Game of Thrones Season 2: Price For Our Sins Trailer

Game of Thrones Season 2: Seven Devils Trailer

I don't think there are more than a few seconds of new material here, but using Florence and the Machine's Seven Devils makes it absolutely incredible. Also, I don't think I've ever seen an HBO trailer using licensed music before. Well, April is just around the corner, and meanwhile Season 1 comes on DVD/BD in three days.

Game of Thrones Season 2: Power and Grace Trailer

Amazing trailer! I am thoroughly in love with it and can't stop watching it...

Game of Thrones Season 2: First Publicity Photos

And only ten days too late! Here is the link to all the pictures from the Winter Is Coming blog. I am in love with Mellisandre as well as Arya's boy image, but I have to say Brienne is seeming a bit too... pretty for how she's supposed to be. Still, only a month and a half left!

Game of Thrones Season 2: Shadow Trailer

Game of Thrones Season 2: First trailer

YES! The cold winds are rising!

Game of Thrones The Complete First Season on Blu-Ray

The Blu-Ray will have the following exclusive items:

• The Complete Guide to Westeros: an interactive guide to Westeros and Essos, their key locations and noble houses etc. There are also 24 exclusive histories of the Seven Kingdoms told by the characters.
• Anatomy of an Episode: a guide to the creation of an episode from start to finish, in this case the sixth episode, A Golden Crown.
• In-Episode Guides: in-feature infoboxes that provide information about characters, locations and histories whilst each episode plays.
• Hidden Dragon Easter Eggs: find the hidden dragon eggs to unlock more exclusive content.

The following features will appear on both DVD and Blu-Ray:

• Making Game of Thrones: a 30-minute documentary about the series.
• Creating the Show Open: a featurette about how the opening title sequence was crafted.
• From the Book to the Screen: George R.R. Martin, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss the issues involved in bringing the novel to the screen.
• Character Profiles: profiles of fifteen major characters, provided by the actors playing them.
• The Night's Watch: an in-depth look at the men of the Night's Watch.
• Creating the Dothraki Language: a feature on how the Dothraki language was created for the show.
• Audio Commentaries: Seven audio commentaries with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington and more.

Coming out on March 6, 2012. Can. Not. Wait.

Game of Thrones Season 2: In Production video

George Martin's Wild Cards to be turned into a movie?

Via Not a Blog

Great news for Wild Cards fans! We have just closed a deal with SyFy Films, a brand new joint venture of Universal Pictures and the SyFy Channel, for film and television rights to the Wild Cards series of mosaic novels and shared world anthologies.

You can read all the details in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The plan is to begin with a Wild Cards feature film, for theatrical release. If that's successful, more features and a television series may follow.

Melinda Snodgrass will write the screenplay. Part of the series since the very start, Melinda has been my assistant editor on most volumes of Wild Cards, and is the creator of many of the series most popular and iconic characters, including Dr. Tachyon and Double Helix. Snod will also serve as an executive producer on the film, as will I.

Further details will need to wait until we're a little further along in development, but I think I speak for all the writers in the Wild Cards Consortium, both new and old, when I say that we're jazzed. We look forward to working with Gregory Noveck and his great team at SyFy Films, and to bringing some of your favorite Wild Cards characters to the screen.

I haven't read anything Wild Cards related yet, but I've been curious for a while, so this is a good incentive to get on with it.

A Game of Thrones comic book series, Issue 1

The first issue of the comic book adaptation of George Martin's A Game of Thrones is now out. The mini-series will come out on a monthly basis, and be followed by a new title for every separate book.

Personally, I wasn't impressed. The words are good - Daniel Abraham's done a great adaptation, using exactly the necessary amount of description and dialogue, with only a few instances of added information, when the dialogue would not be enough to present the information that the reader would otherwise read in the novel.




Problem is, I've already read the novel - and more than once - so the only thing the adaptation can offer me are the visuals. And they are... bland. I have never been impressed with Tommy Patterson's art, and it is nothing to write home about here either. The pouty overly pretty and wavy-haired characters would be much more in place in a teenage girl comic book, and the color scheme - done by Ivan Nunes - is entirely too bright. The comic book is definitely not ugly, but it is also nowhere near the style that I think would suit Martin's gritty world best.

And, sadly, the story shows early signs of PG13-ness. Even though the first issue goes only as far as Daenerys' first meeting with Khal Drogo, there is at least one instance of nudity and borderline sexual cruelty that has been cut. And honestly, A Game of Thrones without the realism, sex, violence and dark visuals doesn't seem like much fun now, does it?

Still, I'll follow the series. Who knows, it might grow on me...

6/10

Game of Thrones Season 2: First set photos

Here are the first set photos for Season 2 of Game of Thrones. Not that there is anything spectacular to see, but it's nice to know progress is being made.

Peter Dinklage wins the Emmy!

Congrats to Peter Dinklage who won the Emmy for Supporting Actor in Drama for his role as Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones! He more than deserved to win, and I am also happy that a fantasy show gets recognition through the guy.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 11

Ian Whyte has replaced Conan Stevens as Gregor Clegane, a.k.a. The Mountain. It seems Stevens had too many scheduling conflicts (including a role in The Hobbit and a recurring one in Spartacus). Now, I can't predict if Whyte will play the role better, but he is freakishly tall, so I guess that's ok...




Fintan McKeown is Ser Amory Lorch - one of the Lannisters' most vicious knights. McKeown has the face to pull it off, but this is yet another character that will probably not have more than a total of 7 minutes of screen time in the season.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 10 - psychopaths edition

Anthony Morris is the Tickler. The character appears for a short time in the second book, and then again in the third, as a part of Arya's story-line, but I've always liked how horrible he is in her eyes. Can't wait to see how Morris pulls it off.




Andy Beckwith is Rorge - one of the trio of criminals that travel with Arya and the rest of the boys going for the Wall. Not familiar with Beckwith, but he looks pretty evil, so...




Jordan Gerard is Biter - the last of the trio of psychopaths, together with Rorge and Jaqen H'ghar. Another brutish looking actor, but those are all minor roles, so it's going to be more about looks anyway.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 9

Ian Hanmore is the warlock Pyat Pree from the House of the Undying, whom Daenerys meets in the city of Qarth. A minor role, but important in terms of her character development.




Daniel Portman is everybody's favorite Podrick Payne - Tyrion's squire in King's Landing. It is more or less a comic relief role, and the kid looks awkward enough to pull it off. I can't wait to see how it turns out.




Ralph Ineson is Dagmer Cleftjaw - an ironborn raider with a fearsome reputation. He plays a role in the events in the north, but to me the actor seems rather... well, refined. Still, that's what make-up is for, I guess.




Lucian Msamati is the pirate Salladhor Saan, "the Prince of the Narrow Sea". A colorful character that I have always liked, and Msamati seems a good choice.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: part 8

Patrick Malahide is playing Balon Greyjoy. A minor role, but a solid actor, and he looks scary and mean, so I guess he'll do fine. I actually hope his role is expanded, compared to the book.




Oona Chaplin - the legendary Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter - is playing Jeyne Westerling of the Crag - a role that I can't say anything about without spoiling an important moment from the second book for people who are only watching the show. Suffice to say, she looks perfect for the role.




Laura Pradelska plays the mysterious woman Quaithe whom Daenerys meets during her travels. Quaithe wears a mask the entire time, which is sad, cause Pradelska is a really beautiful woman. Oh well...




Forbes KB (like, seriously?!) plays the ironborn raider Black Lorren. Another minor role, but the guy looks mean and scary, plus we've already seen that characters get different amount of time on the show than they do in the book.

A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin

War rages across Westeros. After Stannis Baratheon's defeat the Lannisters control the South, with Tywin Lannister ruling King's Landing in the name of his cruel grandson Joffrey. But the fragile peace in the capital is threatened by the tension brewing between the lions and their uncertain allies - the haughty Tyrells from Highgarden, family to the young king's future wife, and the proud Martells from Dorne who seek vengeance for the brutal murder of princess Elia, the wife of Raegar Targaryen - a murder commanded by none other than Tywin Lannister.

Meanwhile the Ironmen are rampaging throughout the North. Winterfell is a burnt ruin and the two Stark children Bran and Rickon are separated and hidden, with Bran heading on a journey to find the three-eyed crow - a journey that will eventually lead him beyond the borders of the realm. In the Riverlands, Robb Stark, the King of the North, has won every battle he's engaged in, yet it seems he is still losing the war. After his alliance with the Freys is shattered by a terrible mistake, he is trying to find a way to repair the damage his own honor has done.

At Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon is licking his wounds while still listening to the advice of the deadly priestess Melisandre. But his one true servant Davos Seaworth has survived the battle that destroyed his army and comes back to his king, trying to save him from the path he has taken.

Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder is marching his vast wildling horde towards Westeros, bent on conquest. Jon Snow plays the turncloak, conflicted by the dishonor he brings his oath with the pretense, as well as by the feelings he is beginning to develop for the wildling woman Ygritte. Yet he needs to find a way to get back to his brothers and warn them of the host, and quickly, because the Wall is not impossible to get across for a small raiding party, and the castles of the Night's Watch have no defense of their own. But there is an even greater danger coming from the north - the Others are roaming the wilderness, and the world has forgotten how to stop them.

In the east, Daenerys Targaryen has traveled to Slaver's Bay to buy herself an army. But events there turn her in a different direction, and she begins a conquest of liberation, creating a following and slowly beginning to realize her destiny. Yet she is surrounded by uncertain loyalties and desires, and even her closest advisers keep secrets from her. And she is constantly haunted by the prophecy that she is yet to be betrayed again. Twice.

A Storm of Swords paints by far the broadest picture so far of the wars that began in the first book of the series. The cast of characters is immense, the events unfolding are epic, and the plot moves to an entirely new level on all fronts. The realm is in ruin, yet nobody sees the danger coming from beyond the Wall, preoccupied as they are with their greed for power. The Stark children are scattered to the winds, each one suffering in a different way. Arya's journey to find her mother in particular seems to be cursed, as she is constantly deterred and diverted from her path. Sansa is the greatest victim of course, as the Lannisters keep using her for their games of politics with her only allies the drunken fool Dontos, the violent Sandor Clegane and the Imp Tyrion who has lost all of his power in the capital with the arrival of his cold father.

There are a couple of new PoVs, the most interesting of course being that of Jaime Lannister. We slowly come to realize there is more hiding behind his devil-may-care attitude, than meets the eye, and his journey from Riverrun to King's Landing changes him in more ways than even he realizes. The other new addition is Sam Tarly - another "helpless" character who suffers terribly in the north. It is always enjoyable for me to read the PoV's of the likes of him or Sansa, as they give an almost outside perspective on the strife that most of the others are a part of.

Yet, even as the story unfolds in its epic scale, and dramatic events follow one after another, A Storm of Swords is not without its flaws. Martin's prose is as always absolutely superb, yet the narrative keeps slowing down. While A Game of Thrones was almost bare-bones straight to the point, the third book in the series sometimes takes way too much time on way too insignificant details. Meals are described in painstaking fashion, as well as the surrounding environment - hills, forests, castles and general geography. Unlike the previous books, now a good part of every PoV's chapters is dedicated to just traveling and thinking about stuff, which brings us dangerously close to Robert Jordan Land. Of course, there is no real comparison, and the third part of A Song of Ice and Fire feels in no way like a filler. Yet the slowing down is palpable, and makes for a much slower reading.

Then there is the Stark issue of course. It is becoming funny how horribly that family suffers all the time. Each and every one of them gets screwed again and again, in more and more violent and horrible ways. And as much as I appreciate tragedy, it is becoming funny in its purposefulness, and funny is definitely not what Martin is going for here, or should be. The Starks need a break, especially after this book, and they better get one soon...

That said, practically everything else in the book is love-worthy. The many plot-lines are filled with shocking revelations and unexpected turns, and meanwhile magic becomes more and more important. I mean, don't misunderstand - I love a magicless fantasy as much as the next very weird person, but it a beautiful contrast to the very human power struggle that rages at the center of the series' story. Speaking of contrast, the way in which the three major lines - Westeros, the Wall and the East - are written is amazing. Even though Martin's style does not change noticeably, the atmosphere of each is distinctly its own, as if an entirely different palette is used to paint each one. ASoIF could easily have been three separate fantasy series and they would still work (in fact, a couple of storylines - Daenerys' for example - have been published in an isolated novella form, thus proving my point).

Yet it is exactly this diversity that makes A Song of Ice and Fire the masterpiece that it is. Even with the tempo slowing down, there is still so much happening, that it is impossible to put A Storm of Swords down. And as this was the last book in the series that I have previously read, what's left now is entirely new territory, which makes it all the more exciting. On to A Feast for Crows!

8.5/10

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: More casting news

First of all, sorry for not posting. I took a trip to Chicago, and somehow I never had enough time to blog. But now I'm back, very much not dead, and it's time for the next dose of GoT casting news via The Wertzone.



Kerr Logan will play Davos Seaworth's third son Matthos who accompanies him on his ship. Probably a minor role, but at least the boy looks good...



Roy Dotrice - famous for his audio book reads (including ASoIF books 1-3 and 5) - was supposed to play Grand Maester Pycelle in the first season of the show, but health issues prevented him from doing it. Now he is cast as Hallyne, the head of the Guild of Alchemists in King's Landing. Another minor role, although the character might get more screen time than he originally had in the book.



I am a huge fan of the first two seasons of the UK tv show Skins, and so I'm happy that a second actor from its cast joins this project (the first one being Joe Dempsie as Gendry). Hannah Murray's character Cassy was one of the most compelling in that show so it's sad that she has been given the very minor role of Gilly - Craster's pregnant wife-daughter. Still, the role isn't completely meaningless, so I can't wait to see what Murray's gonna do with it.



Craster himself will be played by Robert Pugh. Yet another British actor who has played in everything ever, including everybody's favorite Doctor Who. I love Craster in the books and can't wait to see how he'll look in the show.



Another pretty boy (and I just couldn't resist putting that pic - I mean, look at the kid's jeans!), Karl Davies will be playing the new character "Alton Lannister". Rumour has the guy replacing Cleos Frey - Jaime's cousing who keeps delivering messages between Robb Stark and King's Landing - but it is as yet unconfirmed, and considering Davies' looks and Cleos' role in the books, it seems kind of unlikely to me. Anyway, we'll see.



Ben Crompton is set to play everybody's favorite Dolorous Edd. The Night's Watch brother who keeps bemoaning his sad fate is one of the few comic relief characters in the series, so Crompton better deliver!



Last but not least, Michael McElhatton will be playing Roose Bolton. The Lord of the Dreadfort is an important character, and leaves a very strong impression in the books. McElhatton has the looks, but this role will be dependent on his acting, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: Jaqen H'ghar

Via Winter is Coming

The role of the mysterious murderer Jaqen H'ghar has been given to German actor Tom Wlaschiha. Obviously they would need to do quite a makeover for him to look the part, so any speculation on whether the guy is up to the challenge so far is pointless, but there is certain intensity in his eyes that I kinda like.

Game of Thrones Season 2 casting: Yara Greyjoy and Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Gemma Whelan has been cast for Theon's sister who, in the TV adaptation, will be called Yara instead of Asha, to avoid confusion with the name of the wildling woman Osha.



Meanwhile, Nonso Anozie will play the Quartheen merchant-prince Xaro Xhoan Daxos who tries to woo Daenerys. Anozie doesn't match the description from the book, but as usual, as long as he plays the part well, it won't matter.