HBO Releases 14-Minute Preview of "Game of Thrones"

[JamesG]

HBO greenlights Game of Thrones

Nine episodes plus the pilot have been ordered
By James Hibberd
March 2, 2010


HBO has greenlighted highly anticipated fantasy series "Game of Thrones."

The premium network has picked up the project for a first-season debut next spring. Nine episodes plus the pilot have been ordered. Production will begin in Belfast this June.



The pickup comes on the heels of another HBO big ticket series order, for Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese's drama "Boardwalk Empire."

From the moment "Thrones" was first announced in development, the series based on the George R.R. Martin novels has generated enormous, perhaps unprecedented, online interest for a series at such an early stage.

The sprawling tale set in the mythical land of Westeros tells the story of the noble Stark family who become caught up in high court intrigue when patriarch Eddard (played by Sean Bean) becomes the king's new right-hand man. The four-and-counting books in the series would each be used as one season of the series.



Unlike many fantasy novels, the "Thrones" series largely avoids relying on magical elements and instead goes for brutal realism -- think "Sopranos" with swords.

Martin, a former TV writer ("Beauty and the Beast"), writes each chapter as a cliffhanger, which should lend itself well to series translation.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8844357cb3f6881609f2ea5856ec6bf9

[JamesG]

HBO Debuts "Game of Thrones" Teaser Trailer
by Mike Moody
posted Jun 14th 2010


HBO is diving into the fantasy genre with "Game of Thrones", a new series based on George R. R. Martin's bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire novels.


The Live Feed has posted the show's first teaser trailer, which features the tagline "Winter Is Coming" and a few quick flashes of what looks to be one of the cable network's most epic and ambitious new shows in years.





"Game of Thrones" stars Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey and Jason Momoa in a recurring role.

The show is set in a fictitious world where magic exists and the ruling empire is in shambles. The series chronicles the conflicts of kings, queens, mercenaries and warlords as the they battle for control of the throne.



The show, which begins production on July 26, is set to premiere next spring or early next summer.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/06/14/hbo-debuts-game-of-thrones-teaser-trailer/

[JamesG]

More HBO News: "Game of Thrones" Premiere
by Joel Keller
posted Aug 9th 2010


At the HBO TCA panel, HBO programming co-president Michael Lombardo first announced that the premiere date of the highly-anticipated "Game of Thrones" would be March 3.

He then changed it to "Spring" after checking with an off-stage executive.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/09/entourage-winding-down-game-of-thrones-premiere-no-1-lad/

[JamesG]

Casting Roundup
by Chris Harnick
posted Aug 11th 2010


"Skins" star Joe Dempsie has been cast in HBO's "Game of Thrones".

Dempsie will play Gendry, an amourer's apprentice, in the fantasy epic premiering sometime next spring. [ScreenTerrier]

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/11/casting-roundup-marcia-gay-harden-returns-to-law-and-order-sv/

[JamesG]

First Look at HBO's "Game of Thrones"
by Maureen Ryan
posted Sept 12th 2010


HBO aired promotional material for a bunch of upcoming programs before the "True Blood" finale Sunday, but for some of us, there was only one show we cared about...


Those of us who have been awaiting "Game of Thrones", which premieres in 2011, got their first extensive looks at the epic, which stars Lena Headey, Sean Bean, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Peter Dinklage, Charles Dance, Jason Momoa, Emilia Clarke, Aiden Gillen and Mark Addy.





The image below is of Clarke as Daenerys, the exiled aristocrat whose coming of age is one of the main threads of "Game of Thrones". The first season of the HBO series is based on the first in a series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin.





The videos that aired Sunday on HBO are below.

The first video is a behind-the-scenes piece: It contains interviews with Martin, Bean and executive producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, as well as various shots of the Belfast-area sets and the cast in costume.











There's also a new production diary on HBO's "Game of Thrones" site, http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/ , so superfans will want to bookmark that site.


On that site, Benioff and Weiss wrote a note to fans:

"The enthusiasm for the show was palpable before a single actor was cast or a frame shot," they wrote. "Trust us: the Powers That Be noticed. And so did we.

When we spend two hours discussing the details of the House Bolton sigil or the hilt of a certain Valyrian steel dagger or the content of a few pages from 'The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms' that won't be onscreen for more than a second – sometimes we wonder if anyone will notice. But someone will. You guys will.

And it makes all the difference knowing there are people out there who care as much about this story as we do. We all want to get it right."

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/09/12/Game-of-Thrones/

[JamesG]

HBO Debuts New "Game of Thrones" Trailer
by Chris Harnick
posted Nov 29th 2010


Fantasy fans, winter is coming! HBO really wants to ensure that you're prepared for it with this frosty new "Game of Thrones" trailer.

The new one-minute preview features lots of Sean Bean, swinging swords, fur and sex -- something for everyone, then.





The series, based on George R. R. Martin's bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire novels, takes place in a world where magic exists and kings, queens, mercenaries and warlords battle for control of the throne.



"Game of Thrones" stars Bean, Lena Heady, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Peter Dinklage, Charles Dance, Jason Momoa, Emilia Clarke, Aiden Gillen and Mark Addy.




Thanks to Entertainment Weekly for the video:

8ixEWrTLiZg


http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/11/29/hbo-debuts-new-game-of-thrones-trailer/

[JamesG]

"Game of Thrones" Unveils Official Poster
by Maureen Ryan
posted Mar 10th 2011


The wait is almost over: HBO's upcoming fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" premieres in just over a month, on April 17.

As the publicity effort ramps up, the network has released a dramatic promotional poster for the show.



The poster depicts Sean Bean, in character as Eddard Stark, sitting on the Iron Throne, from which the kings of Westeros rule.

When "Game of Thrones" begins, Stark is the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the frosty North, but he's soon drawn into the power plays and intrigue of Westeros' royal court, which is ruled by his old friend, King Robert Baratheon.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/03/10/game-of-thrones-official-poster/

[JamesG]

"Game of Thrones" First Look: Winter Has Arrived
Mar 23, 2011
by Hanh Nguyen

The Starks of Winterfell have a saying: Winter is coming.

Well, it looks like it might have arrived, judging from one of four first-look photos released for HBO's highly anticipated series "Game of Thrones".




In the first image, we see the infamous Wall, which — along with the sacrifices of the dedicated Night Watch — help protect the Seven Kingdoms from the any threats from the northern border. Wildings somehow get through at times.



Next, we get a better look at King's Landing, the capital of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, and sits to the south on the Blackwater river.

King's Landing is also the home of the Iron Throne, a throne of swords HBO gave a peek of earlier with Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) sitting upon it.



Finally, we see two pictures of Winterfell, the ancestral castle of House Stark. Can you tell it was built upon hot springs?




"Game of Thrones" premieres on April 17 at 9/8c on HBO.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Game-Thrones-Photos-1031037.aspx

[JamesG]

HBO Shares a 14-Minute "Game of Thrones" Sneak Peek
by Maureen Ryan
posted Apr 4th 2011


HBO's hotly anticipated drama "Game of Thrones" premieres April 17, but if you can't wait that long for a substantial taste of what's to come, the network has put a 14-minute trailer online.


What's below is essentially the first 12 minutes of the drama's first episode, with some extra teaser moments at the start.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/04/hbo-extended-game-of-thrones-sneak-peek/