{"id":81102,"date":"2020-10-03T17:55:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T14:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-game-of-thrones-was-nearly-doomed-from-the-start\/"},"modified":"2020-10-03T17:55:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T14:55:48","slug":"why-game-of-thrones-was-nearly-doomed-from-the-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-game-of-thrones-was-nearly-doomed-from-the-start\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why ‘Game of Thrones’ was nearly doomed from the start"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Why ‘Game<\/a> of Thrones’ was nearly doomed from the start<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n During filming of the first season of \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d storms destroyed sets. Endless rain delayed shooting. There was not enough money to realize the filmmakers\u2019 vision.<\/p>\n

As a result, those behind the show were constantly left to cut pages and scenes from the script<\/a>s in the interest of saving time and money.<\/p>\n

When the rough cuts of episodes were assembled, the producers found they had a major problem. Some of the installments were far too short, with episodes three, four and five clocking in at just a half hour, instead of a full 60 minutes.<\/p>\n

To fill the holes, the writers created scenes using existing actors and sets that would be quick and inexpensive to shoot.<\/p>\n

The result? Long scenes of two characters talking, such as Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister\u2019s six-minute discussion of their decaying marriage in episode five.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt something for you once, you know,\u201d the queen tells her king.<\/p>\n

\"Fans
Fans fondly recall Emilia Clarke (right) as the dreaded Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen. But Tamzin Merchant (left) was initially cast in the role, delivering an apparently unimpressive performance in a quickly re-shot original pilot episode.<\/span>Axelle\/Bauer-Griffin\/FilmMagic; HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If those limitations hadn\u2019t happened, \u201cI don\u2019t think we would have had as rich and successful a show,\u201d one of the show\u2019s masterminds, Bryan Cogman, says in the new book \u201cFire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of the Epic Series<\/a>\u201d (Dutton) by James Hibberd, out Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The series was always about more than just dragons. Adapted from author George R. R. Martin\u2019s sprawling (and as yet unfinished) series, \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d was a compelling human drama, featuring dozens of memorable characters struggling with a variety of fraught interpersonal and familial relationships \u2014 as well as violently trying to consolidate power.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest show of the 21st century was a massive undertaking, and it changed television forever,\u201d Hibberd told The Post.<\/p>\n

Martin has often said he thought his books would be impossible to adapt to the screen, and early on, that prediction seemed true. Producers hoping to option his books alienated Martin with pitches that truncated the story to focus only on Jon Snow, or suggested a movie series that might never see completion.<\/p>\n

Writing partners David Benioff and Dan Weiss secured Martin\u2019s trust by displaying encyclopedic knowledge of the books, including correctly deducing who Jon Snow\u2019s mother was \u2014 a crucial plot point that had not yet been revealed.<\/p>\n

Martin insisted that the show air on a subscription network so that the sex and violence wouldn\u2019t have to be toned down. Benioff and Weiss ultimately found a partner in HBO.<\/p>\n

\"Writers
Writers initially considered having Jon Snow (above right, played by Kit Harington) slay the Night King (center, Vladim\u00edr Furd\u00edk), but gave the job to Arya (left, Maisie Williams) instead because they were tired of Snow \u201calways saving the day.\u201d<\/span>HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HBO was skeptical that they could afford to produce the series, but Benioff and Weiss lied, telling them the show would be a \u201ccontained\u201d character-driven drama.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew most of the people making the decisions were not going to read four thousand pages [of Martin\u2019s books] and get to the dragons getting bigger and the [major battles],\u201d Weiss says in the book.<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, HBO\u2019s programming president Michael Lombardo happened to go to the same gym as Weiss, and one day, spotted the writer on the treadmill reading a dog-eared copy of one of Martin\u2019s books. Lombardo liked his commitment and became determined to \u201cfigure this thing out.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pilot was greenlighted and the team set about casting the parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is another example of challenges resulting in a better show,\u201d Hibberd says. \u201cIf they had had a lot of money they would have done what most shows do, which is to get famous actors. Instead, they went the hard route of doing these open casting calls and going through person after person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Momoa won the role of the barbarian Khal Drogo by performing an intimidating Maori-warrior \u201chaka\u201d dance during his audition.<\/p>\n

Maisie Williams, 12 at the time, landed the role of Arya Stark after recording an audition tape during her lunch break at school.<\/p>\n

Sophie Turner, then 13, wasn\u2019t even allowed to read the entirety of Martin\u2019s books because of the \u201cexplicit stuff.\u201d She instead stuck to just the chapters written from her character Sansa\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n

\"Early
Early protagonist Ned Stark (Sean Bean) is killed off at the end of Season 1, inspired by Gandalf\u2019s death in \u201cLord of the Rings.\u201d<\/span>HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John Bradley was running late for his audition, and so he happened to show up nervous and out of breath \u2014 a perfect depiction, the producers thought, of Samwell Tarly.<\/p>\n

To play Daenerys Targaryen, the producers selected Tamzin Merchant, a then-22-year-old Brit who\u2019d appeared in 2005\u2019s \u201cPride & Prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pilot began shooting in October 2009. Northern Ireland was chosen because of its tax rebates and medieval filming locations.<\/p>\n

Benioff and Weiss had no experience handling such a giant production and have admitted their inexperience led to some early mistakes. For example, to portray the zombie-like White Walker, they put an actor in a green suit, figuring the character could be created later with effects, not realizing that tactic was prohibitively expensive compared to just dressing someone in a costume.<\/p>\n

It was a bit of a comedown, and you have to accept that it wasn\u2019t to be.<\/p>\n

\u00a0–\u00a0Lena Headey, on the disappointing death of her character, Cersei<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The pilot turned out to be a disaster. Test audiences were bored and the show lacked the grand scale that would come to define it.<\/p>\n

HBO considered pulling the plug, but Benioff and Weiss \u201cowned\u201d their mistakes and sold the network on a plan to fix what was wrong. HBO relented, ordering a re-shot pilot and nine more episodes.<\/p>\n

One major change was that Daenerys Targaryen was recast. The producers have been tight-lipped about what wasn\u2019t working with Merchant. Everyone agrees the actor did good work and was pleasant, but the performance seemed to lack some alchemical spark \u2014 mostly when it came to her scenes with Khal Drogo.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Merchant\u2019s] scenes with Jason just didn\u2019t work,\u201d Lombardo says in the book.<\/p>\n

Originally, name actors, including Imogen Poots, were considered to step in, but the producers instead held open auditions.<\/p>\n

\"Peter
Peter Dinklage (as Tyrion Lannister) cheered after the showrunners shifted to more realistic-looking costumes.<\/span>HELEN SLOAN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recent drama-school grad Emilia Clarke was one of those who tried out. The producers evidently liked the strength she radiated (something she credits her mom for giving her). During her final audition, they asked Clarke if she could do \u201canything else,\u201d and the actor broke out dancing the Funky Chicken. As she was walking out, she was told she had the part.<\/p>\n

Massive new sets were created, including the Red Keep with its Iron Throne, while the brand-new-looking costumes from the original pilot were scrapped and replaced with clothes that appeared aged, dirty and sweat-stained. (\u201cIt was so great not to be wearing a costume with Velcro,\u201d says Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister.)<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for the producers to realize the new formula was working. Martin was also pleased. The first finished scene he saw was an intimate chat between Arya and her father, Ned Stark (played by Sean Bean), in which he assures her she\u2019ll one day marry a lord and have children. Arya responds, \u201cNo, that\u2019s not me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my book come to life,\u201d Martin says.<\/p>\n

The show premiered April 17, 2011, with a modest 2.2 million viewers. The second week, the ratings stayed level. Martin had lunch with HBO\u2019s CEO Richard Plepler and was surprised when Plepler told him, \u201cThe show is going to last for ten years.\u201d Usually, ratings go down for episode two. Plepler predicted the ratings would continue to go up, and he was right.<\/p>\n

One element that kept viewers coming back were the shocking plot twists. At the end of the first season, Ned Stark, whom most viewers had assumed was the series\u2019 central protagonist, was executed.<\/p>\n

Martin says he was inspired by how \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d killed off wizard Gandalf. \u201cIf Gandalf could die,\u201d he says, \u201canybody could die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bran
Bran Stark (left, Isaac Hempstead Wright) ended up king, while evil Queen Cersei (right, with incestuous brother Jaime) barely got her comeuppance \u2014 endings that many viewers found anticlimactic.<\/span>HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Season three\u2019s \u201cRed Wedding,\u201d in which Stark heir Robb (Richard Madden) and his mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), are massacred in an ambush, left the cast so drained that Fairley could barely talk to anyone for a week.<\/p>\n

New faces joined the sprawling cast each season, including Dame Diana Rigg, who played Lady Olenna Tyrell starting in Season 3. The vaunted actor did things her own way. She would appear on the set and demand that filming begin, despite the crew not being ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she just started doing her lines,\u201d says Jessica Henwick, who played Nymeria Sand. \u201cShe did two takes and.\u2009.\u2009. .she just stood up and went, \u2018I\u2019m done!\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

By Season 4, \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d had become HBO\u2019s most popular show in history, with some 20 million tuning in each week.<\/p>\n

The writers had often worried that their story would run out of material already published in Martin\u2019s literary series. By season five, the TV show was indeed moving into uncharted territory.<\/p>\n

Benioff and Weiss spent three days with Martin talking about what the author ultimately had planned for these characters, in order to sketch out the final seasons.<\/p>\n

The showrunners calculated that the show would conclude after its eighth season, which began airing in spring 2019.<\/p>\n

After nearly ten years, the final fate of these characters was revealed \u2014 not always in a way that satisfied the heavily invested audience.<\/p>\n

\"When
When shooting started, Sophie Turner (as Sansa Stark, above), then 13, wasn\u2019t even allowed to read Martin\u2019s books.<\/span>HBO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One somewhat controversial twist was to have Arya defeat the zombie lord, the Night King. Benioff and Weiss ruled out the most obvious suspect, Jon Snow, because they were tired of him \u201calways saving the day.\u201d They also considered the Hound (Rory McCann), but wanted to save him for the anticipated showdown with his brother, the Mountain (Haf\u00fe\u00f3r J\u00fal\u00edus Bj\u00f6rnsson).<\/p>\n

Another left turn was to have Daenerys morph into a genocidal madwoman, necessitating her murder by her lover, Jon Snow.<\/p>\n

The showrunners insist that the seeds of Daenerys\u2019 heel turn had been planted since season one, but many viewers felt blindsided. Even Clarke, upon reading the script, wasn\u2019t sure how viewers would take the twist.<\/p>\n

Another letdown for many viewers was the fate of Cersei. Fans had been anticipating a big showdown between the evil queen and Arya, who\u2019d sworn to kill her. Instead, Cersei perished quietly when the Red Keep collapsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bit of a comedown, and you have to accept that it wasn\u2019t to be,\u201d says Lena Headey, who played Cersei.<\/p>\n

And then there was the central question of the series: Who would end up on the Iron Throne? Benioff and Weiss argued that the choice had to be someone who wouldn\u2019t be corrupted by power (the show\u2019s theme).<\/p>\n

\"Fire<\/p>\n

Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who had transformed into the omnipotent Three-Eyed Raven, was the logical choice to them. Though when the actor received the script, he thought it was a joke and that everyone in the show had gotten a personalized script in which their character ascends to the throne.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Bran had transformed into the] Three-Eyed Raven, and to what end?\u201d Benioff asks in the book. \u201cIf that didn\u2019t lead to something incredibly consequential, it would feel anticlimactic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hibberd says the series\u2019 final episodes might get a reappraisal one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impression I get is that for some [who worked on the show], there\u2019s a sense of thinking about the ending of \u2018The Sopranos,\u2019 about how divisive that was,\u201d he says. \u201cNow ten years later, it\u2019s a more respected ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone who feels disappointed by the TV series\u2019 ending still has Martin\u2019s books to look forward to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I finish my books, people can argue which is right, which is wrong, and which is the \u2018real story,\u2019\u2009\u201d the author says. \u201cNone are the real story. These are fictional characters. Which one resonates with you more?\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n

\n

For forums sites go to Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

If you want to read more News<\/a> articles, you can visit our News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“#Why ‘Game of Thrones’ was nearly doomed from the start” During filming of the first season of \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d storms destroyed sets. Endless rain delayed shooting. There was not enough money to realize the filmmakers\u2019 vision. As a result, those behind the show were constantly left to cut pages and scenes from the scripts…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/10\/GameOfThrones.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[74128,7918,5157,1524,73740],"class_list":["post-81102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-10-3-20","tag-actors","tag-game-of-thrones","tag-hbo","tag-televison"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}