Greg Afinogenov shares a provocative, thought-provoking rumination on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and the author’s playing with the form and function of fantasy literature. Referencing Cervantes’ Don Quixote (and alluding, tantalizingly, to Thomas Malory), Afinogenov puts forward an argument for the way the series is able to inspire critical readings of the text. While some may take issue with his implied positions regarding literary/mimetic fiction, his commentary on fantasy and Martin’s series are certainly worth a read.
One of the features of Game of Thrones is the number of characters—some quite significant—who are children. Two smaller parts along these lines have now been filled, according to Winter is Coming: Callum Wharry as Prince Tommen Baratheon and Aimee Richardson as his elder sister Princess Myrcella. We reported on her casting for the pilot last year, although it was indicated then that hers was the sort of role that may be recast if the series went forward. Clearly, that’s not the case.
Thanks to the Dagbladet interview with Amrita Acharya, which revealed that HBO’s Game of Thrones will be airing on Canal+ in Norway, we’ve done a bit of digging. An agreement appears to have been made in February between Canal+ Scandinavia (a separate entity from Canal+ in France, Spain, and other countries) and HBO. This 3 year agreement gives Canal+ Scandinavia exclusive first airing rights to HBO’s content, somewhat similar to the Sky-HBO deal we have previously reported on for the U.K.
A representative for Canal+ in Sweden has confirmed that Game of Thrones is part of this agreement, and will air both on the regular network and their HD network in all of Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) at the same time. Although the Dagbladet report suggests a Fall or Winter 2011 air date, Canal+ in Sweden says they don’t have a firm air date as of yet but they promise to keep in touch with Westeros.org when there is new information.
Amrita Acharia, cast in the role of Irri, has been interviewed in national Norwegian paper, Dagbladet. Below is a partial translation provided by A Song of Ice and Fire forum member Lacuna:
[Filler about HBO’s previous sucesses] The norwegian girl has been cast in the new HBO show ”Game of Thrones”, which is currently being filmed in Ireland and Malta. The show is based on the series ”Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin. The cast is comprised of several well-know actors, such as Sean Bean, best known for his role as Boromir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. ”This is of course incredible. I have a supporting role, but I am in eight of the ten episodes of the first series. I play Irri, the maid of one of the main characters”, Acharya says to Dagbladet. A learning experience The Tromsø native received her education at The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in London, and has mostly done theater work so far. She says the transition to a production like Game of Thrones is enormous. ”There is a massive crew involved. The budget is huge, and the sets are gigantic. Even though I’m not a main character, this really is a great learning experience.” And the 23-year-old has a lot to look forward to. Her career is really kicking off, even though it’s only been a year since she got her bachelor’s degree at ALRA. [Information about her other projects, (TV series Doctors, movie The Devil’s Double), background, (Katmandu, Ukraine, England, Tromsø), rejection for Norwegian citizenship, Visa to the UK expiring.]
At the end, the articles notes that Canal+ will air Game of Thrones in Norway beginning Fall or Winter 2011.
Just some quick details that have come out since the Ballycarry filming. We’ve already identified one of the chapters the filming represents—Eddard Stark’s third chapter—but it seems more was filmed than just that scene over these three days. It appears that scenes from Sansa’s first chapter were also filmed there, including the introduction of Ser Ilyn Payne (played by musician Wilko Johnson). The weather’s said to have taken a bit of a turn for the worse, especially compared to the very fortunate clear weather for the tourney scenes. Shooting on Friday may have run very late if this article is to be believed, claiming as it does that Sean Bean was not able to attend a Handsworth football match due to “a midnight film-shoot”.
For those closely following the production schedule, there’s an interesting report in comments from DrNick, posted over at Winter is Coming. He notes via a friend involved in the production that 2nd unit work has begun this week that will shift over to Malta on the 20th and become the main unit at some point. Filming in Malta is expected to last six weeks or more. As we’ve previously reported, Malta will be the key location for scenes set on the eastern continent, particularly the Dothraki scenes but we also expect that at least some part of the Pentos scenes will be filmed there.
We’ve had a few reports from Dragon*Con, where Jason Momoa has been hanging out this weekend, signing autographs and participating in panels. We’ve had a couple of reports from fans who’ve had a chance to chat with him. First, Sidney reports that Drogo’s braid reaches to Jason’s knees (if you’re wondering, yes, that’s somewhat longer than Drogo’s braid is described in A Game of Thrones, but that’s quite a minor detail!)
And some interesting details from 10zlaine. First and foremost, Jason unequivocally indicated that the Twitter account using his name is a fake. See the photographic proof, a very fierce Momoa holding up a signed paper in which he wrote, “It’s a fake twitter account. Kill that motherfucker. I am Jason Momoa.” Remember, folks, if a celebrity account isn’t verified, be wary.
Now, as to HBO’s Game of Thrones, 10zlaine notes that Jason indicated he was going to go back to filming very soon after Dragon*Con; we’re guessing this will be shooting interiors and some exteriors in Northern Ireland before filming shifts to Malta in October. Jason also remarked that he’s working hard at learning some lengthier chunks of dialogue for Drogo, made difficult by the fact that it’s all in David J. Peterson’s Dothraki language created for the series.
Gardner Dozois, award-winning SF author and editorial luminary, is interviewed at the BookBanter Blog. In the course of the interview, he discusses the origins of the Warriors anthology which he co-edited with George R.R. Martin (who was also a contributor to the volume, with his third Dunk & Egg story, “The Mystery Knight”) and then segues into discussing current and potential future editorial collaborations:
“The next anthology that George Martin and I have coming up is a book of fantasy/romance crosses called SONGS OF LOVE AND DEATH: TALES OF STAR-CROSSED LOVE, from Pocket Books. We’re currently finishing up an anthology of paranormal detective stories called DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS, scheduled for publication by Penguin Putnam. There are other projects in the works, as yet unsold, that George and I and Jack Dann and I intend to pitch, but that’s all pie-in-the-sky at the moment, so there’s no point going into details.”
The So Spake Martin collection has been updated with some of the first George R.R. Martin-specific reports out of the 2010 Worldcon, AussieCon 4. You can find the reports on the Convention Reports sub-section of the collection, and it’s the place to keep an eye on as we get more reports over the course of the weekend. Reports are always welcome at the forum, or they can be sent direct to us.
An article in the Brazilian magazine Epoca Sao Paulo feaures young actor Lino Facioli, and mentions his role in Game of Thrones. Chiefly, it notes that he’s due to start filming his scenes—as Robin Arryn, the sickly young Lord of the Eyrie—this month. The article also covers his concern about having to wear removable braces and his role in the Russel Brand film Get Him to the Greek.
For those keeping score, Lino’s scenes would fit into Catelyn’s sixth and seventh chapters.
Thanks to MouthTheOne for bringing the article to light, and WiCnet for the RT. Also, a translation of the article can be found here, provided by Vasco Cardoso.
The intrepid silverjaime has shared a few photos she took when she decided to take a trip over to Ballycarry to see what the filming was like at the Redhall Estate.
According to her report, the locals provided some interesting information. Shooting there was scheduled to go on for 12-13 hours, and they’d be shooting tomorrow as well. A barn was a primary location, and Sean Bean was indeed on site. Monday will see a last day of filming on site, and then the Paint Hall seems to be due to see some more filming on Tuesday.
Via Winter is Coming, the role of Ser Ilyn Payne—the mute King’s Justice, headsman for King Robert—has been given to musician Wilko Johnson, once of the blues band Dr. Feelgood. Also, Bronson Webb is back on board as the ranger Will after scheduling conflicts put this in jeopardy; we’re glad to hear this in particular, having been told by sources involved in the production that he was absolutely terrific on and off set.
Finally, via Twitter, something we’ll classify as second-hand, the claim that author Steven Erikson (best known for the Malazan Book of the Fallen epic fantasy series) revealed at the Czech convention, Tricon that he would be riding a horse as an extra during Game of Thrones. From what the original reporter, webmaster of the Czech A Song of Ice and Fire fansite, says, he was told Erikson said this via a friend. We’re looking to see if we can get confirmation from Erikson himself.
Updated: As we guessed, this was a misunderstanding due to the second hand nature of the information. Over at Tor.com, Erikson posed that he had expressed interest in being an extra because he’s an equestrian, but it’s not the case that he is now one.
Below, we’ve embedded a video of Johnson performing in London three years ago:
And here’s a documentary in which Johnson was interviewed:
This is not an exhaustive rundown of everything that has been shot so far, but it’s a quick review of some of the highlights that we know of from the past month of shooting, and wrapping up with where we are today. We’ll update when and as we’re reminded of shooting details we’ve previously reported on.
This takes us to the present. Earlier this week, footage seemed confined to the Paint Hall, with reports that some of these scenes involved Sean Bean and extras cast as guards. We also knew that late last week, some preparations were going on in an undisclosed location for Winterfell filming. We know Kristian Nairn (Hodor) was set to start filming around now (thanks to Nymeria_WiC for sorting me out on some details here). We’ve now learned via Northern Irish artist known as Anarkitty, that filming is going on in a field located somewhere between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne, on the grounds of the Redhall Estate in Ballycarry. Given the image above, we believe this means today’s filming
.
Or is it? We’ve now been told that the scene being filmed there today (and possibly on Friday and Monday as well) correspond to Eddard’s third chapter, although with a change: instead of taking place at Darry, it’s now taking place at an inn. At a guess? The inn at the crossing of the Trident, run by Masha Heddle (a role recently cast), is going to appear rather earlier on the show than it did in the series. Previously, it was the setting of two significant scenes—now it’s gained a third. This is actually a very interesting change, allowing them to cut out a location barely touched upon again until the fourth novel and instead focusing on one that shows up more than once as is (and, in fact, shows up again in A Feast for Crow).
Fantasy Flight Games, who recently announced they’re reprinting the original The Art of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire with additional content, have
announced a second volume which will contain two hundred additional pages of art. FFG has a vast catalog of art assets due to their award-winning games such as the CCG, LCG, and board game. Some of the top Ice and Fire artists have produced work for the company, including Michael Komarck, Amok, Martina Pilcerova, Tomasz Jedruszek, and many more.
The original book also contained specially commissioned art by a number of artists. The press release does not suggest this will be the case for the second volume, but we are attempting to check with the company.
The company has set up a sub-site dedicated to their art books for the series.
Following Alfie Allen’s interview yesterday, Joe Dempsie (cast as Gendry) discusses his role with the Crosby Herald. He remarks on how he’s started hitting the gym more to better fit the role, though he admits his 5’8” height is something he won’t be able to fix for those expecting Gendry to be tall.
The reporter’s description of Gendry as someone who could “unite or destroy” the Seven Kingdoms should probably be taken with a grain of salt rather than as some indication of any greatly changed role for the character.
ITN has posted a brief video interview with Alfie Allen, the actor cast in the role of Theon Greyjoy (who can very briefly be glimpsed in HBO’s teaser). Alfie mentions that he’ll be playing Eddard Stark’s ward, and that part of his role involves learning an accent. When asked what sort of accent, he responds that he’s not allowed to say. Whether this accent is the same general accent chosen for Westeros, or is intended to represent something of his origins on the Iron Isles, is an interesting question.
The stills from it show that his hair is a good deal longer than it was when the pilot was shot.
Allen’s has recently completed filming on a film about the 1970’s Northern Soul music scene, SoulBoy.