Martin's "Ice and Fire" Series to Become HBO Drama

[Hoff]

CWM and Piss, no doubt you'll be interested, and I'm sure there's a few other fans lurking. In case any of you have not heard:

 

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/news.html

 

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111795753...yid=14&cs=1

 

From the Variety article:

 

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.

 

The series will begin with the 1996 first book, "A Game of Thrones," and the intention is for each novel (they average 1,000 pages each) to fuel a season's worth of episodes. Martin has nearly finished the fifth installment, but won't complete the seven-book cycle until 2011.

 

The author will co-exec produce the series along with Management 360's Guymon Casady and Created By's Vince Gerardis.

 

Martin's series has drawn comparisons to J.R.R. Tolkien, because both are period epics set in imagined lands. But Martin has eschewed Tolkien's good-vs.-evil theme in favor of flawed characters from seven noble families.

 

The book has a decidedly adult bent, with sex and violence comparable to series like "Rome" and "Deadwood."

 

"They tried for 50 years to make 'Lord of the Rings' as one movie before Peter Jackson found success making three," Martin said. "My books are bigger and more complicated, and would require 18 movies. Otherwise, you'd have to choose one or two characters."

 

Aside from writing the most recent draft of "Halo," Weiss recently adapted the William Gibson novel "Pattern Recognition" for WB and director Peter Weir.

 

Benioff and Weiss were repped by CAA and Management 360.

A few weeks old, but big news nonetheless.

[Special K]

Fuck yeah! Those books sometimes read like movies, so it's a good fit.

 

It's going to be expensive, though. There are SO many freaking characters!

 

I just want to know who's going to play the Hound

[Hoff]

I've thought a lot about casting...I just haven't thought of anyone GOOD...

 

Kiefer Sutherland might make a good Hound, except I don't think he's physically big enough, and he's immediately pegged as Jack Bauer no matter the role. But a good, raspy, mean-streaking type of guy.

 

Crispin Glover as Littlefinger? Maybe?

[Hoff]

Oh, and Heroes' Hayden Panettiere as Sansa. But again, with her you might get the "this actor is this character" thing.