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HBO picks up Game of Thrones for Series

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By Will Perkins
March 2, 2010
First official photo from HBO's Game of Thrones - Click to Enlarge

First official photo from HBO's Game of Thrones - Click to Enlarge

The Hollywood Reporter and several other outlets are reporting that HBO has given the greenlight for a ten episode order of Game of Thrones. The TV series, which is based on George R.R. Martin’s extremely popular A Song of Ice and Fire novels, shot its pilot in the UK and Morocco late last year. Thrones stars Sean Bean (Goldeneye, Lord of the Rings) and Lena Headey (300, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as well as a whole host of recognizable actors, including Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) and Jason Momoa (Stargate: Atlantis), who was recently cast as Conan in the new Conan the Barbarian film. The series is being produced by novelist and screenwriter David Benioff, the man behind 25th Hour, Troy and more recently Brothers.

Game of Thrones is set in the medieval world of Westeros, where rival houses vie for control of the Iron Throne that controls the seven kingdoms. The fictional medieval setting doesn’t necessarily mean high fantasy; there are no elves or orcs in Game of Thrones. The focus is less on the fantastical or magical and more on political machinations and brutal battles. Game of Thrones was pitched to HBO as “The Sopranos meets Lord of the Rings” and that’s not far off from what Thrones is.

I’m not a big fantasy guy, but I count the Song of Ice and Fire series amongst my favourite books. Television critics have been amazed by the unprecedented amount of hype that the pilot for Thrones has generated; based on that fact alone HBO was wise to pick up the series. Great writing combined with the wonderful cast they’ve assembled for the show and HBO production values makes Game of Thrones the must watch show of next year.

Game of Thrones is set to begin filming in June on track for a television debut in Winter 2011.

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  • http://www.twitter.com/dark77778 Shane

    It got Greenlit and Momoa/Ronon is in it!? Wow, I’m excited! I know a lot of very cool people who are huge fans of the series, so let’s hope HBO doesn’t screw it up.

  • http://dorkshelf.com/ Joel

    I can’t believe you got to post this first! I was totally going to post this myself, but then I played two hours of Wacraft III instead. SOME things never change.

    This is the only television show I have ever been excited about BEFORE it exists. I think it’s a perfect series to replicate on TV and I trust that us fantasy fans can give it the support it needs to show Hollywood YET AGAIN that fantasy cinema can be popular and meritous (which is a word I just made up meaning ‘full of merit.’)

  • http://dorkshelf.com/ Will

    Shane: Yeah, he plays Khal Drogo, which is perfect casting in my opinion. Have you read all the books?

    Also, random fact – I’m pretty sure you’re in my film history tutorial… but probably don’t know who I am since I never go :(

    Joel: I’m sorry! You actually broke the news to me on Facebook. The instant I saw it I started writing the post. TOO SLOW!

    Thrones     is perfect for the small screen, particularly an HBO style serialized story. My only concern that the first season is only 11 episodes… I know it’s 11 hours of TV, but that’s still a lot of story to fit in considering the first episode only covers up to Bran’s fall.

    The buzz is good and I’m confident they can pull it off.

  • http://dorkshelf.com/ Joel

    The good thing with that, though, Will, is that Game of Thrones lends itself rather well to surprises and excitement – thus making a mid-book 1 cliffhanger to season 2 fairly easy to do. If you know the books well you might be able to think of an exact spot. :)