Hi guys...Looks like Game of Thrones is gonna be made as tv series by HBO and it will be premiering in 2011..What you guys expect from the series...Will you watch it... I for sure will watch mainly because I love the characters and it would be good to see them live in action...

petersiddle21 said:

I'm expecting to see one of the best TV shows ever. I can't wait to see the mainstream reactions to the story. It will also be interesting to see how various characters get interpreted. I also wonder how well they will manage to translate a the POV driven series into a TV show. They are making lots of new scenes to highlight things that are told by internal dialogue or narration in the books.

I would agree, I think this is going to be amazing as it will stick to the story with Martin being very involved.

I've been following pre-production reasonably closely and it looks like they are going to nail it.

One funny thing-before I had ever heard of an HBO series I had always pictured Tyrion Lannister as Peter Dinklage. He hit the jackpot the moment they decided to do this series.

I'm not sure how I feel about Lena Headey as Cersei- just not evil enough.

As an aside I have assumed for awhile that Martin has been delaying the next book until after the HBO series comes out.

I also read Tyrion as Peter Dinklage. He is a briolliant actor and I've been a fan of his since I first came across him (Threshold).

The thing is Cersei needs to NOT be an evil person. In her mind she is a loving mother and truly her father's daughter. She believes that if she were a man no one would ever question her and she would not have to use intermediaries to get what she wants, she would have the presence and sword arm to just take it.

Everything she does she does because she thinks it is what is best... for her and therefor what is best for everyone who matters. She is a narcissist with delusions of grandeur. Not evil. And that is what truly makes ehr character scary and tragic. If Robert had called out her name the first time they laid together, if he had been faithful, and treated her with respect and defference, she may have been a very different person. Still vain. Still a narcissist, but definitely different.

The genius of George knows no bounds.

Penfold said:

I agree with your assessment of Dinklage. I'm glad he got this once-in-a-career role.

I'll have to respectfully disagree about Cersei's evil status. Evil always has motivations, and rarely considers itself to be evil. In fact, it would be hard to classify ANYONE as evil with the distinction you provide.

Anyway, I am looking forward to the series!!!!

I expect that they will have to cut so much plot that it will not be nearly as good as the books.

That is an interesting issue you raise.

In the series preview, they refer to Eddard Stark as being central to the series, which implies, at least to me, that a leisurely pace will be taken. I do not expect the first season to get out of book 1. If that is true, they might be able to cover just about everything. Who knows, they might even ADD stuff!

"As good/not as good as the books" is always a subjective thing, and in the end not really that important. Were the Lord of the Rings movies as good as the books? It's hard to say, because they are different creatures, besides telling the same story.

They're taking 10 episodes (@12 hours total, IIRC) to tell the story of the first book alone, which seems to be plenty of time. I'm sure some stuff will be cut and some stuff will be added since bringing the narrative to a new medium will always involve changes. But the show will need to stand up on its own merits. It's good a good head start because of the excellent source material, but it will live or die more by the acting and directing.

I think the problem with expectations is that many people confuse "as good as the books" with "just like the books." TV is a very different medium, particularly since the books are so POV-focused. A lot of the thoughts and exposition we get from reading what a character thinks will have to be translated by externalizing this into monologue, dialogue, music, lighting, adding new scenes, etc. So the TV show will be different from the books. The question is whether they will manage to tell Martin's intricate story with rich characters in a compelling fashion using the tools at their disposal.

From what I've seen, I have high hopes that all these things will be handled well. The casting seems to range from "solid" to "excellent," no clue what the music will be like (this is probably the part that worries me most), set design and costumes look great as well. I'm really excited about the show, and I suspect I will love it.

Saturnine said:

Indeed. Someone has already mentioned the Lord of the Rings films, which were excellent partly because Peter Jackson understood the difference between films and books. By contrast, look at The Harry Potter movies which, to me, seem more literal adaptations of the novels and consequently feel a bit soul-less.

Films which are scene-for-scene copies of a book will almost always be terrible.

JackT said:

I enjoyed the Harry Potter far more than the LoTR films. I personally don't think LotR movies should have won any Oscars but thats me (never been a big LotR fan at all).

JackT said:

Evidence for that is Watchmen. Which was then compounded by the polar opposite random throwing away of important plots that were in the book/comic/graphic novel.

I expect the TV Series to mispronounce a great deal of names compared to how I read them in my head (which they already have with Vyseris, Daenerys, Targaryen, Baratheon and Catelyn), not be as bright and colourful as I pictured in order to be dark, gritty and realistic, and leave out a lot of the subtlety and nuance that you just can't do in a TV show compared to a book.

I also expect it to be an awesome adaptation.

Its always hard converting a book or story into television but i feel like they are about the hit it out of the park

i only have a few problems with casting, Cersei is not beautiful enough, Robert is not intimidating, even as an older fat man he was said to be huge, and Daernys is well i dunno i just dont like her at all

but i think Jamie, Ned and Jon are cast perfectly

jack merridew said:

I have to totally (but respectfully) disagree completely. Not sure how high your standards of beauty are but Lena Headey is gorgeous. The only thing I could think of is that based on the 11 minute preview maybe she is not blonde enough for your imagination of Cersei? Seriously though, if you don't think Lena Headey is beautiful enough I have no idea which quality actress they would have needed to cast to satisfy your standard of beauty for Cersei. Joanna Krupa, Keely Hazel and Rosie Jones might be "objectively hotter" than Lena Headey but I am not sure holding the Guiness World Record for Most Bras Taken Off and Put On in one minute exactly qualifies some of these "perfect" models to be good enough actresses to play the important role of Cersei ya know? Lana Turner isn't around anymore

Mark Addy is also a great casting choice in my opinion. He has played similar fantasy roles (Friar Tuck) and is a great actor. I never really got the whole "intimidating" vibe from Robert. No doubt the Usurper was eventually revealed as domineering and obviously he had to fight like a berzerker to take out Rhaegar but from many of the scenes in the first book, he came across as much more the laughing drunk than as an intimidating fearsome wife beater. Gregor Clegane is where they need to cast a mean looking intimidating man. I think Mark Addy is more than capable of acting very well in the role of Robert baratheon. Again he is an accomplished actor even if he seems shorter than described in the books but I would prefer someone that can ACT like Robert Baratheon over someone that might fit some people's visual image but would not be a good actor. And the camera can of course make Robert look bigger. Just look at Mad Men and Christina Hendricks. Joan looks like a giant Amazon on that show due to the camera angles but in reality she is tiny (like 5'2).

And I personally absolutely love Emilia Clarke as Daeny, and Targaryen has always been my chosen House so I am more critical of this casting than all others. Of all the cast she seemed one of the most enthusiastic about the story (along with Peter Dinklage) and seemed to have absolutely loved the books. That, to me, is enough to qualify her for the very tough role of Daeny. Daenerys is IMO one of the toughest roles in the books with a huge amount of character development (unlike Eddard whose personality is unchanging and thus a much easier role IMO). For me not a single FFG art version of Daeny actually captured how I imagined the character of Daenerys. Neither the stilled art from this game nor fan art I've seen ever seemed like how I imagined Daeny as a person. However the first I saw Emilia Clarke, I thought "**** now she is perfect for Daeny". When HBO showed Daeny with Viserys I thought they looked perfect together as well. I feel Emilia is exactly the kind of unknown HBO needed to cast in this very challenging and rewarding role. I am personally very glad they did not go with a well known for the role of Daeny. When the show was announced I was racking my brain for who they could possibly cast as Daenerys that would work. I couldn't think of any current actresses in the right age bracket that I would have wanted for this role. Emilia was a great choice for me as a Targ lover.

Anyway I hope you give the cast a second chance as I personally could not have been happier with who they cast and was very impressed all around. I am a little more worried about some of the lesser roles who they haven't shown yet actually (I hope Syrio and Jaqen are as cool in person as I imagine them and who is going to play the Red Viper hmmm).

I pictured Cersei as more Uma Thurman-type stunning, but there's no argument from me that Lena Headey is gorgeous. I'd pictured both the Lannister twins as blonder. Renly's haircut is far too modern, also (focussing on the hairstyles a bit much?). Everything is a little too dark and gritty for me, and I'm hoping the chivalric pageantry of something like the Tournament for the Hand really comes to the fore in that episode (the glimpses of Ser Loras, for instance, look perfect).

But OMG (yes, I just used OMG) minor details who really cares? They've nailed all of the Starks, as far as I can tell, and they're really what hold the story together. Preview looks fabulous, and this is shaping up to be a fantastic series.

agree about them nailing the starks and as for daeneys i imagine i wouldnt be happy with anyone for the role.

i guess my problem with Cersei is that shes not the image of beauty i imagined, i by no means am saying the actress isn't beautiful but i imagined a more Nicole Kidman (when she could still make facial expressions) ish look to cersei

jack merridew said:

A pity Nicole Kidman can't act, though

it is a pity. . . . although i did dig her in days of thunder, but you see what i mean about nicole kidman? shes more gracious looking, she looks like royalty and manipulative at the same time. but again im some fanboy with a certain idea in my head either way this series is going to deliver for me and for that im thankful

Ya know I just thought of someone who I personally would have liked as Cersei: Naomi Watts. No big deal really and she is more a straight movie actress than someone for a 7 season long TV show, but she is probably my favorite blond actress

My review of the first episode: Yawn. I can't imagine this series generating substantial viewership beyond fans of the novels. It just seemed so very dull.

Another thing: for all the much vaunted spending of resources on art direction, I think they failed at least with Winterfell. Yes, there is a grimness, but where is the beauty? They made Winterfell look like a pig farm. There should have been much more white in the color palette. Everyone looked too sweaty and dirty. These are the Starks we're talking about.There should be a degree of pristine dignity. Oh, and Catelyn isn't pretty enough.

Tyrion and Jaime were good.

JackT said:

Joffrey! - Cruel and Abusive for no apparent reason. Cersei (and Viserys etc.) does some pretty vile things, but we're shown the thought process behind it, even if it's as shallow as "i''l do whatever it takes to..."

i really liked the first episode, maybe i was blinded due to my feelings about the novels.

The actress playing Cersei played the queen on 300, I'm willing to give her a chance.

I remember first reading the book, and thinking "ugh, this is BOOOOORRRRRRING..." until I got to "the things I do for love." Then it was almost nonstop. I'm glad they got through the majority of the introductions/booooooorrrring stuff in the first episode, as it really does pick up after "the things i do for love."

Newb View of the show. Haven't read the books, haven't played the games...although after seeing the first episode, I looked over the card database to see how the artists drew the characters.

I like it! Mostly because there are SO MANY characters to follow--I love HUGE ensembles, especially when they all seem to be top-notch--and the visual direction of the show is SPECTACULAR. Definitely going to stick with it, especially if it really does "pick up" after that gasper of a cliffhanger. If I like the "boring" parts this much, I am apparently the "mainstream idiot" the creators are targeting: "Hey...maybe you should try the books too..."

Just gonna throw out a random array of thoughts to amuse you grognards who know so much more than I do. (PLEASE don't tell me what's going to happen!)

House Stark feels like "nobles in exile." Family is everything...because that's all the North freakin' has! So Ned and Robert took the throne from the Targaryens, but Robert gets the cushy lush central regions, and Ned gets shoved off to guard the Wall? Feels like the short end of the stick. On the other hand, perhaps Ned chose to bail as far away from the throne as possible, considering how insidious everyone close to it seems to be.

Not sure how I feel about the Wall and the things beyond, but time will tell if and when they become an actual issue. The whole "Winter is coming" thing seems to be pretty ominous about it. But I do appreciate the SEVERITY that the Wall inflicts upon the world, especially, "The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword." Strict but noble.

LOVE Sean Bean. Couldn't get enough of him as Boromir; his "smothered hero" Ned should scratch that itch. Digging Catelin as well. ADORE Arya!!! Jon Snow fascinates me; bastardization is raised to an art form in this world. Loved that he got the "runt" of the dire wolf litter. Bran's climbing made me laugh...well, until...

The Lannisters are...just WOW. They're not so much evil as they are heartless. Jaime's like a Bond villain: always pretty, always smiling, always *******. Of course, that makes him equally compelling to watch. And I think Lena Headey is perfectly capable of matching Jaime's ruthlessness as Cersei; just you wait and see. (Incest? Really? And not just incest...ENTHUSIASTIC incest!) Peter Dinklage is FANTASTIC in anything he does; the fact that Tyrion's actually a dwarf (and written that way) just gets all of that "does he look right?" crap out of the way of him being able to act what I think could be the smartest person in this entire entourage. His little bout with HBO's gratuitousness was a terrific tension breaker, and his exchange with Snow really laid out what must be Tyrion's long-layered wall of bitterness underneath all that wit.

House Targaryen. Love the change in scenery! (Malta vs. Belfast, I discovered.) The exiled prince trying to get back his throne by "selling" his sister to a ready-made army of savages. What a creep. And an seriously unbalanced creep too. Viserys scares me because I really don't know what he's capable of yet. He screams "utterly detached cruelty" to me, and I don't know how badly that will go for Daenerys, who is LOVELY (yes yes, gratuitousness aside, she's still WOW). SO unprepared for the life she's been tossed at, and her face wears every frightened thought in her head. On the other hand, I can't deny the appeal of the virgin princess broken (or remade?) by...Klingons? Mongols? Klingon Mongols? The Dothraki are NIFTY. (MAJOR kudos for creating the Dothraki language!!!) Can't wait to see more of their society.

WANT DRAGON EGG!!!

King Baratheon...I love Mark Addy, but Robert seems like a bit of a wuss. He's king of everything, but they make him look like a chicken in a pit of vipers. "Eek! They're coming after me! I can't trust anyone! Ned! Save me!" Makes me wonder how the Targaryen Deposing actually went down, and if Stark was really the alligator to Baratheon's chicken. Must uncover more about the death of Ned's sister! And the rise of Cersei: I'm so ready to blame the Lannisters for just about everything.

Flipping through FFG cards and a few unspoilery websites, I'm a bit stunned by how many Houses there are. (Shades of Frank Herbert's Dune.) And it makes me curious why the card game chose the Greyjoys (Kraken) and the Martels (Sun) as "factions", considering how much closer the action seems to be to the Arryns and the Tullys.

Okay, that's enough. Glad I chose to stick with HBO and this, instead of second-guessing myself and flipping over to Starz for Camelot. King Arthur can wait.

jgt7771 said:

You couldn't be further off. The Starks are from the North, have been for thousands of years since the House was founded, it's where they belong. Ned feels uncomfortable anywhere else, and he wouldn't have left if it was for his loyalty to Robert (if you only know the tv show) or Catelyn's insistence that he go to King's Landing (if you read the books). Catelyn may not be quite at home in the North, being born further south in the Riverlands, and Sansa is just spoiled and dreams of a pretty life at court.

As for Robert being a wuss, he has a warrior's heart and used to be a ferocious fighter. He's just helpless against all the Intrigue challenges, he's missing the appropriate icon.