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Tag: Game of Thrones

  • ‘House of the Dragon’: Set Photos Offer First Look at Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy as Targaryen Royalty

    ‘House of the Dragon’: Set Photos Offer First Look at Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy as Targaryen Royalty

    All eyes have been anxiously awaiting the first look at HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-off. We’ve seen a plethora of series getting announced throughout the last months, such as Tales of Dunk and Egg and, most notably, House of the Dragons. The latter has entered production and already rounded out its cast with some heavyweights, which includes Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith. After a long wait, we finally got our first look at the upcoming spin-off, as some set photos have found their way online through the Daily Mail. They offer us a look at Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy on the beach in very familiar-looking Targaryen outfits.

     

     

    The series will take place 3,000 years before the original show and explores Targaryen’s history before Emilia Clarke‘s Daenerys Targaryen started her conquest of Westeros. Smith is playing Prince Daemon Targaryen and is sporting the iconic ice-blonde hair that the family is famous for. They are filming at Holywell Bay Bech in Cornwall. D’Arcy is playing his wife and niece Rhaenyra Targaryen. Their designs hint at a parallel between them and their successors, who would face a grim fate.

    We still know very little about the upcoming project, but we can expect a lot of murder and dragons once it releases. It is uncertain if the other projects are in some form of early production. We don’t know where exactly the story will take place, as we could see the Targaryens travel throughout Westeros or they may focus on Dragonstone Beach, which seems like the fitting location for this shoot. Hopefully, we get some more set photos that might tease Dragonstone Castle in the near future.

    Source: Daily Mail

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ Adds ‘The Serpent’s Fabien Frankel

    ‘House of the Dragon’ Adds ‘The Serpent’s Fabien Frankel

    It looks like HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off is still casting some key characters. House of Dragon will explore the times of Viserys Targaryen’s rule. Of course, a good leader requires his Kingsguard and it seems that the Last Christmas actor, Fabien Frankel, will take on that role as Ser Criston Cole. Author of the original novel series, George R.R. Martin, took to his blog to reveal the news of Frankel‘s casting teasing his rather important role in these series. In it, he describes the character as followed:

    He is the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. He has no claim to lands or titles, all he has is his honor and his skill with sword and lance. He is a challenger, a champion, cheered by the commons, beloved of the ladies. He is a lover (or is he?), a seducer (or is he?), a betrayer (or is he?), a breaker of hearts and a maker of kings.

    It seems his character will have an important role in starting the civil war that will end the era of dragons. Frankel has built up quite a reputation in a short amount of time with his work on The Serpent, NYPD Blue, and alongside former Targaryen Emilia Clarke in Last Christmas. It’ll be interesting to see what the actor has to offer and how Ser Cole’s relationship with Viserys might shape the spin-offs story.

    Source: Not a Blog via The Hollywood Reporter, IMDb

  • HBO Developing Three More ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Offs

    HBO Developing Three More ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-Offs

    It looks like HBO is slowly pushing out their various future spin-offs, as they have just unveiled three more projects that are in development. We are still anxiously waiting for the first pictures of House of the Dragon, but that isn’t stopping the network from rolling out more. They already announced they are working on a series based on Dunk and Egg. It follows the tales of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, who would eventually become King Aegon V Targaryen.

    Rome creator Bruno Heller will be working on a project title 9 Voyages. It follows Lord Corlys Velaryon, who is better known as The Sea Snake. He will also appear in the before-mentioned House of the Dragon spin-off played by Steve Toussaint. It is interesting to see them already focus on a character from a series that hasn’t even entered production, so they have a lot of hope in it. 10,000 Ships will focus on the warrior Princess Nymeria, an ancestor of House Martell and founded Dorne. It takes place 1,000 years before the events of the original HBO series. Alongside it, an unnamed third project will focus on King’s Landing slums, Flea Bottom.

    So far, only 9 Voyages seem to be anywhere close to pre-production. So, we might not see the rest until much later. I like that they are approaching these franchises based upon the history of Westeros. HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys also confirms that they aren’t trying to rush out these productions. They want to explore stories that they want to tell and evaluating which would be the best to adapt. Westeros has a lot of unexplored history. So, it makes sense and offers a lot of curious opportunities for future franchises.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • HBO Max Developing an Animated ‘Game of Thrones’ Series

    HBO Max Developing an Animated ‘Game of Thrones’ Series

    Game of Thrones is rapidly expanding. In addition to the prequel House of Dragons, HBO is looking into adding various brand new original series. So far, only The Tales of Dunk and Egg was confirmed to be in some form of development. Well, it seems that HBO Max has set their eyes on adding an animated project into their list of adaptations. According to Variety, the series is in the very early stages of development. Currently, there is no writer or talent attached to the project.

    It isn’t too surprising that they are also looking into another medium to expand the franchise, as other shows have started to test out animated shows. Just last year, we got a new animated series for Star Trek titled Lower Decks. It added a unique comedy to the classic sci-fi epic. HBO Max seems to be mapping out its future line-up, as the latest rumors also hinted at an original Harry Potter series is being developed for the streaming service.

    The interesting question will be if this adaptation will stick to the adult themes of the original. I doubt they will be trying to create a child-friendly version of the franchise, so we could see something closer to Netflix’s Castlevania once it releases. They might use this opportunity to explore stories that would be too expensive in live-action, such as a project exploring the Night King. As an animated series takes quite a bit of time, this series might not release before 2024. Until then, we have House of Dragons to fill the void that the last season of Game of Thrones left in our hearts.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’ And Many Other ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequels’ In Development

    ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’ And Many Other ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequels’ In Development

    Game of Thrones was one of the most popular television series of all time. It redefined our understanding of the fantasy genre after spanning eight seasons. Yet, when the show came to an end, many fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths. Even after the last season’s reception, HBO was not going to miss out on continuing building the franchise. At one point, a prequel had been in development with Naomi Watts. It would take place a thousand years before the story we’ve witnessed across eight seasons. Although the pilot got filmed, the project did not move forward. Instead, they started development on the HBO Max exclusive House of The Dragon. It will focus on the reign of the Targaryens, as they conquered Westeros.

    Now, it seems there is one more member of the family getting his series, as a recent report confirms that a second prequel series is now in the works titled The Tales of Dunk and Egg. 

    It will follow the adventures of Sir Duncan The Tall (Dunk) and Aegon Targaryen (Egg), whose story was told in the George R.R Martin novels The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight. It will take place 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The project currently has no talent attached, but it seems HBO is fast-tracking it.

    According to Entertainment Weekly, this is just one of the many projects they are working on. It seems HBO has been meeting with many writers to get multiple series of the ground. Even Rome‘s Bruno Heller has been in talks at one point. One potential series may focus on Robert’s Rebellion, which started the original story. They also confirm that there are no plans for spin-offs or sequels. The focus remains on developing prequels that explore the history of Westeros and its many corners. It’s an interesting development, as even the previously mentioned Watt‘s prequel was among five in development at the time. For now, we can look forward to a lot more Game of Thrones in the future.

    Source: Variety, Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘House of Dragons’ Adds Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith

    ‘House of Dragons’ Adds Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith

    HBO has been hard at work at expanding their popular franchise, Game of Thrones. The series known as House of Dragons will focus on the House of Targaryen. It takes place 300 years before the events of the original show. So far, we only had one confirmation for the show’s cast but it looks like they are finally rounding out the rest of the game. The Hollywood Reporter has officially announced that Ready Player One‘s Olivia Cooke, Wanderlust‘s Emma D’Arcy, and the former time-traveling Doctor, Matt Smith, have joined the series. The latter was reported by the Illumerdi just a week ago.

    Smith will play the rogue Prince Daemon Targaryen, who was one of the first characters revealed for the series. He is the younger brother of Paul Considine‘s King Viserys, who he is always trying to impress. His first-born child will be played by D’Arcy, who is a dragon rider facing adversity due o her gender. Lastly, Cooke is set to play the daughter of Otto Hightower, Alicent. She is the Hand of the King.

    The series was picked up for 10 episodes last year in October. Martin and Ryan Condal created the series with the pilot episode set to be directed by Miguel Sapochnik. THR has also revealed that Banshee’s Greg Yaitanes joined as a director alongside Snowpiercer‘s Clare Kilner and The Witcher‘s Geeta Patel. Game of Thrones‘ final season has left a sour taste for many fans, so it will be interesting to see if this brand new prequel series can make up for it. The Targaryen era also will feature many more dragons than that of the original series, so it’ll be interesting how they’ll balance it out before their budgets get too bloated. 

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: ‘House of Dragons’ Eyeing Matt Smith as Series Regular

    RUMOR: ‘House of Dragons’ Eyeing Matt Smith as Series Regular

    It looks like House of the Dragons is continuing its casting. The Game of Thrones spin-off will go back in time to an era when the Targaryen’s ruled alongside their dragons. Around four months ago, we covered Illuminerdi’s exclusive on the show’s lead, Prince Daemon Targaryen. There hasn’t been much news so far. We did get the casting of Paddy Considine, who is up for the role of King Viserys. Now, it looks like HBO may have found their Prince, as Illuminerdi is reporting they are eyeing Matt Smith for the titular role.

    The character is the most experienced warrior of his time. He is easily bored, as he keeps moving from one distraction to another. All he wants the love and acceptance of his brother, the king. The most notable description is that he is the series “true rogue”. We can expect the character to straddle a thin line between good and vile. They haven’t yet offered the role to Smith, so there is a chance it might still end up being someone else. Warner Media is looking into multiple actions.

    The dynamic will be quite interesting, as we will have an ambitious warrior trying to make his brother accept him, who may not be the man he believes he is. Considine‘s Viserys may be a good man, but that doesn’t make him a good king. It will be interesting to see how these two world views will end in conflict, as the story develops. We still don’t know how many Targaryen’s will be featured in the series, so we might see the cast expand only as we near its production start.

    Source: Illuminerdi

     

  • ‘House of Dragon’ Adds Paddy Considine as Targaryen Lead

    ‘House of Dragon’ Adds Paddy Considine as Targaryen Lead

    Finally, it has been a long wait for any official news on the casting surrounding the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off, House of Dragon. The series is inspired by George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood as it follows the house of Targaryen 300 years before the events of the main series. It has now been reported by The Hollywood Reporter that HBO veteran Paddy Considine will be leading the show as King Viserys Targaryen. He is described as a warm, kind, and decent man, whose only wish is to carry on his grandfather’s legacy. Sadly, a kind man doesn’t always make for a great king, which will be an important lesson he’ll learn throughout the series.

    The show was picked up straight-to-series with a 10-episode order. Martin and Ryan Condal are acting as series creators. Condal and Sara Lee Hess will be penning the script. Game of Thrones veteran Miguel Sapochnik will be acting as showrunner alongside Hess. He is also attached to direct the pilot and a few episodes. Considine is a great addition as the series lead. He has quite the extensive filmography ranging from Hot Fuzz, Peaky Blinders to HBO’s The Outsider. This is certainly a series to keep an eye out for as we near its production start. As the show focuses on the Targaryen history, we will see how many dragons they will show on-screen. Game of Thrones was a massive success for HBO, so they will be investing quite a bit into this show.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘House of The Dragon’ Casting Targaryen Lead

    ‘House of The Dragon’ Casting Targaryen Lead

    Looks like the Game of Thrones spin-off has started casting its main leads. House of the Dragon will retell the story of the Targaryen rule. It was alluded to throughout the show. This replaces the Naomi Watts prequel series that got sadly got canceled. Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are set as showrunners. They will direct a few episodes including the pilot. This is great news as Sapochnik was the director of various iconic episodes of the original show. He directed “The Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter”.

    According to Illuminerdi, they are currently casting the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen. They also included a character description for the casting:

    PRINCE DAEMON TARGARYEN (Male, 40-50) – The younger brother to King Viserys, Daemon wasn’t born with “naked ambition” for the throne despite being in line for it. He’s less methodical and more impetuous. Not to mention easily bored…stumbling from one distraction to the next with the subconscious yet singular obsession with earning the love and acceptance of his brother the king. Most of Daemon’s joy is found at sword-point. But even as the most experienced warrior of his time, he vacillates between vile and heroic, making him the true rogue of the series.

    SERIES LEAD. OPTIONS ESSENTIAL *This role is currently scheduled to film between January – December 2021*

    An interesting choice as a series lead. The character seems to be more of an anti-hero character with him balancing the line of vile and heroic. The only thing that is certain about a Game of Thrones series is that there is a chance of a revolving door of characters. This story will span a long time in history, so we could see a similar concept to The Crown by skipping different eras. We are going to enter an age of dragons, so it’ll be interesting how they keep their budgets in check. Daemon is a dragon rider, so we might get to see his dragon Caraxes on screen more often than we did Daenerys’ three. It’s exciting to see this project moving forward and cannot wait to explore this time in the world of Game of Thrones.

    Soure: Illuminerdi, Entertainment Weekly