A new article from the BBC, following a press release from the Northern Ireland government, reveals that A Game of Thrones will hold primary filming in several locations in the country. This will include a “massive set” in the Paint Hall studios, according to the press release. Filming is set to take place in October. The Belfast Telegraph reports sources claim that the pilot could be “worth” as much as £10 million.
After further examination, this figure probably refers to the economic impact of the production’s presence in the Northern Ireland economy, which estimates impact by taking the actual spending and multiplying it by a factor that represents all ancillary economic activity.
According to GRRM at his “Not a Blog”, Michael Kaluta has withdrawn from illustrating the 2010 A Song of Ice and Fire calendar for Dabel Brothers Productions. Furthermore, George indicates that he has instructed his agent to terminate his contract for calendars with the Dabel Brothers.
The board seems to have gone down at some point, and we suspect it is a server configuration error rather than anything inherent to the forum; all the files are still there, that we can see. However, given the time of night where our server admin is, it may be awhile before the board is back up. Thanks for your patience.
Subterranean Press reports that they have placed 5 signed, limited editions of the Thomas Canty-illustrated A Feast for Crows on auction at Ebay. All proceeds will be donated to the Haven Foundation, an organization created to help freelance writers and artists when in need.
Valyrian Steel provide a sneek peek at the hilt of the prototype for Needle, the second sword they plan to produce in their line of A Song of Ice and Fire replica weapons. In comments, a number of interesting remarks are made concerning the high-quality steel that will be used for the blade, more information on the construction of the grip, and information concerning plans for the next sword in the series: Ice.
George R.R. Martin has reported on his new page the delivery of Warriors, a massive anthology of stories concerning warriors of all guises and from numerous genres. Among the stories is his own third entry into the Dunk & Egg series of novellas, “The Mystery Knight.”
The A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying game PDF, published by Green Ronin, is now also available via Drive Thru Stuff, a leading seller of RPG and comic e-books.
Green Ronin has announced that the A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying rulebook can now be purchased from their on-line store. It is priced at $18. Early reports indicate that there has been a problem with downloading for those who have purchased it, but this seems like something that should be corrected later in the day during U.S. work hours. The printed version of the book should be appearing on gaming store shelves tomorrow.
At his “Not a Blog”, GRRM announced a sale on all foreign editions of his works that he had on hand, to clear up some space for the forthcoming completion of a library tower extension to his office. For the duration of March, all books listed on the foreign books page are $5 off.
Green Ronin has released a short excerpt from the forthcoming A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game on their site, featuring the introductory text that summarizes the setting and its history. The game is due to be published in the coming week, with simultaneous releases of the print and digital versions.
Dark Sword Miniatures has put up pictures of the next three entries in the George R.R. Martin Masterworks series: Theon Greyjoy and two hedge knights sculpted by Jeff Grace. They promise photos of a few other, new miniatures in the next two weeks.
According to an interview with David Benioff in the Swedish-language Metro newspaper, filming will commence in Ireland in October. A translation of the relevant quote: “I loved fantasy until I was 13, 14 years old and then I discovered girls. But George RR Martin’s story is more complex. It’s a more human story than just fighting against evil monsters. As a writer for TV (HBO) I also have a greater say. I’m involved in casting, choosing the director, and so on. We’ll start filming in Ireland in October.”
Tom Canty has posted all the commissioned art he’s done for the Subterranean Press limited edition of A Feast for Crows. Though some will doubtless quibble with his very free interpretations, we think the art is absurdly beautiful. Besides being a major fantasy artist, he’s also known as one of the top graphics designers in publishing, and you can see that coming through in the framing and balancing of images.
The limited edition will be a dandy.
George R. R. Martin’s official website has been updated with news of the delivery of Suicide Kings, the third and final entry in the latest Wild Cards trilogy. A number of new posts have gone up in "Not a Blog". Most notable among them are a series of posts suggesting Hugo award nominees. The Hugo Awards are the premiere science fiction and fantasy awards, voted by fans who are member of the current year’s Worldcon. Nominations are an area where even a few votes can make a great difference, and we encourage members to nominate in all areas they feel competent to nominate.
Other entries include an update to A Dance with Dragons, in which GRRM touches on the difficulty. He also gives a hopeful estimate for completion in June. That said, he emphasizes that he’s had difficulty estimating the release in the past, but he thinks he can manage it. If it’s done in June, it may be published in September or October.
The Brotherhood Without Banners fan group is starting a newsletter to keep fans and friends of George R.R. Martin of upcoming gatherings and other news of interest. For those who’d like to sign up for the BWB newsletter, see this post for instructions.