Westeros
The 'A Song of Ice and Fire' Domain
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Game of Thrones
Over at Not a Blog, George R.R. Martin has shared thoughts on the close of Game of Thrones, how it might be compared to his plans for the final two novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, and more. Well worth a read as a reminiscence and commentary for those who wonder about these things. It’s been a long road for George, for everyone who worked on or covered the show, and for the tens (hundreds?) of millions around the world who’ve watched it.
I had the great privilege to accompany George and Parris to a visit to the set as the first season filmed (the image above comes from that visit, George and I moving down a dark hallway in the Paint Hall studio, led by Bryan Cogman to one of the several sets in that colossal space).
The episode guide for “The Iron Throne”, the 6th and final episode of Game of Thrones, has been updated with Linda’s review (currently livestreaming). We’ll embed it below:
HBO has yet to release it’s behind-the-scenes extras, but once they are they’ll be added to the guide!
The episode guide for “The Bells”, the 5th and penultimate episode of Game of Thrones, has been updated with the “Inside the Episode” from HBO—more extras sure to come—and Linda’s review (currently livestreaming).
The episode guide for the fourth episode—titled “The Last of the Starks”, according to HBO—has been updated with Linda’s post-episode livestream as well as the “Inside the Episode” for the episode. You can see the livestream below:
In his most recent Not a Blog entry, GRRM ran over various items of note—including Fire and Blood in getting back into the NYT bestseller list, the successful release of Starport (and the possibility that follow-ups may indeed be a possibility, which we noted in our review of the graphic novel), and even a touch of politics at the end—but for the Game of Thrones fans what must have turned out was his update on the status of various Game of Thrones successor shows.
Pyrrha, who have held a license to produce Game of Thrones jewelry using its unique wax seal technique since 2014, are celebrating the final season of the show with the release of four brand new talismans.
You can see the press release below:
The Glass of Thrones campaign website has launched, and it’s quite an impressive thing featuring 3D renderings of the stained glass monuments inspired by the houses of Game of Thrones. It’s a nice way to experience them virtually, but it sure seems like nothing beats actually seeing them in person.
The first monument, dedicated to House Stark, is placed outside of Belfast’s City Hall.
The second episode of the final season of Game of Thrones has aired, and Linda has put together some information on the Episode Guide including links to post-episode materials such as the pleasntly surprising release of Florence + the Machine’s rendition of “Jenny of Oldstones” (we’re big fans). Below, however, we’ll link Linda’s post-episode livestream in which she shared her thoughts and answered questions from viewers:
You’ll find the the preview for next week’s episode below:
Given the momentous final season (and the fact that Linda is booked up with a bunch of interviews the morning after the show airs), we’ve decided to do something new: a livestreamed commentary by Linda on our Youtube channel shortly after the episode airs (she thinks she can get going about 15 minutes after the episode airs.
We’ve tested out the tech and think we’ve the kinks worked out. It’ll be pretty bare bones to start with, but if it’s a success we’ll see about sprucing it up. One thing that we’ve brought out of retirement is our Sony camcorder, which we used for many of our early videos as well as our segments on Sky Atlantic’s Thronecast—turns out it outputs an excellent image for streaming compared to our DSLR!
Linda’ll post the stream here when it goes live, but if you want to hear about it as soon as possible, be sure to subscribe and request notifications over at Youtube.
With the final season of Game of Thrones just around the corner, Tourism Ireland is again teasing what has become a yearly tradition as they invite fans the world over to think of Northern Ireland as the “Game of Thrones Territory”. Carved doors scattered among historic pubs, limited edition stamps, an enormous pictorial tapestry—each of them has been a spectacular way to promote tourism for those who are interested in visting the land where the series has been based from the very start. This new campaign seems to be no less interesting, as this teaser video suggests:
The video may seem a bit mysterious to start with, but we think by the end what they’re hinting at is clear as glass.
The Hollywood Reporter has published an interview with George R.R. Martin from the red carpet of the Game of Thrones premiere.
Musing on how time has flown since the series started, he also briefly has time to talk about the forthcoming pilot for a successor show, which GRRM has dubbed “The Long Night” despite HBO’s insisting that that’s not the official title.
Per the interview:
“The logline for the pilot tells us, “it’s not the story we think we know.” Years ago, you released The World of Ice and Fire, which covers a lot of history of Westeros and beyond. If we were to truly data-mine the book, would we have a clue about what you have up your sleeve for the pilot?
“(Pauses.) You might find a sentence or two in The World of Ice and Fire. You certainly won’t find 12 pages. A lot of this is based on that line or two, and Jane then took it and came up with something.”
The pop culture mash-ups of Game of Thrones continue, with HBO now collaborating with hamburger chain Shake Shack to produce two show-themed menu items, the Dragonglass shake and the Dracarys burger. There’s a twist, however: you can only order them by speaking Valyrian!
Fortunately, Shake Shack has helpfully provided a guide to placing an order with pronunciation guidance and all. Question is, will the employees at the till (or the customers behind you) have the patience to let you stumble through it all?
Note that this is only at a sole location in NYC, and for a limited time only as noted by the restaurant:
Starting today, you can order a Dragonglass Shake and the Dracarys Burger exclusively at the Madison Square Park Shake Shack in the Flatiron District. The Dragonglass Shake will be available through 5/19, while the Dracarys Burger will be available through 4/21, while supplies last.
Back in September, it was revealed that a Game of Thrones Legacy project was in an explortary phase to set up a permanent exhibition at the Linen Mill Studios. That exploratory phase is done, and the Game of Thrones Studio Tour is announced for a Spring 2020 opening. The plans sound ambitious, as the images and the press release below reveal!
The Game of Thrones Studio Tour, comprising the breathtaking imagery, captivating sets, original props and costumes, and other behind-the-scenes items from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, will drop fans in the very heart of the Seven Kingdoms. Guests will be treated to an up-close and personal look at a wide selection of items pulled straight from the screen and have the opportunity to walk through authentic set pieces from some of the show’s most iconic scenes. In collaboration with HBO Licensing & Retail, Linen Mill Studios are designing and building the new 110,000-square-foot interactive experience and will open its gates for visitors in Spring 2020. It is the first in a series of Game of Thrones Legacy projects announced by HBO last year.
When it rains, it pours. Last night, HBO has revealed not one but two promos for the final season of Game of Thrones. The first is titled “Together”, and the second is titled “Survival”. They both feature glimpses of new scenes as well as dialog:
And just after we posted that, a new teaser as well, titled “Aftermath”:
Two weeks left for the premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones, and another behind the scenes video has appeared on HBO’s official Youtube channel of the series. This time, the focus is on the often-spectacular visual effects of the series:
The first episode premieres April 14th.