HBO GREENLIGHTS ‘GAME OF THRONES’
03.03.10
Apparently, nerds all over the Internet are thrilled that HBO has greenlit “Game of Thrones,” a fantasy series based on the George R.R. Martin novels that I’ve never heard of because I spend most of my free time chopping wood and bedding supermodels. But disregard my chiseled abdomen; The Live Feed says:
The sprawling tale set in the mythical land of Westeros tells the story of the noble Stark family who become caught up in high court intrigue when patriarch Eddard (played by Sean Bean) [ahem: BOROMIR! -Ed.] becomes the king’s new right-hand man. The four-and-counting books in the series would each be used as one season of the series.
Unlike many fantasy novels, the “Thrones” series largely avoids relying on magical elements and instead goes for brutal realism — think “Sopranos” with swords.
I admit, I generally think fantasy fans are even lamer and more pathetic than sci-fi fans, but this definitely doesn’t sound gay. It’s pretty hard to dismiss something likened to “‘Sopranos’ with swords.” That would be like saying, “No thanks, I’m not interested in a dolphin astronaut riding a fire-breathing hippo.”
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George R.R. Martin fans aren’t nerds…we don’t try to squirrel away knowledge of this series, casting jealous, furtive glances over our shoulders at new fans. Oh no, we delight in this deserving-ass shit trickling into the mainstream. Come one, come all, and enjoy.
seriously, it’s great. I dunno about Sopranos with swords but without spoiling anything people die. Lots of people die. They die unpredictably. And sometimes they die gruesomely. And all of this is going on while the characters are involved in crazy-ass machiavellian politics and power plays. Oh, and there is this zombie invasion that’s on the way. That last part sounds a little bit lame, but trust me, it’s not.
really good series
Wow, looking back over the comments I have only one thing to say: “Calling all nerds.” Geez.
For serious guys, that fifth book has been coming out for longer than Tom Cruise.
Super excited to see Peter Dinklage as Tyrion. That’s an epic role.
Now if only the fucker would finish the 5th fucking book…
Thanks for the spoiler Alphonso, now I’ll never watch this.
i have only read four books in the past fifteen years and it is the four finished books in this series. The books are sweet and I’m stoked that they are making it a series because it would suck as a movie. I can almost guarantee that this will be a classic.
Yeah, the books are badass. ‘Course, from what I recall, the series is also unfinished (like ChinoMoreno up there), and is so sprawling and convoluted, and each book has taken so long to write, that after the first few seasons it’s unlikely it’ll go anywhere (like Lost). Not that this will stop me from watching the first few seasons. It’s not like I won’t drink beer because eventually it’ll be pee (HT Mitch Hedberg).
If the dolphin plays it’s cards right (what cards?), he may be asked to be on Dancing With The Stars next season.
Game of Thrones is really unlike any fantasy series I’ve ever read. The first 10 pages have the guy who you think is about to become the stereotypical Hero fulfilling his Destiny ™ getting brutally killed. There’s sex, dwarves (human dwarves!), blood, betrayal, incest, and death around every corner. In short, it’s an amazing series and shouldn’t really be categorized as “fantasy”.
That picture got me all worked up. Add a killer whale chomping that hippo in half, and I might finish.
That dolphin astronaut pose kind of bothers me. It’s like, “Come on, dolphin astronaut. You’re a dolphin astronaut. Of course you’re sexy. No need to beat it over our heads.”
One does not simply ROCK into Mordor!
/cranks Ride the Lightning
these books are fantastic. with the pacific, treme, and this, I have renewed faith in HBO.
Ugh, I checked out and stopped reading the second I hit the phrase “fantasy series” but clicked the link anyway hoping for a photoshop of a dolphin astronaut riding a fireball shooting dragon as a pair of howling dogs look on. Thanks for disappointing me again. Hippos don’t spit fire, duh.
I demand that photoshop on a tshirt.
Ufford, I think you might actually really like this. All the characters are very complex and there are plenty of twists that, you know, actually make sense. It is, indeed, brutally realistic.
Oh, and there should be tits. Lots and lots of tits.
Sopranos with swords is a musical group my friends and I founded one day at the urinal trough
I think they should do a reunion and call it SopranOz with the mobsters in Oz getting ruined by Keller and the J Jonah Jameson Nazi dude. Oh, and Mr. Eko. I don’t remember which ones died on Oz.
A more appropriate comparison would be “Oz” with swords. HBO’s “Oz”, not L. Frank Baum’s, though that might be watchable as well.