen town, even Moat Cailin are not necessary. If they are moving the Blackfish to the second season, then surely events that take place at those locations can be moved elsewhere.
As people have mentioned, everyone and every event would be an impossibility without an unlimited budget. Also they would need to add 8-10 more episodes to get everything in the series.
Also, have I missed something. I did not see anyone cast as Varys.
@NYMetsDukeFanQuote Reply
Varys announced last week: http://winter-is-coming.net/2010/07/mo-casting-an…
@VohdreQuote Reply
LOL. Of course they know.
LexQuote Reply
Boromir's death in FOTR still brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it. If they get even close to that with Ned, I'll be very happy.
LexQuote Reply
You should post this over at Not a Blog, if they havn't thought of this already it's the ideal way to satisfy the budget constraints and the "purists" as GRRM calls them.
JodanQuote Reply
Boromir's death in FOTR is a heroic death – he goes alone against a dozen or so orcs and you pretty much know what's gonna happen. And it happens in slow motion.
SPOILERS
Ned's death is of WTF HAD JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!? sort. Absolutely nothing before the actual execution moment shows that he'll die. Even the Red Wedding can be guessed before it happens, or at least there's a feeling that something's up with Bolton and Freys. In the case of Ned – nothing. Basically he and the audience are 100% sure he'll be sent to the Wall …
AlexQuote Reply
SPOILERS
Something that contributed to my surprise, with Ned, was his broken leg. I think that was a genius bit of misdirection by GRRM. Ned's already broken his leg, and now it's in a cast and slowly starting to heal. We think he's been through the worst of it already, and then….. CHOP!
LexQuote Reply
It's tonight, yes. I guss we might see some pics of the castmembers in costume and all. Really looking foward to whatever they will give us. At least I THINK we'll get something…
sjweningsQuote Reply
Good article!
shadallionQuote Reply
Hopefully it's better than the Hobbit panel, which basically had no good news.
LexQuote Reply
Awesome!
LexQuote Reply
easy one:
" YES!"
CaedesQuote Reply
One quible.
"It's a world of prophecies, exiled princesses, talking crows and magical trees."
Makes it sound a lot more cheesy and fantastic than it really is.
pualoQuote Reply
Ohh, I'm happy to hear that. It likes to randomly block me from visiting here and it can get very annoying. Why does it hate me so?
RayQuote Reply
Nope. Pretty sure any new show by JJ Abrams, Joss Whedon or the Darlton team would have internet hype the size of the Titanic. The ASoIaF fanbase isn't much compared to the thousands of fans those guys have.
MonkeyQuote Reply
While I generally agree with your statement, there doesn't really seem to be a whole lot of excitement about the new J.J. Abrams show Undercovers…
burthQuote Reply
Definitely, when I read that line in the article, I thought wtf, did the writer even read the books or just other articles and reviews. I mean there are some prophecies but they are mainly a subplot, and if I remember there is only one exiled princess. The talking crow is in a dream and it is the median for one person (uber first men green seer) to communicate with Bran and what magical trees, they didn't talk or walk, just looked creepy and ancient.
If I read the article I would think, sounds like high fantasy to me, he should have written, "It's a world unlike any you have imagined, where princesses are not damsels, knights are cold and brutal, where crows guard a wall of ice from an evil long forgotten and magic is just a memory carved into trees."
TysnowQuote Reply
did i hear somewhere that the True Blood panel at ComicCon @ 8:15 PM EDT was being webcast live? or did i make that up? i really don't understand how something as nerdy as ComicCon doesn't have almost everything webcast for free online where they sell advertising or something. not everyone can make it to San Diego.
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
live twitter of the TB panel. cannot find a webcast or anything so this is the best i could find.
http://twitter.com/TrueBloodDotNet
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
Well, the Ravens all talk (e.g. "Corn! Corn!" "Snow! Snow!"), so talking crows isn't that much of a stretch. But I agree that it sounds a little cheesier than it should.
However, the next line in the article makes up for it, when it says "There's lots of death, and lots of sex; the world is relentlessly bleak, and war is hell."
LexQuote Reply
Can't say there was this much excitment about Fringe or Dollhouse either.
spacechampionQuote Reply
The True blood panel is going on right now. We might have some GOT news/stuff very soon.
sjweningsQuote Reply
So they didn't show anything about GOT on the TB panel after all. Thinking about it, though – maybe it would be a little weird showing something from GOT for a bunch of people that have not or just barely even heard about it?
I still hope for something either on CC or maybe they'll just put up a little something on the GOT site on hbo.com
sjweningsQuote Reply
Don't forget that Bronn does quite a bit of fighting before Cat, Tyrion and crew even reach the Vale.
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
I don't know. I kind of like this new. Of course I am a purist and would prefer everything to be exactly the same as in the books, but if there has to be cuts then this one makes alot of sense to me. Reasons? Well for starters, as George mentions, this might benefit the series in the long run if they have a larger budget for a bigger hire to play the Blackfish in season 2. Also, it brings Ser Vardis Egen more into prominence. Giving certain background characters more screen time in the series is going to be crucial. You can't go into decriptions as you would in a book, so lines and dialogue with certain secondary roles will help viewers get into the action better. Ser Vardis is a very good choice to employ this technique.
cont…
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
Replacing Brynden at the Vale really does no harm to the greater plot and it lets us get to know Egen better before he (SPOILER) meets up with Bronn. A third possible benefit from the change could be a treat for the faithful. If Riverrun is out of the equation for season one then we are going to need a location for the (SPOILER) King in the North scene. What better place to do this than in a tent or a castle hall in the aftermath of the Whispering Woods battle that we finally get to see in more than a thought or a flashback!
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
well at least they aren't going to randomly put elves at the battle of helm's deep or make Farimir a jerkwad.
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
What do you think about the idea of casting Mel Gibson as Craster? right about now he'd probably be perfect for the role… hehehehe
thinkerQuote Reply
Or, at least, we can still hope so… :P
SnowfellQuote Reply
Those hoping for Bear McCreary are out of luck…he’s doing AMC’ ‘Walking Dead’….by the way the trailer for the ‘Walking Dead’ debut earlier at SDCC and it is awesome
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Haha, what "ripples"? I'm serious, I want to know what you're talking about.
Sorry to break it to you, but to this point in the book series the Blackfish, while cool, has not actually done a single thing that has affected the overarching plot in any way. Make the later seasons "unrecognizable"? Drama queen much? Gimme a break, man.
vic9Quote Reply
Or Steven Seagal. Are you kidding? (I really can't say because I just woke up after a healthy 4 hour sleep)
GatzbyQuote Reply
A hammer?
Pippo23Quote Reply
Tweet from David Hewlett (Rodney Mckay in Stargate)
"Watch out Ireland! Hear you're about to have both Momoa and Flanigan over there…so jealous! "
Looks like Jason Momoa is going to be shooting some of his scenes in Ireland as well as Malta, I really can't see any of the outdoor scenes being done in ireland though.
I've already seen one person asking if Joe Flanigan (John Shepard in Stargate) is going to be in GoT as well based on the tweet.
If he is going to Ireland for work I'm guessing it's more likely to be Camelot than Thrones.
MormegilQuote Reply
The fact he already had ongoing work on a number of shows (Eureka, Human Target, Caprica, The Cape) pretty much ruled him out anyway I would have thought.
MormegilQuote Reply
Or make Saruman Sauron's lackey instead of vying for the One Ring and intending to be the new Dark Lord.
MorlunQuote Reply
Sure… if by hammer, he meant flaming sword.
LexQuote Reply
*spoiler*
It's a good idea to have the King of the North proclamation scene right after the Whispering Woods battle. Story-wise it makes perfect sense to crown Robb when everyone are feeling invincible under his leadership (they just overpowered the Kingslayer) and drama-wise it works well too.
NemoQuote Reply
Does any one else find it funny and cute that our Sansa seems to be smitten with our Loras?
Sophie is going to make a great Sansa.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I also agree.
Though I do think that an average viewer might not pay much attention to this mystery knight since the battle scenes are messy, and those who don't know the books by heart are probably struggling to keep in track with the characters already. GoT has a very, very numerous cast :) But the mystery blackfish would be excellent fan service.
NemoQuote Reply
(spoilers)
Just to add a bit, I think they'd have to change the dynamic of the scene a little for it to make sense. Robb wouldn't sit down to have a lengthy discussion over strategy between the Whispering Woods and freeing Riverrun. So having the King of the North thing come about as a response to a reasoned ruling out of all the other choices won't work. What will work is running with the "feeling invincible" thing you mention and have one of Robb's lords just start yelling King of the North out of the blue, and everyone picks it up.
The downside of course is that the viewer wouldn't get the reasoning behind it laid out, but they could potentially still do a similar scene to the one in the books when he's getting the riverlords to join up.
DemokritosQuote Reply
Yeah, I agree with you. Lengthy discussions won't fit well in that scenario. And I like your suggestion to have the reasoning later with the riverlords. We don't want to see only emotional fighters who make decisions in the heat of the moment :)
NemoQuote Reply
Did anyone see the Walking Dead trailer from Comic Con (someone filmed it and put it on youtube)? Looks pretty awesome. And they have been shooting for only a month or so, maybe we get to see some footage too in the next two months.
KnurkQuote Reply
Just watched it! Could have been for a movie, as someone said, AMC is good.
Guess what's in two months? NYCC! :) Hoping for some more photos and such before that, though.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Still no word on Mya Stone? I guess Catelyn will have to get up to the Eyrie in the middle of the night all by herself? I am on the fence if they will show the trek to the Eyrie- it is important to see how remote the castle is.
I could see them not having Mya the first season but she does show us that the 'seed is strong' . Maybe Baby Barra and Gendry are going to have to be enough. I wonder what GRRM has in store for Mya in the remaining books??
winterqueenQuote Reply
owwwwnnn just so sweet and cute, she really is perfect, but i would be terribly embarassed in her place if i read this comments though.
@JehphgQuote Reply
Well, he was on a popular teen soap opera in Britain, and sophie is new to the screen acting world. She's just a typical teenager whose friends must be quite jealous that she met an actort from HollyOaks!
Just a litte starstruck! She's a lovely girl, and a perfect Sansa.
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
Very solid adjustment in my opinion. The Blackfish doesn't have much to do in Book 1, delaying his casting has no impact whatsoever on the meat of the story, and giving Ser Vardis a more extended introduction will make it into much more of a wham moment when Bronn runs him through. If the books were filmed exactly as written, he would come off more as Random Vale Knight #2 than Ser Vardis Egen, Renowned Knight of the Vale.
My guess is that Mya Stone will be a Featured Extra.
As for the journey to the Vale, Catelyn will meet Ser Vardis at the gates, and they'll start their trek. I imagine a pullaway to a cgi shot of the Eyrie, far far away. Cut away to a different storyline. When we come back to Catelyn, she's arriving at the Eyrie, looking exhausted. I think that'll be enough. Long journeys via foot are kind of a pain in the ass to film, they're not very exciting, and to do justice to the Vale trek, would either have to be a very remote location (expensive and time-consuming) or very convincing cg/bluescreen (very expensive, hard to get to look right).
Ser_GQuote Reply
I'm kind of bummed out by this little news drought we're having. I want Tywin casting news! Or shots of the sets. Or SOMETHING. I can't believe everyone is being so responsible and not leaking anything :(
AshliQuote Reply
I prefer Cleganstein.
BrudeQuote Reply
exactly, but personally i'm shy so i would have this kind of reaction i said
@JehphgQuote Reply
Agreed on the journey up.
AoedeQuote Reply
You know, especially when you consider all of the Sharpe films, he still survives in the vast majority of his movies. But I guess he's had some particularly memorable screen deaths in especially well known films, hence the reputation.
BrudeQuote Reply
I get a message that she has protected her tweets. Do you have to ask to beher friend or something before you get to see them?
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
Imo the lack of Tywin casting news is a good thing. The longer they wait for it the more certain I am that it will be a biggger named actor.
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
yes i was agreeing with you, I was answering WiC
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
no idea, we've been following each other since the pilot days.
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBiI6YRfWIY&fe… as of right now…
TPFKA Thoros of MyrQuote Reply
Ditto with Stannis, who in all likelyhood, may be more important to the series
ChalkyQuote Reply
Had a thought. Westeros said something on twitter about there maybe being news involving Asoiaf, that wasn't Dance or the TV show. Avatar Press is having their panel tonight, and they publish Fevre Dream. Might be worth paying attention too.
Phoenix_tornQuote Reply
Probably the video game?
pualoQuote Reply
He's not going to be in season 1.
pualoQuote Reply
Or have the Battle of Whispering Wood won by radioactive scrubbing bubbles.
pualoQuote Reply
that's a good theory :)
Phoenix_tornQuote Reply
According to GRRM's new not a blog post it is exactly the video game. And boy! The concept art looks great!
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
Just to make the Desmond thing totaly clear. I was the one who reported it. George was at a reading in Phoenix when he made the comment. He was talking about how alot of the tertiary characters would be either in the background or cut altogether. He made a comment about Desmond being out and then said that all of the Des fans out there were fucked! While I did get the news right out of the horses mouth so to speak, he was making a bit of a joke when he talked about it. To say the news is official is a bit over-emphasized though. George could have just been having some fun with us. i'm not sure. I think his overall point though was not to expect every single background character in the cast of thousands to be there.
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
No, you could see them before 'cause I had checked her page not too long ago (I don't currently have a twitter account) but now I get the same message as you. Maybe now you have to be her friend in order to see?
RayQuote Reply
ya, she has a little lock by her name now, probably blocking people besides those she's following and following her from seeing certain tweets. I don't blame her.
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
Ya, I'm bored too. lol
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
"My guess is that Mya Stone will be a Featured Extra."
Spoilers
I wonder if there will be some reference to who her father is, in the book IIRC we only know it due to Ned's memories of the Vale.
Maybe Ser Vardis makes a comment about her to Catelyn.
@Mormegil99Quote Reply
Well, that particular arc, the finding of the bastards — that's a very introspective, thought-not-acted arc in general. A problem not specific to Mya Stone.
AoedeQuote Reply
As much as I agree with this and the subsequent replies…I actually liked Faramir better in the movie, i thought the conflict gave him more depth. Although I never watch the whole "I'm bringing Frodo to Osgiliath" part.
NanthGnomeQuote Reply
Hi,
First post here, been lurking and so on.
I am, of course, very excited about this project – to quote a whole lot of people, if anyone can do this right, it's HBO. Anyway, I recently got thinking about the Wire and how much of a shame it was that show didn't get a larger audience, and that made me worry about GOT. The show's problem was largely the season-spanning arcs and the huge cast of characters (also essential parts of what made it awesome, I know). Sounds familiar?
So, while all signs so far seem to point towards the production delivering a quality product, I'm now all worked up over how accessible GOT will be. It has far-reaching arcs more or less mapped out five seasons in advance, most of which I can't help but doubt would be easy to jump into at any other point than the beginning.
And it has the second largest cast in HBO history. So, what I'm worrying about is that the show will be unable to find new viewers.
Then get canceled after two seasons, maybe? I really want three.
Don't know to what extent this has been discussed before, am I overreacting?
Paranoid LunaticQuote Reply
I can't imagine that it will be harder to get into later on than a certain ABC show that just ended, and it was fairly popular. They're pretty good about getting DVD/Blu-ray sets out between seasons too.
CalculonQuote Reply
The reason they don't care about being king is because they don't have the lineage, and the Starks are similar enough in values, and there's the blood ties. It's lawful and practical to accept.
anonQuote Reply
Not bothered at all. I wouldn't care if they just dropped the Tullys entirely, considering the travesty of a casting job they did with Catelyn.
Well Timed FiascoQuote Reply
Looks incredible, other than Game of Thrones, this looks like the best new show coming out in the next year.
shadallionQuote Reply
Mya is to some degree disposable as Ser Vardis Egen can just escort them up there instead.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
IDW announced the DOORWAYS comic series, based on the TV pilot Martin wrote in 1991 (and which delayed the writing and release of GoT by a year or so). The computer game was announced weeks ago by Cyanide, some outlets and GRRM have just been slow in catching up on the news.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Troll
Petter Kristian VikestadQuote Reply
lol. They had to resurface eventually.
Samantha HirstQuote Reply
Or Momoa was just coming in for costuming (there is a new costume designer if I remember correctly) and the read-through.
spacechampionQuote Reply
Yeah I was close. I love that Avatar and IDW are both publishing GRRM now. Both companies have been putting out some great stuff lately so I'm exited!
Phoenix_tornQuote Reply
I find it even funnier that our Loras was using cologne for months that he didn't realize was actually ladies perfume.
BrudeQuote Reply
Worth noting that The Wire never got canceled. GoT will probably have a much larger budget, of course, but it's also got a small (for TV) fan base before even airing. Then there's the absence of any other really good fantasy TV series, and the fact that the LotR movies, Harry Potter etc. have brought fantasy more into the mainstream. Lots of factors to consider, but I think there's plenty that are going to work in the show's favor.
DemokritosQuote Reply
Technically, Bronn's trick wouldn't work very well. A mail hauberk that is worn as a standalone defense clocks in at about 40-60lbs, which is pretty damned close to the weight of comparable suits of plate armour. It's not distributed nearly as well too. The only reason that he might have gotten away with it is his relative youth and comparative fitness.
Unless, of course, Bronn was wearing *ring* armour (IIRC the description of his armour is ringmail) and not mail, which might make it a heck of a lot lighter.
RogerQuote Reply
Why not just say LOST?
LexQuote Reply
I read the books three times, and I STILL forgot completely about the existence of Mya Stone. IMO, one of the least memorable characters so far.
LexQuote Reply
Petter and Samantha, if you are talking to me, for I can’t tell since this blog got a makeover, I have no idea what you mean. I’m new around here and never left a comment before, how can I be a troll? Just by not liking something HBO did?
Well Timed FiascoQuote Reply
“Ser Vardis Egen was steel from head to heel, encased in heavy plate armor over mail and padded surcoat. Large circular rondels, enameled cream-and-blue in the moon-and-falcon sigil of House Arryn, protected the vulnerable juncture of arm and breast. A skirt of lobstered metal covered him from waist to midthigh, while a solid gorget encircled his throat. Falcon’s wings sprouted from the temples of his helm, and his visor was a pointed metal beak with a narrow slit for vision.
“Bronn was so lightly armored he looked almost naked beside the knight. We wore only a shirt of black oiled ringmail over boiled leather, a round steel halfhelm with a noseguard, and a mail coif. High leather boots with steel shinguards gave some protection to his legs, and discs of black iron were sewn into the fingers of his gloves. Yet Catelyn noted that the sellsword stood half a hand taller than his foe, with a longer reach . . . and Bronn was fifteen years younger, if she was any judge.”
Ser_GQuote Reply
“Petter and Samantha, if you are talking to me, for I can’t tell since this blog got a makeover, I have no idea what you mean. I’m new around here and never left a comment before, how can I be a troll? Just by not liking something HBO did?”
Yes, I am relatively certain they were speaking to you, and yes, you are a troll. Not liking a casting decision is a legitimate opinion. Declaring it to be a “travesty” worthy of dropping an entire family from the books is trolling.
Ser_GQuote Reply
Ser_G, trolling is when you comment with the intention to rile people up and provoke. I don’t know what definition your operating on, but it’s a stretch. Not even hyperbole is the same thing as trolling. It’s unnecessary to warp the definition to police other fans this manically. But do as you will, I’m done here. It’s been real.
Well Timed FiascoQuote Reply
I never liked the whole riverlands aspect of the stories. The tullys seem somewhat boring and pointless for me.
Damryn of DorneQuote Reply