'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & more.

[Venardhi]

There hasn't been a thread on the subject since my last one when Sean Bean was cast as Ned several weeks ago, but since then we've had almost half the cast roll in.

Today, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Lena Headey as Queen Cersei, and rumors abound that Rory McCann is lined up for Sandor

Other announcements the last few weeks have given us:

Tamzin Merchant is the exiled Princess Daenerys.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister.
Jennifer Elhe is Catelyn Stark, the wife of Sean Bean's Character.
Iain Glen Is Jorah Mormont, a disgraced and exiled Knight.

We also have a bunch of unknown kids cast as the Stark kids Arya, Sansa, Robb and Jon.

Daenerys' brother Viserys, The Stark ward Theon Greyjoy, King Robert, Prince Joffrey and of course Tyrion Lannister were announced a while back.

So far it seems to be shaping up really well in spite of a few issues I have with the ages of a few characters (like all the teens that are being played by 20-somethings) and the appearance of others (like Robert and Theon)

Hopes are high though, and as long as they rewrote the script a bit since the last time I saw it, this has the potential to be one of the best shows . . . well, ever.

 

[Shurik]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I can't see a reason why HBO might not order at least one full season or why this show might fail, with the amount of talent involved. The source material is perfect for HBO.

 

[Venardhi]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Well, the cost is certainly going to be a concern for them. That is really the only gremlin that could end this thing at this point I think.

 

[Skywalker]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Well, the cost is certainly going to be a concern for them. That is really the only gremlin that could end this thing at this point I think.

That's what really worries me. The same thing happened to Rome, cut down after two seasons (with the second being truncated by two episodes) because of its massive production budget. I hope that HBO and BBC learned from that and will find a way to keep costs within reason.

As for the casting of Lena Headey, I really like her, and I think she'll perform the character well, but she's not really a physical match for Cersei Lannister. And I'm not referring to her hair color.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Lena Headey would make a very good Catelyn, but I can't quite imagine her as Cersei. I'm not sure being blonde would suit her either, and if they're planning on a brunette Cersei, well, there'll be a riot.

Although I think Jennifer Ehle will make a good Catelyn, too, with both actresses in the show I think a swap of roles might have been better.

As for whether the show gets picked up, from what I've read it's a near certainty since HBO pretty much always gives a season pick-up if they invest in an expensive pilot.

 

[Shurik]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Well, the cost is certainly going to be a concern for them. That is really the only gremlin that could end this thing at this point I think.

That's what really worries me. The same thing happened to Rome, cut down after two seasons (with the second being truncated by two episodes) because of its massive production budget. I hope that HBO and BBC learned from that and will find a way to keep costs within reason.

Well, Rome was shot in a very expensive location and that won't be a problem with AGOT which will be shot in Northern Ireland.

 

[Caliburn24]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I like Lena Headey, but I am not sure about her as Cersei.

Which just brings up the question. Do you cast people who look exactly like the characters in the books, or do you cast decent actors who don't look anything like the books' descriptions?

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Well, the cost is certainly going to be a concern for them. That is really the only gremlin that could end this thing at this point I think.

That's always been the problem with HBO's "period shows" (though this is fantasy, from a practical standpoint it's essentially a medieval period piece). Rome, Deadwood, to get the level of authenticity costs a crapload of money. Only all but the biggest successes survive.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I'm getting pumped for this. It is also making me want to go back and read The Game of Thrones. Haven't read it since I first picked up the paperback version when it came out.

 

[ParticleMan]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I'm getting pumped for this. It is also making me want to go back and read The Game of Thrones. Haven't read it since I first picked up the paperback version when it came out.

Reading about the earlier casting thread that announced Sean Bean as Ned Stark got me interested enough to go find the books at the library for the first time.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through A Storm of Swords...I'm loving it...I needed a new series of books to get hooked on!

 

[Skywalker]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I am a little annoyed that they're calling the show Game of Thrones and not A Song of Ice and Fire. It kind of makes me worried that they're going to downplay the fantasy aspect and focus mainly on Westeros' political situation.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

A Song of Ice and Fire has always struck me as a bit of a weak title for the overall series, and one that doesn't sit terribly well with the much stronger titles of the individual books. Game of Thrones is a stronger title for the TV series, and a title that has a better shot at drawing a wide audience.

Obviously I get the symbolic meaning behind A Song of Ice and Fire as the overall title, but it just doesn't have a good ring to it in my opinion in terms of matching the tone of the series and the titles of the books.

 

[Skywalker]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I get the feeling that the title will fit the tone of the series better once the final books have been written and published. The situation in Westeros seems more like a sideshow to the real threat that GRRM kind of allowed to get away from him.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Oh, yeah, I can see where he's going with the series and how the title will end up applying to it. That's what I meant when I said that I get its symbolic meaning. I just think it's a title that's too soft and flowery.

 

[Shurik]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

Looks like all the speaking roles are cast, the last was Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo:
http://winter-is-coming.blogspot.com/2009/10/jason-momoa-as-drogo.html

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I'm not big on fantasy, but I'm curious how much of a market for fantasy (that doesn't involve modern day settings and hot vampires) there is among premium TV customers.

Looks like all the speaking roles are cast, the last was Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo:

Wow. Have they run out of actors in Hollywood? I'm having a hard time envisioning Momoa as an HBO-caliber actor.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

So this is going to be a BBC co-pro? So I can look forward to it actually being shown on a channel I get.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I'm not big on fantasy, but I'm curious how much of a market for fantasy (that doesn't involve modern day settings and hot vampires) there is among premium TV customers.

Looks like all the speaking roles are cast, the last was Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo:

Wow. Have they run out of actors in Hollywood? I'm having a hard time envisioning Momoa as an HBO-caliber actor.

It's more medieval politics and war than high fantasy. At least the first season.

Also, without spoiling anything... the role of Khal Drogo is not really one that requires a truly great actor, haha. I'll just say, I googled him, saw a few photos of him, and said 'perfect!'

 

[Shurik]

Re: 'A Game of Thrones' casting continues. Jaime, Cersei, Sandor & mor

I'm not big on fantasy, but I'm curious how much of a market for fantasy (that doesn't involve modern day settings and hot vampires) there is among premium TV customers.

Looks like all the speaking roles are cast, the last was Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo:

Wow. Have they run out of actors in Hollywood? I'm having a hard time envisioning Momoa as an HBO-caliber actor.

It's more medieval politics and war than high fantasy. At least the first season.

Also, without spoiling anything... the role of Khal Drogo is not really one that requires a truly great actor, haha. I'll just say, I googled him, saw a few photos of him, and said 'perfect!'

There are fantasy elements in those books, but it's really just a background. Most of the plot is indeed about medieval politics and war.

Khal Drogo has maybe a 1/4 page of dialog in broken English in the entire first book ...