George RR Martin tv series?
January 20, 2007 | Links
I have mentioned my love of George RR Martins books before. Since reading the song of ice and fire books, I have read a few of his other individual books/ collaborations, and a couple of short stories and they are all equally great, so when I read the news earlier today I was filled with a mixture of joy and fear.
HBO has acquired the rights to turn George R.R. Martin’s bestselling fantasy series “A Song of Fire & Ice” into a dramatic series to be written and exec produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
“Fire” is the first TV project for Benioff (”Troy”) and Weiss (”Halo”) and will shoot in Europe or New Zealand. Benioff and Weiss will write every episode of each season together save one, which the author (a former TV writer) will script.
On one hand it’s great that HBO have picked up the rights to create a tv series based upon the “A Song of Fire & Ice” stories, and on the other hand… they had better not ruin it! So many fantasy stories go wrong when they are translated to film (big or small) that I am incredibly concerned. The thing they have to remember is to play it straight. Don’t go camp, or cheesy, and concentrate on the characters before the action and the special effects. Make it believable and everything will go just fine. Mess it up and they will have me to answer too (and hopefully some other fans?).
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Comments »
January 23, 2007
This is indeed terrific news. I am another GRRM fan and especially of the Ice and Fire series. I dont usually watch a lot of tv, but this is one series I would definitely hope to catch. I just hope the immense complexities of the characters and their actions can be transformed to the screen justly! Oh oh, asking for too much?
January 24, 2007
I’m not sure if this is great news or not, the books is really about the people and not the magic etc. around. If this is going to be good, they have to focus on the ‘game of thrones’.
January 26, 2007
I’m really excited and optimistic about this series. I hope the wait isn’t too long.
January 29, 2007
george martin will be involved and i assume have some control over the direction of the series . he seems to have faith in the talent of these two writers based on his own comments on his website.if these incredible books can possibly be given justice on film i think hbo has the best chance of doing it. practically all of the series on hbo are very well done. now please get started immediately, i need the box set dvd s.and i need “a dance with dragons” like yesterday. please.
January 30, 2007
I’ve been on a holy crusade to convert people to the ice and fire series since 1998. They better not ruin it. Please dont ruin it. I think they’re going to ruin it. How can they not?
January 30, 2007
As I mentioned I too am concerned that the stories will be watered down/ just not done “right”. I realise George RR Martin is involved in the production but that does not guarantee perfection - hopefully it will help though.
February 1, 2007
there is also the chance they do it really well and we all love it and just when we decide we can t live without this show hbo decides its too expensive or they can t get any advertising dollars out of it so they one day just decide they don t want to make a season 4. like they did with deadwood which was the best show on hbo,and i ll be shocked if there is a third season of rome. but really i expect this show to be good. not as good as the books but good. just do it right and keep doin it right until all the books are done . yeah i know i m dreaming ,it ll never happen ,but man it would be sweet .
August 17, 2007
My concern is this. Time. George RR Martin started writing his book back in 1994. It’s 2007 and he’s still working on the fifth book. This man takes his time. “Two” more books are going to follow the fifth for a total of seven. It took him five years to write book 4, and even that seemed rushed by the end. Book 4 by far has been the worst, thanks to his not very great idea of splitting up the series BTW.
But anyway, waiting around for these books is going to take 10 or more years. Or at best, 6. Also, he’s going to have a LOT of diversion thanks to the series and the millions of other things he is currently doing, working on, tweaking, Dunk and Egg etc..etc.. So lets say the series is going to be a major hit. Ok. Fine. But in order for it to stay a hit, it’s going to have to be made one right after the other with NO pause because half the cast are children. If HBO catches up to the slow George the series will be ruined because actors arent going to wait around for a year or two. The children will grow up and the suspension of disbelief would be in tatters. This is not like Harry potter. This is George RR Martin we are talking about. I think HBO should wait for a while until all the books are finished, because George might want to pull a Jordan on us and add another book or two.
My other concern is how they are going to DO this. I mean, half the books are about what they are thinking, and when you add voice overs in movies and tv, it just comes across as kind of lame.
Anyway, I am rambling. Blarg.