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Game of Thrones prequel

Started by Magnetica, 10 June, 2018, 07:19:25 PM

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Magnetica

Can't believe a thread hasn't been started on this already.

Several news sources were  reporting yesterday that there are plans for a Game of Thrones prequel set thousands of years before the current series.

Tiplodocus

File under "Pointless but I'll probably watch".

Dear Producers,

Fans have not "always wanted to see..."

Yours
Everyone, ever apart from those few guys and gals.

Be excellent to each other. And party on!

moogie101

I think ALL the focus should be on not screwing up the last series not all these suggested spinoffs

rogue69

Hopefully they will use the prequel book about the hedge knight Sir Duncan the Tall & his squire Egg

rogue69


broodblik

I will watch it and hopefully it can be as good as Thrones
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

wedgeski

I can't see this being worth the effort, but I live in hope and will give it a watch. It seems to have a solid roster of good young actors, but as yet no big names, even with such a pedigree? That doesn't suggest that the pilot script is blowing anyone's socks off.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: wedgeski on 10 January, 2019, 05:14:17 PM
I can't see this being worth the effort, but I live in hope and will give it a watch. It seems to have a solid roster of good young actors, but as yet no big names, even with such a pedigree? That doesn't suggest that the pilot script is blowing anyone's socks off.

Alternatively, it may be that HBO are so confident that simply slapping the GoT brand on a series will deliver an audience that they've chosen to save the money that they would have spent on a big 'draw' name and and chuck it at the effects budget instead.
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radiator

Yeah, and remember that Sean Bean was by far the most famous (arguably the only internationally famous) cast member of the original series when it launched. All of the young cast (who went on to become the real main characters of the show) were total unknowns.

radiator

As for this series, I'm not particularly interested given how much of a nosedive the quality of writing has taken in the last few series of the main show, though I believe Jane Goldman is involved, and I tend to enjoy her stuff, so could be a surprise.

Tiplodocus

Quote from: radiator on 10 January, 2019, 06:09:04 PM
Yeah, and remember that Sean Bean was by far the most famous (arguably the only internationally famous) cast member of the original series when it launched. All of the young cast (who went on to become the real main characters of the show) were total unknowns.

Charles Dance wants a word.

Writing budget. Then effects budget for me. As the effects got better, the writing became a bit more slapdash.


"Shit,  character X needs to be in Y for the next scene. I know this journey took a month in Season 1 but let's just say they ran. Nobody will notice."
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Jim_Campbell

#11
Quote from: Tiplodocus on 11 January, 2019, 10:19:34 AM
Charles Dance wants a word.

Didn't turn up until S2.

My mistake. My memory's playing tricks on me. Sorry!
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Tiplodocus

To be fair, I don't think he turned up until a few episodes in.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 11 January, 2019, 04:06:39 PM
To be fair, I don't think he turned up until a few episodes in.

Episode 7, apparently. No sooner had I typed the original post than a little voice crept into the back of my head and said "Are you completely sure about that?" so I had to google it...
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radiator

Yeah, IIRC he was a guest star in season one, and wasn't a regular until season 2. I'd also argue that he wasn't a household name prior to GoT.

QuoteWriting budget. Then effects budget for me. As the effects got better, the writing became a bit more slapdash.

Absolutely. I think they really peaked with seasons 3 & 4 and it's been a steady decline ever since then. It's pretty obvious that the showrunners (like many readers) loved the first three books but don't really care so much for the books that follow, with how many liberties they've taken with the narrative. You can also tell how much the writer favour certain characters over others - the portrayal of Stannis is a particular sore point - he's a standout fan-favourite character in the books, but the show's writers never really got a grasp on what makes him compelling (and ended up giving many of his standout moments to Jon Snow).

You don't have to do too much reading between the lines in order to detect something of a rift between the showrunners and George RR Martin ever since season 4 when the show really started to diverge from the books (4 being the last season Martin himself wrote on). I don't think there is outright animosity, but I do think Martin is a little stung as he was always very vocal about wanting  a longer run (10 full seasons) and a more faithful adaptation of his books, while the showrunners (understandably) wanted to wrap things up much sooner.

It's still essential viewing in terms of pure spectacle, but really that's all it is - spectacle, whereas those first four seasons were far more interesting and engaging on a character level, and really turned viewer expectations upside down. It's hard to watch the 'Beyond the Wall' episode of season 7 - packed as it was with action movie cliches, and reconcile it with the show as it was circa season 1.