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Tag: Game of Thrones

  • ‘Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin Talks ‘House of the Dragon’ as Production Wraps

    ‘Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin Talks ‘House of the Dragon’ as Production Wraps

    It feels like yesterday when we first ran the story on the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff focusing on the Targaryens. Fittingly titled House of the Dragon, the upcoming series will see a new all-star cast further explore a dragon-filled Westeros. Creator of the original novels, George R. R. Martin took to his personal blog to share that pöroduction has wrapped on the series and also that he’s seen the rough cuts. His blog states that:

    I have seen rough cuts of a few of them, and I’m loving them.Of course, a lot more work needs to be done. Special effects, color timing, score, all the post-production work. But the writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific. I hope you will like them as much as I do. My hat is off to Ryan and Miguel and their team, and to our amazing cast.

    It’s always great to hear the creator of a franchise praise an upcoming adaptation. As this is the first spinoff for the franchise, there’s some concern if it can recatch the magic that made it a tentpole HBO series that it is, especially avoiding the mistakes from later seasons. The casting has already been quite promising and who knows just how deep the lore in House of the Dragon will get explored once it releases eventually.

    Source: George R. Martin’s Blog

  • HBO Max CCO Offers Update on ‘Game of Thrones’ Many Spin-offs

    HBO Max CCO Offers Update on ‘Game of Thrones’ Many Spin-offs

    Games of Thrones may be one of those few shows that redefined TV. HBO obviously has no plans of letting its legacy fizzle out as it continues to develop and explore its options on spin-offs and prequels. The first of what could be many new spinoffs looks to be setting its eyes on a 2022 premiere while others remain in limbo.

    House of The Dragon is currently set to premiere sometime this year, but no date has been found as the studio was concerned about how the ongoing pandemic would affect production. Talks continue behind the scenes to find the perfect release date for the series, as confirmed in a new piece by Deadline.

    There are multiple other series in some form of pre-production which includes Sea Snake, Flea Bottom, 10,000 Ships, and Dunk & Egg. As of now, they have talent attached to them, but none of them have been picked up or passed on just yet. Among these is also an animated spin-off, yet there is still no news on what that’ll be about. HBO and HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys had the following to share on Game of Thrones‘ future:

    It’s just like any development process. Some are looking really good. Some we’ll see. We’re not going to make everything. I don’t have any mandate that I must make a certain amount of spin offs or prequels or anything like that. We’re really doing it just based on what we’re excited about creatively. I wouldn’t even give you a tease that we might see something this year because I really don’t know, it depends on how the development comes in.

    Casey Bloys

    With a series like Game of Thrones, it’s gonna take a lot to live up to what that series was to a lot of people, and it seems here that they’re being quite meticulous with what they pick up and send to the series.

    Source: Deadline

  • MALTA FILM WEEK: Director Colin Azzopardi Shares His Experience Working on ‘Game of Thrones’

    MALTA FILM WEEK: Director Colin Azzopardi Shares His Experience Working on ‘Game of Thrones’

    The first-ever Malta Film Week has kicked off that gives local talent the chance to discuss and share their experiences as part of the international film industry, but also the importance of growing their local cinematic landscape. During the panel discussion on Malta’s film culture and ecosystem, director Colin Azzopardi offered some insight into his work on Game of Thrones after the question came what the panel would prefer: working on film or TV? He offered some insight into what his experience was, as well as the pros and cons that come with it.

    For me, it was a fantastic journey. One, being part of such a big project which after season 1, they knew it would do well, but they never expected it to do so well. It became like a cult and it sort of exploded, and your being part of the process. I started off as a AD, I was part of the creative process. And you’re getting involved in decision making and creating the looks of various culture in the story, and stuff like that. Then, moving on to production management and helping actually make the product on a massive scale, of course. The budgets on that were off the roof. And there’s a satisfaction in that, being part of that and being reocgnized for the awards and that kind of thing.

    Colin Azzopardi

    Just as much as he was praising the work that he was able to do with the HBO series, there was one large setback. Given its success, he was contractually obligated to work on the project for some time which limited his options of tackling other projects.

    When I was doing Game of Thrones, I used to get calls for other projects, and obviously, you can’t do it because you’re tied down for so many years on a project. So, everything has its pros and cons, of course. I guess, if it was my TV series, then it’s a bit different because it’s yours and you’re involved with it, absorbed in the process.

    Colin Azzopardi

    Of course, the panel highlights that everyone has their own perspective on the matter. There may be some that enjoy the safety of a fixed contract while others prefer the freedom of managing their own projects, as highlighted by Azzopardi on the way you approach a project if you created it yourself. That diverse perspective also strongly reflects how complex the industry is

    Source: YouTube

  • HBO Lost $30M on the Now Canceled ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Spinoff

    HBO Lost $30M on the Now Canceled ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Spinoff

    Here’s an interesting surprise. Long before House of the Dragons was in development, there were stories about a Game of Thrones spinoff in development. It makes sense if you consider how large the original was when it aired on HBO. While they are currently on a high with many projects finding development, their first attempt failed and was swiftly canceled after the pilot was showcased. We knew very little about the project but Bob Greenblatt, who was chairman of WarnerMedia, shared some insights in his new book Tinderbox. In it, he revealed that it cost them $30M to produce the “prequel pilot” before realizing that it wasn’t what they were looking for.

    They had spent over $30 million on a ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel pilot that was in production when I got there. And when I saw a cut of it in a few months after I arrived, I said to [HBO boss Casey Bloys], ‘This just doesn’t work and I don’t think it delivers on the promise of the original series.’ And he didn’t disagree, which actually was a relief. So we unfortunately decided to pull the plug on it. There was enormous pressure to get it right and I don’t think that would have worked

    Bob Greenblatt

    It’s not uncommon that some gambles don’t always pay out, but $30M is a considerable amount for just a pilot. After the success of the original series, they were all in for the spinoffs and would take the gamble to give the series a considerable budget. It’s curious they outright canceled the project rather than reworking it to fit, but the investment might’ve not paid off if they did.

    Source: IndieWire

  • GOT ‘Dunk & Egg’ Prequel Finds Its Writer

    GOT ‘Dunk & Egg’ Prequel Finds Its Writer

    The controversy that was the final season of television’s biggest series, Game of Thrones, isn’t deterring HBO from pursuing more content from George R. R. Martin‘s fantasy world. The first prequel series House of the Dragon is set to debut next year and the announced Dunk & Egg spin-off has just landed a writer. According to the trades, Steve Conrad has been tapped to lead the show’s writers room.

    For the uninitiated, Dunk & Egg follows the lives of Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon V Targaryen 90 years before the events of the show. Conrad is best known for his work on The Pursuit of Happyness, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Amazon’s Patriot series as well as AMC’s animated series Ultra City Smiths. A good track record like that doesn’t make his hiring surprising.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘House of the Dragon’ Set Photo Leaks Online

    New ‘House of the Dragon’ Set Photo Leaks Online

    It looks like a brand new image from the set of Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon has found its way online. The last time we saw anything from the series, it was our first look at Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy. The Twitter page @HOTDBr shared a new look at the set, which doesn’t show any of the announced cast directly, especially with the recently expanded cast, but it does highlight our visit back to the time when the Targaryen ruled, which takes place 300 years before the events of the original series.

    It’s great to see more of the Targaryen. Sadly, we still don’t have a single tease of when and where dragons will come into play for the story. It’s only natural we’ll see more of them hanging around now that we’re visiting a time where the dragon riders were a common appearance. It’s curious how much budget this series got. Amazon has confirmed their The Lord of the Rings series will have a massive budget of $465M, making it the most expensive season ever produced.

    Source: Twitter

  • HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Casts Jefferson Hall, Bill Paterson, and Many More

    HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Casts Jefferson Hall, Bill Paterson, and Many More

    There has been a dry spell when it comes to the upcoming prequel series House of the Dragons. It’ll explore the time when the House Targaryen’s ruled. The series will have five leads, which we already got a glimpse of Matt Smith‘s Prince Daemon and Emma D’Arcy‘s Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in some leaked set photos. It looks like they finally rounded out the cast, as Deadline is reporting seven new additions to the cast. One curious addition to the list is Preacher‘s Graham McTavish, who confirmed his involvement back in May. The series will see the addition of Wakefield‘s Ryan Corr, Devs‘ Jefferson Hall, Miss Marple‘s David Horovitch, Chernobyl‘s Matthew Needham, Hamilton‘s Gavin Spokes, and Good Omens‘ Bill Patterson.

    The series will take place 300 years before the original Game of Thrones occurs. So, it won’t be shackled by characters or storylines set up in the HBO success story. We still haven’t gotten a trailer or tease when it’ll release, but there’s a chance it is still busy filming. These casting announcements have been involved for some time, as McTavish confirmed his involvement a few months ago. HBO has high hopes to bring back the franchise, as its only one of many spinoffs that are currently in development. There’s a lot riding on its success to confirm that the Game of Thrones franchise still has a big future ahead.

    Source: Deadline

  • Two More Animated ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Offs In Development

    Two More Animated ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Offs In Development

    It looks like Game of Thrones will continue to grow. It’s been three months since we got our first look at the first spin-off, House of the Dragon featuring Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy as Targaryen Royalty. It’ll be the first of many series that’ll further explore Westeros beyond the original HBO show. Currently, three other live-action shows are in development which includes one focused on warrior Princess Nymeria. They are also venturing into animation. Variety revealed that an animated series was in development for HBO Max. It looks like that isn’t all. The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively unveiled that two more animated shows are on HBO’s roadmap.

    One series stands out that will focus on the fictional Golden Empire of Yi Ti. It’s a location that the original series never visited that’s a region of Essos. It’s one of the oldest and most advanced societies in the fictional country. House of the Dragon features the character of Lord Velaryon, who famously sailed to Yi Ti and may offer our first live-action visit to the location.

    It seems that one live-action series will not continue development. The prequel Flea Bottom was nothing more than an idea, as it never got officially confirmed by HBO. THR reports that it was going to explore the King’s Landing slum. It’s uncertain how many of the variously hinted at series will see the light of day. There have been no updates on various of the shows that are in development until now. So, we’ll see which one will officially get a green light moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Amanda Segel to Write ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Off ‘10,000 Ships’

    Amanda Segel to Write ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Off ‘10,000 Ships’

    HBO is busy producing its first spin-off based on its popular Game of Thrones series, House of the Dragons. It will explore the time long before the events that started in Winterfell. Yet, they have realized there is a lot of franchise potential to explore the different timelines and locations throughout its history. They are developing three other series titled Tales of Dunk and Egg, 9 Voyages, and 10,000 Ships. It looks like the latter of the series has entered some form of production, as Deadline uncovered that Amanda Segel, the co-executive producer of Helstrom and Person of Interest, will write the project titled 10,000 Ships. It will focus on the story of Princess Nymeria and her journey from Essos to Dorne.

    We’ve spent some time on the sea in various Game of Thrones episodes, but a full series focusing on it could be quite a curious challenge. HBO is moving forward with its various spin-offs with The Mentalist‘s Bruno Heller tackling the 9 Voyages project. It also may also run by the title Sea Snake and Flea Bottom. George R.R. Martin is also involved with the project’s development. There is still no further news on Tales of Dunk & Egg or the rumored animated series. It’ll be curious how they will release these series as we could see them switch out between them similar to how Disney+ goes from one series into the next. The expansion will continue to grow the history of Westeros in curious ways without relying on the original’s cast.

    Source: Deadline

  • Graham McTavish Confirms Involvement With ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Off ‘House of the Dragons’

    Graham McTavish Confirms Involvement With ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Off ‘House of the Dragons’

    It looks like HBO has been sneaky with some of their recent castings, as actor Graham McTavish has revealed he joined the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel. Production has already started and we got our first look at Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith on the set. There has been no sighting of the actor on set, but he gave away his involvement in an interview with the UK fashion magazine Stylist for his new documentary Men in Kilts.

    I’m really having a lot of fun. We’ve just started. It’s a very big project, so we’re getting to know each other. They’re lovely people. It’s great, but I can’t tell you too much. I can’t tell you really anything about the story! But it involves a lot dragons.

    If anyone talks about dragons nowadays, it is a sure-fire connection that it involves Game of Thrones. His role is uncertain as of now. There is also a fun in-joke between the Outlander actor and his co-star Sam Heughan. He has tried to audition for the original series seven times and never landed a role. Perhaps his friend can help him finally nab a role of a lifetime that he’s been gunning for all this time. It’ll be interesting to see what role McTavish takes on in the series. Hopefully, the actor gets to keep his majestic beard as he stands among the rest of Targaryen royalty. Not everyone in that family needs long white hair at this point.

    Source: Stylist via The Hollywood Reporter