Game of Thrones on HBO

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Gwendoline Christie will be Brienne

Game of Thrones Brienne | Inside TV | EW.com

No good, she is not ugly enough. I know, they will "make her ugly". Can't you just hire a naturaly ugly brutish looking chick?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

No good, she is not ugly enough. I know, they will "make her ugly". Can't you just hire a naturaly ugly brutish looking chick?

Make-up can "make people ugly" (just like it made Peter Dinklage a blonde), but it cannot give people the ability to act. Hopefully, she's a great actress and will nail the role. Far more important a trait.

While the show isn't batting 100% with casting, it's been pretty damn close to it and those in charge of such things deserve the benefit of the doubt.

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Make-up can "make people ugly" (just like it made Peter Dinklage a blonde), but it cannot give people the ability to act. Hopefully, she's a great actress and will nail the role. Far more important a trait.

While the show isn't batting 100% with casting, it's been pretty damn close to it and those in charge of such things deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Yeah, I agree. They have done a really great job casting and presenting the show on screen. I hope they can keep up support and complete the entire series.

[JPhillips]

Ugly women don't get roles.

That's not a good thing, but it is what it is.

[Bad-example]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Ugly women don't get roles.

That's not a good thing, but it is what it is.

Kathy Bates say hi.

Kathy Griffin agrees with you.

[JPhillips]

I guess I should have said ugly women under 40 don't get roles.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

No good, she is not ugly enough. I know, they will "make her ugly". Can't you just hire a naturaly ugly brutish looking chick?

How many horribly ugly actresses over 6 feet tall are out there?

[PraetorianX]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

How many horribly ugly actresses over 6 feet tall are out there?

More important: How many of them can act?

[Grammaticus]

They could probably go 5'10" and get the same effect.

[PraetorianX]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

They could probably go 5'10" and get the same effect.

Not really. A 5'10" chick would certainly be better than somebody shorter...

Spoiler

But let's not forget that they need somebody who can realistically hold their own against Jaime Lannister and Loras Tyrell, and whom could conceivably kill Renly Baratheon, as well as kick the ass of a number of other opponents.

Being 6'3", taller than many of the male characters I would think, will help make it more believable.

Also, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) is a handsome man. Tyrion is grotesque looking even before the Battle of Blackwater Bay. Yet still Dinklage manages to do a fine job as Tyrion.

Brienne is not necessarily horribly ugly. Not in the traditional sense. She's very plain looking except for her eyes, which several characters note as being very beautiful. Her main problems, and this is only further increased by the attitudes of the time in which the story takes place, is her freakish size and tomboy nature. She's bigger and stronger than most men and prefers to where mens clothing/armor and fight like a knight.

The most important thing, imho, is what GRRM (who was at the casting) said about Christie.

This was another one of those cases where there was hardly any debate. The day the first batch of auditions went up for the role, we looked at a dozen actresses who were reading for Brienne and one actress who WAS Brienne. Gwendoline gave a great reading, and her look was just perfect. No, when she auditioned, she did not look she does in the photo above. She came in looking... well, like Brienne.

Of course he's going to be a little biased, but I'm still willing to trust GRRM, Nina Gold (who handles casting for the show) and the rest of the crew there. They did a fantastic job with season 1, no reason to think that they won't do it again on season 2.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by PraetorianX

Not really. A 5'10" chick would certainly be better than somebody shorter...

Spoiler

But let's not forget that they need somebody who can realistically hold their own against Jaime Lannister and Loras Tyrell, and whom could conceivably kill Renly Baratheon, as well as kick the ass of a number of other opponents.

Being 6'3", taller than many of the male characters I would think, will help make it more believable.

Also, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) is a handsome man. Tyrion is grotesque looking even before the Battle of Blackwater Bay. Yet still Dinklage manages to do a fine job as Tyrion.

Brienne is not necessarily horribly ugly. Not in the traditional sense. She's very plain looking except for her eyes, which several characters note as being very beautiful. Her main problems, and this is only further increased by the attitudes of the time in which the story takes place, is her freakish size and tomboy nature. She's bigger and stronger than most men and prefers to where mens clothing/armor and fight like a knight.

The most important thing, imho, is what GRRM (who was at the casting) said about Christie.



Of course he's going to be a little biased, but I'm still willing to trust GRRM, Nina Gold (who handles casting for the show) and the rest of the crew there. They did a fantastic job with season 1, no reason to think that they won't do it again on season 2.

This. About 1,000 times. I felt the same way about Arya and Robert; their characters didn't exactly have the LOOK I wanted, but they are completely nailing their roles. I also agree that Brienne isn't necessarily supposed to be hideously ugly...just extremely homely, and that this is completely exacerbated by her habits.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Melisandre & Stannis cast, from EW.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/07/19/stannis-melisandre/

Melisandre: Carice van Houten (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396924/ )

Stannis: Stephen Dillane ( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226820/ )

I don't know either actor, but the woman cast for Melisandre looks perfect.

[DaddyTorgo]

Both look fine to me. Dillane can pull off the "hard as iron" look I think, from some of the pics in his IMDB reel there, and Carice will look good with a nice red wig.

[Coffee Warlord]

Ah, he was Merlin from the Clive Owen / Keira Knightly King Arthur movie. Yeah, he'll do well, I think. I woulda preferred Eccleston, but he should work well.

[DaddyTorgo]

Dillane also played Jefferson in HBO's John Adams miniseries...

[Groundhog]

Not familiar with Dillane, but he has the right kind of face/expression for it IMO.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Dillane also played Jefferson in HBO's John Adams miniseries...

He was good. Think he'll work fine.

[Grammaticus]

Carice van Houten was in Black Death with Sean Bean. She played a witch and did a great job with the role. By the way Black Death was a pretty good movie and is on Netflix streaming.

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

This. About 1,000 times. I felt the same way about Arya and Robert; their characters didn't exactly have the LOOK I wanted, but they are completely nailing their roles. I also agree that Brienne isn't necessarily supposed to be hideously ugly...just extremely homely, and that this is completely exacerbated by her habits.

I'm sure the casting will work out fine. They have done an outstanding job all together. Although, the following is from Feast of Crows. The chick is plainly uglier than homely.

Brienne is abnormally large and strong for a woman, and exceeds most men in size. She has large, very blue eyes that appear trusting and guileless, but they are her only attractive feature. She is extremely broad-shouldered, but has virtually no bust. Her face is broad and coarse, with a nose that has been broken several times. Her mouth is too wide, with prominent and crooked teeth and lips so plump they seem swollen. Her hair is the color of dirty straw and her face is mottled with freckles.

When

asked about her height Martin commented:

Brienne is well over six feet tall, but not close to seven, no. Just off the top of my head, I would say Brienne is taller than Renly and Jaime and significantly heavier than either, but nowhere near the size of Gregor Clegane, who is the true giant in the series. Shorter than Hodor and the Greatjon, maybe a bit shorter than the Hound, maybe roughly the same height as Robert.

Also, I though Aria was cast spot on and Rob was pretty damn accurate too. I guess the thing about books is that every reader gets to imbed their own imagination to a great degree.

[Honolulu_Blue]

They also cast Davos.

He will be played by Irish actor Liam Cunningham.

Liam Cunningham - IMDb

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

They also cast Davos.

He will be played by Irish actor Liam Cunningham.

Liam Cunningham - IMDb

Yup, definitely seeing that. Interested to see how they do his hand.

[GrantDawg]

I just read an interesting rumor. Asha Greyjoy's name is probably going to be changed to Yara to limit confusion between her and Osha. She hasn't been casted, but the name out there right now is Gemma Whelan.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I just read an interesting rumor. Asha Greyjoy's name is probably going to be changed to Yara to limit confusion between her and Osha. She hasn't been casted, but the name out there right now is Gemma Whelan.

I heard that too about the name change. It's similar what they did with Robert Arryn. They changed his name to Robin Arryn, so people wouldn't confuse him with Robert Baratheon. The switch to Robin was fine, especially since in the books his mother referred to him as "Sweet Robin" as a nickname.

/Goes to Google Gemma Whelan

[MrBug708]

Looking at her pictures, I dont see it

[GrantDawg]

HBO exec:

"We told George we would go as long as he kept writing"

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

HBO exec:

"We told George we would go as long as he kept writing"

Awesome. Keep writing, George!

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

HBO exec:

"We told George we would go as long as he kept writing"

I expect that they are going to need to change the timeline somewhat or possibly recast some of the youngest characters down the line if they plan to keep this show on the air for more than a few seasons.

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

HBO exec:

"We told George we would go as long as he kept writing"

Kind of a moot point since if they do a book=season a year, they'll be on book 5 in 2015 and given that he doesn't plan to even look at book 6 until next year, winter 2014-15 would be the absolute earliest I'd expect to see it and they'll pass him by quickly after. He'd be stuck with the options of getting HBO to stop until he finishes book 7 (for the moment, still the last book) or having his novel spoiled by the TV series and probably taking a beating in sales that way.

I can't blame him for taking 8 months away from the computer after finishing ADWD given the pain in the ass it was for him, but he will have to pick up the pace to finish the series before HBO does if they do choose to keep it on.

[Mota]

I seriously doubt that 1 season will be 1 book. I'm really not sure how it would go though, as the first few books could be a few seasons each, but the last couple of books seem to be pretty lacking in plot development, I just can't picture how it will translate into books yet.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by bronconick

I can't blame him for taking 8 months away from the computer after finishing ADWD given the pain in the ass it was for him, but he will have to pick up the pace to finish the series before HBO does if they do choose to keep it on.

8 months off?! Oh no, the next book is going to come out in 7 years .

[ISiddiqui]

The New York Times asked the question about shows and books as well .

Will Winter Keep Coming? HBO Discusses the Future of 'Game of Thrones' - NYTimes.com

Here are the kinds of questions that keep “Game of Thrones” fans up at night. (You might want to have a pencil and paper handy for this one.)
The first season of that Emmy-nominated HBO drama was, more or less, a straight adaptation of the George R. R. Martin fantasy novel “A Game of Thrones,” the first book in his “Song of Ice and Fire” series. To date, Mr. Martin has published four more books in his planned seven-book series: “A Clash of Kings,” “A Storm of Swords,” “A Feast for Crows” and, most recently, “A Dance with Dragons.” The elapsed time between “Crows” (released in 2005) and “Dragons” (released earlier this month) was nearly six years. Even if we allow that the television adaptations of some of these novels could require more than one season, is it possible that the “Game of Thrones” HBO series could run out of material before Mr. Martin has finished writing the books?
In a presentation held Thursday at the Television Critics Association tour in Los Angeles, an HBO executive seemed to answer this question while possibly raising others. “I don’t know where the show will end, as opposed to the books,” Michael Lombardo, the president of HBO programming said, according to Reuters. He added: “”It would be fantastic to be able to say this show will go on for 10 years, and do every aspect of the books. I don’t know that will be the case. We’ll see, but we are doing this without any predetermined idea of the number of seasons.”
The network is already committed to a second season of “Game of Thrones” (for which a premiere date has not yet been announced) and said that it is mindful of the passionate fan base for Mr. Martin’s novels. “That is a relationship that we are very aware and respectful of,” Mr. Lombardo said.
Still, if the “Game of Thrones” producers find themselves starved for material, there is always this.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

8 months off?! Oh no, the next book is going to come out in 7 years .

My theory for releases has been that Martin will release a book for every new US President. Storm was Clinton, Feast was Bush W, and Dragons is Obama.

So I guess if we want a new book sooner, don't vote Obama in 2012.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I just read an interesting rumor. Asha Greyjoy's name is probably going to be changed to Yara to limit confusion between her and Osha. She hasn't been casted, but the name out there right now is Gemma Whelan.

Both things confirmed: Game of Thrones casts Theon's fierce sister Asha | Inside TV | EW.com

[MikeVic]

Does anyone have a link to that HBO family tree thing, but in printable format all in one page?

[MrBug708]

No surprise that Tyrion won an Emmy

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Does anyone have a link to that HBO family tree thing, but in printable format all in one page?

This is from the books, but it should help. I was printing this out for the first two books and referring to it pretty frequently for a time:

A Game of Thrones-Appendix - A Wiki of Ice and Fire

[spleen1015]

Season 2 Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBrsM...layer_embedded

[JPhillips]

Apparently nobody speaks in season 2.

[DaddyTorgo]

I haven't watched the teaser/trailers for Season 2 yet. Not sure why. I guess maybe because I know what it's going to look like visually and I'm already amped for it I just don't feel the need?

Or maybe it's because I want to give them undivided attention, which I haven't made the time for yet?

[cschex]

I will say the guy playing Stannis both looks and sounds awesome

[Honolulu_Blue]

Here is a small snippet from an interview with a guy from the new special effects company they hired for season 2, because the company they had for season 1 didn't have the capacity to do everything they needed done:

"In the upcoming season, we see a lot more of [the dragons], and that’s really exciting. And the direwolves. We’ve been involved in creating them this season, and we’ve shot a lot of elements with them. These things are big, the size of small horses, and I can’t wait to see how they look."

One of the big complaints about the first season was how little we saw of the dire wolves. Great to hear we'll be seeing more of them this year.

I hope they look good. Not sure if I've ever seen any CGI wolves that looked right. The ones in "The Day After Tomorrow", for example, were abysmal.

[DaddyTorgo]

DIRE-MOTHERFUCKING-WOLVES!!!!

WOOOO!!!!!!!!

AND DRAGONS!!!!!!!

/Runs off to rewatch the last minute of the season finale on HBO Go
/back

FUCK YEAH!!!!

[ISiddiqui]

I'll be interested to see the dragons around season 4ish (and beyond)... that'll be fun.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Sounds like Season 2 will premiere on Sunday, April 1st!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118048607?refCatId=14

HBO has set April 1 as the date for the 10-episode second-season premiere of ''Game of Thrones.''


Fantasy drama was a huge ratings winner for the pay cabler in its debut last year, as well as a massive profit center for the net since HBO produces the series as well. In addition to be a domestic hit, ''Thrones'' drew millions of viewers around the world.

Other premiere dates announced by the cabler include the Lena Dunham comedy series ''Girls'' to debut April 15, Julia Louis-Dreyfus laffer ''Veep'' a week later on Apirl 22 and two-hour telepic ''Game Change,'' with Ed Harris as Sen. John McCain and Julianne Moore as Gov. Sarah Palin, will debut March 10.


That's definitely a few weeks earlier than expected.

The night is dark and full of terrors!

[ISiddiqui]

Makes sense as the Blu-ray and DVD (for S1) come out March 6th .

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Makes sense as the Blu-ray and DVD (for S1) come out March 6th .

Yep! I already have that on pre-order!

[PraetorianX]

BTW, if you pre-order through BestBuy, you can get a cool alternative cover.

One has the Stark direwolf, the other the three headed dragon of Targaryen.


Both are awesome.

[DaddyTorgo]

HBO replaying of the first season starting well...9 minutes ago. Not sure what the full schedule as far as days of the week and stuff is.

[Honolulu_Blue]

As expected, there is going be an extended trailer for Season 2 of "Game of Thrones" Sunday night, right around 8:59 or so before the premiere of "Luck."

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

As expected, there is going be an extended trailer for Season 2 of "Game of Thrones" Sunday night, right around 8:59 or so before the premiere of "Luck."

Sweet!!

I haven't watched any of the S2 stuff yet. But man was I digging the premiere again last night...totally geeking out again.