Game of Thrones Movie, 2008

So, I decided to type this up on a couple slow day when I had nothing better to do (yeah, the time would probably have been better spent writing out another update for my timeline, but I’ve hit a writer’s block on that front). This really isn’t a full-fledged timeline or anything; it’s more a popular culture-based project in the vein of Glen’s Star Wars Prequels. [1]

Without further ado, I present to you my idea for a film series based George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire saga.



The year is 2005. Peter Jackson was on top of the world. His Lord of the Rings film series had been a hit beyond his wildest dreams, netting nearly $3 billion at the international box office and winning a plethora of awards (Jackson personally won three Oscars for his work on the trilogy). [2] His next directorial effort, a high-profile remake of King Kong, was due out later that year. After that, Jackson was going to spend a few years producing other peoples’ projects. He was already slated to work as executive producer for an adaptation of the Halo video game series [3], with newcomer Neill Blomkamp to helm the science fiction epic. A remake of The Dam Busters was on the horizon, along with, more distantly, a movie based on The Hobbit. Jackson was quickly becoming the Spielberg of a new generation.

Enter George R.R. Martin. A prolific writer of genre fiction, his latest project was what was now being dubbed A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, where the seasons last for years, an ancient evil is awakening, and a nasty war of succession is brewing in the Seven Kingdoms. The first several books in the series had steadily built up popularity as time went on, and the newest installment, A Feast for Crows, would be released that at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list. It was then that Martin’s literary agent, upon reading an article about Peter Jackson’s dabbling in the role of producer, decided to send the director a collection of the first three novels in the series.

Of course, Jackson was being approached to produce and/or direct a multitude of projects at the time, and it was only by pure coincidence he became interested in A Song of Ice and Fire. Late in 2005, a flight from New Zealand to California he was planning to board was unexpectedly delayed. With no alternatives available, he was stuck in the airport for several hours. One of the items in his briefcase was the copy of A Game of Thrones he had received from the pitch, which Jackson decided to start reading. He was only a few chapters in when he became intrigued. “I felt if we made it right, it could really be kind of an all-grown-up Lord of the Rings, you see,” he later commented. Several days later, Jackson contacted Martin through his agent, to discuss the possibility of producing a film series based on A Song of Ice and Fire. The author enthusiastically agreed, as long as he would be able to write the first draft of each film.

They needed a studio on board for distribution purposes, so Jackson began negotiations with several of the major ones (unlike many directors, he was not “married” to any particular studio: he worked with New Line for The Lord of the Rings, Universal for King Kong, and was working with Columbia for Halo). Some executives were leery of the idea of producing a big-budgeted film series that would almost certainly garner an R-rating due to the amount of violence and sexuality it would exhibit. However, Jackson’s previous success persuaded Universal to option the project.

Of course, Jackson wasn’t directing. He wanted to produce the project, sure, but after the exhaustion of filming The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong essentially back-to-back, he wanted to resign himself to producing for the next few years, though he was open to the possibility of helming a smaller-scale film. [4] Fortunately, he had just the man in mind to direct.

Guillermo del Toro was pretty much the perfect choice in Jackson’s eyes. His Hellboy movie was surprisingly good, and he had used the momentum from its success to get his pet project, a Spanish-language film called Pan’s Labyrinth, off the ground. While he had declined Jackson’s offer to direct Halo, the two had kept in touch, and Jackson had kept del Toro in mind to possibly direct The Hobbit whenever it got off the ground, due to his love of the fantasy genre. However, del Toro was less a fan of “high” fantasy than he was of “low” fantasy, and he almost brushed aside Jackson’s new offer. After reading A Game of Thrones, however, he decided he “liked what Mr. Martin had done with standard sword-and-sorcery, subverting it…”. In particular, del Toro was tempted by the prospect of directing a large-scale fantasy film (he always regretted the fact that he couldn’t make room in the relatively meager budget of Pan’s Labyrinth to include dragons, one of his favorite fantasy creatures). Not only that, but the fact that he could make it as dark and violent as he pleased tempted him. He would have to either let someone else direct the sequel to Hellboy or just wait several years to finish it, but in the end it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Finally, in mid-2006, Guillermo del Toro committed himself to directing the first several films in the Ice and Fire saga, before bowing out and letting others helm the rest of the series. As it was the first installment of the book series, A Game of Thrones would be the first movie produced.

In late 2006, Universal Studios official greenlit The Ice and Fire Saga: A Game of Thrones (soon colloquially called “Game of Thrones”) with a tentative budget of $120 million. Weta Workshop and its sister company, Weta Digital, would be working on the design of the series. The release was scheduled for late 2008, and Universal had already approved several sequels to be filmed back-to-back with the first installment, in what was admittedly a bit of a risk, even with Jackson’s involvement. Now it was time to place the finishing touches on the story and fill out the cast…

[1] In fact, I first pitched this concept in that thread, and if Glen wants engage in some canon welding and merge these continuities together...

[2] All for The Return of the King. He won the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 76th Academy Awards.

[3] Which may or may not actually happen in this timeline, as opposed to being stuck in development hell. It’s not important for the story at this point, though.

[4] In our timeline, that became The Lovely Bones.

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Thoughts?
 
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Interested to see where you take this. I really don't know much about the property (never read the books, and I don't pay to watch television, as a matter of principle - and I haven't seen it by any other means either), other than the fact that Peter Dinklage won an Emmy and Sean Bean... well, that a certain thing happened to his character. But your proven talent at showing us all facets of a project's development in scintillating detail should be put to good use here :)
 
Can't wait to see where you go with it. Consider me suscribed, most particularly with the casting: high profile names would round up to star in a Peter Jackson production. Please keep Dinklage in, please!
 
Sean Bean might end up in this version as Ned Stark, since he'd worked with Jackson before as Boromir.

I wonder about Peter Dinklage though. What was his career like in 2008?
 
Sean Bean might end up in this version as Ned Stark, since he'd worked with Jackson before as Boromir.

I wonder about Peter Dinklage though. What was his career like in 2008?

Dinklage already had a pretty good career going by that time. For example, he had a starring role in the short-lived science fiction series Threshold, and had received critical acclaim for his role in The Station Agent.
 
Dinklage already had a pretty good career going by that time. For example, he had a starring role in the short-lived science fiction series Threshold, and had received critical acclaim for his role in The Station Agent.

Well, there aren't many dwarf actors around and Verne Troyer isn't exactly known for his dramatic roles. The odds are good for Dinklage.
 
Interested to see where you take this. I really don't know much about the property (never read the books, and I don't pay to watch television, as a matter of principle - and I haven't seen it by any other means either), other than the fact that Peter Dinklage won an Emmy and Sean Bean... well, that a certain thing happened to his character. But your proven talent at showing us all facets of a project's development in scintillating detail should be put to good use here :)

Thanks for the compliments! :)

Also, your point with Sean Bean reminded me- WARNING: if you have not read A Song of Ice and Fire or watched Game of Thrones, know that this timeline will contain franchise-related spoilers.
 
Your letting your bias show. That movie and its subject matter were and are awesome.

I see what you're getting at. I'm sorry if you got the idea that I dislike the Hellboy franchise from my post. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love Hellboy, own both of the movies on DVD, and Volume I of the comic series in hardback. I'm not criticizing Hellboy for being "low" fantasy. What I was saying was, the production was plagued with the possibility of executive meddling. The studio wanted to see Hellboy played by a bigger "name" actor than Ron Perlman, and to change the story around so that Hellboy would look like a normal human who only changed into Hellboy to fight monsters, like a demonic Hulk. That's why I said it was surprising that the movie ended up as well as it did- it's a testament to del Toro's ability to stick to his guns and tell an uncompromised version of his story.

That clear everything up?
 
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I see what you're getting at. I'm sorry if you got the idea that I dislike the Hellboy franchise from my post. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love Hellboy, own both of the movies on DVD, and Volume I of the comic series in hardback. I'm not criticizing Hellboy for being "low" fantasy. What I was saying was, the production was plagued with the possibility of executive meddling. The studio wanted to see Hellboy played by a bigger "name" actor than Ron Perlman, and to change the story around so that Hellboy would look like a normal human who only changed into Hellboy to fight monsters, like a demonic Hulk. That's why I said it was surprising that the movie ended up as well as it did- it's a testament to del Toro's ability to stick to his guns and tell an uncompromised version of his story.

That clear everything up?

Fair points. And they did change up some of the stuff from the books to the movie, but no oe then was to be expected.
 
I will give one more warning to those unfamiliar with any of the iterations of A Song of Ice and Fire- HERE BE SPOILERS.

Moving on...

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The Cast

One of the first tasks undertaken by Jackson and del Toro was to assemble the cast of A Game of Thrones and, by extension, much of the rest of the series. Casting was essentially completed by late 2006 for the most part. What follows is a list of the major characters featured in the first movie, and the actors portraying them. [1]

Eddard "Ned" Stark is the head of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North. He is a friend to King Robert Baratheon, whom he was raised with and helped to win the Iron Throne, and is eventually named his Hand. It was decided that a high-profile actor should portray Ned Stark, to make his execution towards the end of A Game of Thrones an even more shocking twist. A wide range of actors were considered and approached for the role, among them Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, and Hugh Jackman. Viggo Mortensen, best known for his portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, was personally offered the part by Peter Jackson, but he turned it down to avoid typecasting. In the end, the part went to Russell Crowe, who had been one of Jackson's first choices to portray Aragorn. Crowe had not committed to that part because he did not want to put 18 months into the project, but he was willing to take the one-movie role of Lord Stark (with top billing, of course). As a ploy to fool loyal fans of the series into thinking the plot of the books was to be changed substantially for the movies, it was announced that Crowe had signed on for three films (which caused endless rants on the internet- so much so that Universal was worried that it might negatively affect A Game of Thrones at the box office). [2]

Actor- Russell Crowe

Robert Baratheon, the head of House Baratheon, was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms after winning the War of the Usurper. He fought the war to keep the hand of Lyanna Stark, with the aid of her brother, his friend Eddard. Due to Lyanna's death, Robert married Cersei Lannister to ensure political stability. Ray Winstone, known for his "tough guy" roles, won the part. In preparation for the role, he gained twenty pounds of fat to portray a man who was once physically imposing, but has let himself go with age.

Actor- Ray Winstone

Cersei Lannister is the eldest child of Tywin and Joanna Lannister by mere moments, and the twin sister of Jaime Lannister. After Robert's Rebellion she married the new king, Robert Baratheon, and became Queen of the Seven Kingdoms; she is the mother of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen Baratheon. Acclaimed South African actress Charlize Theron was tapped to play this role.

Actress- Charlize Theron

Jaime Lannister is the second child and first-born son of Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock and his wife Lady Joanna, also of House Lannister. Raised at the age of fifteen to the Kingsguard of the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, Jaime became the youngest member in the history of the prestigious knightly order. He earned the derogatory nickname "Kingslayer" when he treasonously slew King Aerys near the end of Robert's Rebellion. For most of his life, Jaime has had a secretly incestuous relationship with his twin sister, Cersei. He has fathered three children by her: Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen, though most of the realm believes their father to be Cersei's husband, King Robert. For this part, another actor who was nearly cast in The Lord of the Rings won the part: Stuart Townsend. It was actually director Guillermo del Toro who wanted to cast Townsend. Only problem was that Townsend was holding something of a grudge against producer Peter Jackson due to the manner in which he was dropped from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. [3] It was only the combined lobbying of del Toro and his partner Charlize Theron that convinced the actor to take the role (and even then he found the idea of the incestuous relationship "weird").

Actor- Stuart Townsend

Catelyn Stark is the wife of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady of Winterfell. Together they have five children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. Catelyn was born into House Tully of Riverrun, Lords Paramount of the Riverlands. She is portrayed in the film series by Jennifer Ehle. [4] Before she was cast, Meryl Streep was approached for the role.

Actress- Jennifer Ehle

Daenarys Targaryen is one of the last members of the Targaryen dynasty, who is married to the Dothraki Khal Drogo. Tamzin Merchant won the part. [5] She wore violet contacts to better embody the character.

Actress- Tamzin Merchant

Viserys Targaryen, called The Beggar King, is the heir of his father Aerys II and brother Rhaegar after their deaths during Robert's Rebellion. The war, however, turned him into an exile who plots to regain control of the Iron Throne. Orlando Bloom was initially considered, but it was ultimately decided not to cast him. Actor Tom Hiddleston excelled at his audition, and was cast in the role. To properly portray Viserys, he donned a platinum blonde wig and, like Merchant, wore violet contacts.

Actor- Tom Hiddleston

Jorah Mormont is an exiled knight, the former head of House Mormont and lord of Bear Island. He fled Westeros to escape execution for trading in slaves and took up work as a mercenary in the Free Cities, eventually entering the service of the last Targaryens. He becomes one of the most trusted companions of Daenerys Targaryen. After Jason Statham was briefly considered, Colm Feore was cast as Mormont.

Actor- Colm Feore

Drogo is a powerful warlord of the fearsome Dothraki nomads. He marries Daenerys Targaryen and grows to love her, promising to invade Westeros for her sake, but died before the invasion could begin. Jason Momoa portrayed the Khal in the film series. [6]

Actor- Jason Momoa

Petyr Baelish, popularly called Littlefinger, is the Master of Coin on the King's Small Council. A skilled and cunning manipulator, he uses his ownership of brothels in King's Landing to accrue intelligence on political rivals. Edward Norton was cast in the role after Johnny Depp was initially considered. [7]

Actor- Edward Norton

Varys called "the Spider", is the enigmatic member of the small council and Master of Whisperers, or spymaster, for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. Edward Norton requested that his friend Philip Seymour Hoffman be approached for the role, as the two characters would have a lot of interaction. Hoffman was initially skeptical about taking the part, but was eventually convinced by Norton to portray Varys.

Actor- Philip Seymour Hoffman

Robb Stark is the eldest son of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully and the heir to Winterfell and the North. Upon his father's imprisonment for treason, he raised his banners and marched south with a host to aid his allies in the Riverlands and to free his father. Henry Cavill was cast in the role, which caused some controversy in the fan community, being considered "too old" for the part. Del Toro and Martin deflected this criticism by saying that the time between Robert's Rebellion and the events of the series had been extended to "around twenty years" for the purposes of the movie, and that Cavill could plausibly portray a twenty year-old. [8]

Actor- Henry Cavill

Theon Greyjoy is the son and heir apparent of Lord Balon Greyjoy. At the end of the Greyjoy Rebellion, Theon was taken as a hostage and ward to Eddard Stark, where he becomes good friends with Robb. Benedict Cumberbatch was cast in the role (like Cavill, using the logic that he could plausibly portray a twenty year-old).

Actor- Benedict Cumberbatch

Jon Snow is the bastard son of Eddard Stark, by a mother whose identity is a source of speculation. He was raised by his father alongside his true-born half-siblings, but joins the Night's Watch when he nears adulthood. Oliver Jackson-Cohen won the part.

Actor- Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Tyrion Lannister is the third and youngest child of Tywin and Joanna. Tyrion is a dwarf, because of this he is sometimes mockingly called "The Imp" and "The Halfman." Peter Dinklage was the only choice in mind for the role, and he accepted the part. Unlike the novels, his character is not depicted as having a misshapen face, as del Toro felt that would be "distracting."

Actor- Peter Dinklage

...

To fill out the rest of the cast, character actors from throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and the United States were tapped to play more minor roles. One of the breakout members of the cast was Tom Hardy, who quickly became a fan-favorite for his portrayal of Tyrion's mercenary companion Bronn. Hardy overcame initial skepticism from fans for being "too young" for the part by the quality of his performance and his onscreen chemistry with Dinklage (also a fan favorite).

With the cast in place, production could begin...

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[1] Short character descriptions (for the most part) come from A Wiki of Ice and Fire.

[2] This will be addressed in greater detail later on.

[3] Quoth Mr. Townsend: "I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't. The director wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different."

[4] Yes, I cheated- she was slated to play Lady Stark in the series before dropping out.

[5] ^ Oops, I did it again. :D

[6] Yes, he's an actor from the television series, but I couldn't really find anyone else who fit the part.

[7] Not least because I think Aidan Gillen. :D

[8] More of these differences between the books and movies in this scenario will be addressed in the next update update.

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Note that I did not address the roles that would require child actors (characters as old or younger than Joffrey). I made this decision for a variety of reasons; assume they were portrayed by unknown actors- that is, unless someone has a suggestion. In fact, while I have a few ideas of my own, if anyone has any ideas for actors to play minor characters in A Game of Thrones or any characters in later books, let me know.

Next update will outline plot differences between the book and the movie.

Thoughts?
 
I think that it would be exceedingly difficult to condense a single book of the series into a movie. The HBO series has 10 episodes (10 hours) to cover 1 book and even then omits parts.

Another factor is the number of characters who are "killed" during the span of a single book. By the time you get to the 5th book in the series, very few of the original figures are left.

I think the HBO approach is the best. (Even with a single book, it is necessary to film on 3 or 4 different locations - Iceland, Mororco, and some sites in Europe)

Also, the author to have maximum input into the process (as is the case with HBO).
 
I think that it would be exceedingly difficult to condense a single book of the series into a movie. The HBO series has 10 episodes (10 hours) to cover 1 book and even then omits parts.

Another factor is the number of characters who are "killed" during the span of a single book. By the time you get to the 5th book in the series, very few of the original figures are left.

I think the HBO approach is the best. (Even with a single book, it is necessary to film on 3 or 4 different locations - Iceland, Mororco, and some sites in Europe)

You may be right. Doesn't mean del Toro and Co. won't try in this scenario.:cool:

Agreed on the author's input, though.
 
If it can spare Robin Hood to Russsell Crowe.

A movie rounding up Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Henry Cavill has the potential to melt off all female geeks around the world.
 
If it can spare Robin Hood to Russsell Crowe.

A movie rounding up Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Henry Cavill has the potential to melt off all female geeks around the world.

But remember, this was before Hiddleston and Cavill at least were big.
 
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