By Bryant Griffin
HBO is buckling on its sword belt and smartly stepping into the realm of gritty fantasy as filming continues for their epic pilot of author George R.R. Martin’s "Game of Thrones."
Based on Martin's bestselling “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, the series would follow the treacherous clash between royal families to secure ultimate power of the vast lands of Westeros. Royalty and knights play a perilous game of intrigue, where those gifted with unflinching resolve and a keen eye for subterfuge often conquer more than the greatest armies.
Principal photography began in late October in Northern Ireland and is now wrapping up in Morocco. Tom McCarthy, who earned accolades for his work on 2003's "The Station Agent" and 2007's "The Visitor," is directing. He's working from a script penned by the pilot's executive producers David Benioff ("Troy," "The Kite Runner") and D.B. Weiss.
“Game of Thrones” will span a novel’s worth of material per season if the pilot is picked up. But will the pilot get a hearty thumbs up from HBO when McCarthy turns it in? We'll likely know early next year. But based on Martin's remarkable books and on the respectful approach applied to assembling the cast and crew, I'd say there is a good bet here that HBO will have another "Trueblood"-caliber success, if not more.
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