http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957532.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

not a fan (never read Martin),  but cool to see more fantasy movies/television on the way.

Sweet, I may have to break down and get an HBO subscription now.

Can someone in the know give a brief breakdown of what it's about (with little to no spoilers prefereably)?

Quote from: James McMurrayCan someone in the know give a brief breakdown of what it's about (with little to no spoilers prefereably)?

Very difficult. It's character-driven has a HUGE cast of characters. But to give a general idea: It's got a gritty feel (no guy on the top of a hill taking on 300 enemies with his sword), it centers mostly on one family shattered by war. It has a low magic environment while still having some fantastical elements.

There's a huge war with multiple factions all vying for the crown. It's got plenty of sex, violence and flawed character. Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the main characters (as I said there are many)

One of the interesting aspect is that the range of those character is pretty wide. From the pure idealist to the rotten evil, from children to elders, bastards to noble, poor and rich, civilized and savage.

It's intrigue-heavy. I don't feel the imagery (battle scenes, cultures, setting) so amazing as described. The relationships are the strong points. Which means it might actually be interesting as an HBO series. On the other hand, I also feel this will be a lot harder to cast than, say, Lord Of The Rings.

Come to think of it, the description I gave sounds a lot like Rome, except in a medieval-fantasy environment.

I enjoy Rome a lot, so I am optmistic.

I was thinking Rome too. Sounds good to me. We just picked up HBO again to watch the new season of Rome, so I'll definitely be checking this out if it ever hits the screen.

Given the facts that HBO is doing it, and they have a great track record so far, and GRR Martin is exec producing it, I'm very optimistic about this. Given that ASoIaF is my favorite series, at first I felt my heart sink at this news, but George has plenty of series experience, and HBO does great work, so I feel much better about it.

I'd rather he wrote the next bloody book in the series though.  The gap has been so long I'm forgetting the plot.

Quote from: BalbinusI'd rather he wrote the next bloody book in the series though.  The gap has been so long I'm forgetting the plot.

Preach it.

Anyway, it's cool that they make a TV series of it. If they take Rome as a model, they can't be wrong.

Apparently he had originally intended one book per five years, but then inserted one out of sequence so creating an expectation the books would come sooner than they are intended to.

That said, one every five years is too long for me, I've rather forgotten what was happening and there is no guarantee of him living long enough to complete the series.

At that rate he is sure to pull a Robert Jordan on us.

Quote from: RockViperAt that rate he is sure to pull a Robert Jordan on us.

Heavens forbid it.

So far, IMO he has managed to preserve the quality of the story, so I am cutting him some slack. If this is what it takes to keep the story so fantastic, then I'm all for it. If he screws around and fucks the story up, I'll be the first in line with a Louisville Slugger.

I predict the plug will get pulled 2 or 3 seasons in ala Deadwood and Rome. I also predict that certain young children in the books won't be (they'll be considerably older) in any adaption.

Quote from: QuasarI predict the plug will get pulled 2 or 3 seasons in ala Deadwood and Rome. I also predict that certain young children in the books won't be (they'll be considerably older) in any adaption.

I think your other prediction is wise and will probably be true. There's no way to cast someone as a convincing Arya Stark because the character is just too extraordinary (one of the few flaws of the serie, she's just totally unbelievable and fucking annoying to boot). It's either that, or they'll have to considerably modify events in the books.

Same with the late teenagers. I think they'll be bumped a few years into adulthood (or at the very least played by actors much older). Like Jon Snow. Too badass for his age.