3D GAME OF THRONES Eiserner Thron Halskette silber TV-Serie House of Dragons alt USA

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Verkäufer: checkoutmyunqiuefunitems ✉️ (3.712) 99.9%, Artikelstandort: Manchester, Take a look at my other items, GB, Versand nach: WORLDWIDE, Artikelnummer: 276000762512 3D GAME OF THRONES Eiserner Thron Halskette silber TV-Serie House of Dragons alt USA. Game of Thrones 3D Iron Throne Pendant This is a pendant and necklace of the Iron Throne from "Game of Thrones" It is made of solid metal and has amazing incredible detail Sure to Bring Good Luck and Keep The Holder Safe When Travelling The Chain is 600 mm long and the pendant throne is 30mm high  A Beautiful Pendant and Magnificent Keepsake Souvenir of A Great TV Genre Sorry about the poor quality photos. They dont do the pedant justice which looks a lot better in real life In Excellent Condition Click Here to Check out my other Game of Thrones & Fantasy Items Bid with Confidence - Check My 100% Positive Feedback from over 600 Satisfied Customers I have over 10 years of Ebay Selling Experience - So Why Not Treat Yourself? I have got married recently and need to raise funds to meet the costs also we are planning to move into a house together I always combined postage on multiple items so why not check out my other items   All Payment Methods in All Major Currencies Accepted. All Items Sent out within 24 hours of Receiving Payment. 

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Game of Thrones Format Live-action Seasons 8 Episodes 73 Premiere "Winter Is Coming" Finale "The Iron Throne" Network HBO Transmission dates April 17, 2011 to May 19, 2019 Production dates July 23, 2010 to July 6, 2018 Starring Peter Dinklage Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Lena Headey Emilia Clarke Kit Harington Sophie Turner Maisie Williams Alfie Allen John Bradley Conleth Hill Jerome Flynn Iain Glen Creator(s) David Benioff D.B. Weiss Executive producers David Benioff D.B. Weiss Writers David Benioff D.B. Weiss Bryan Cogman Jane Espenson George R.R. Martin Vanessa Taylor Dave Hill Directors     "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."     ―Cersei Lannister[src] Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series produced by the HBO cable network. It is based on the novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R.R. Martin, who serves as a producer, creative consultant and scriptwriter on the television series. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss created the television series and serve as executive producers, showrunners and the main writers. The series consists of eight fully transmitted seasons, comprising seventy-three episodes in total.[1] Production of the series is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, mainly at the Paint Hall Studios. It is the largest and most expensive television production ever mounted in Northern Ireland. Filming for the series has also been conducted in Malta, Iceland, Croatia, Morocco, Spain, and the USA. Production history     Main article: Game of Thrones production timeline A HBO promotional image of Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark. An Entertainment Weekly promotional photo of some of the Season 2 cast. From left to right Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage. David Benioff was sent a collection of the first four novels in the series (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows) by George R.R. Martin's agent. Initially sceptical of the fantasy genre, Benioff became a big fan of the books and invited his friend D.B. Weiss to develop the project with him for a screen adaptation. They initially considered a movie adaption, but realized this would mean losing most of the plot and characters from the books. Instead, they began working on an adaptation for television. They met with George R.R. Martin and spent several hours discussing the project. Martin was impressed with their enthusiasm and that they had already worked out the resolutions to several key mysteries in the books. He agreed with them that the series was a good fit for the cable company HBO, which Martin was already a big fan of. HBO agreed to option the project in 2007 and active development of a pilot script began. However, this was delayed by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. In October 2008 HBO exercised its option to buy the rights to the series and ordered a pilot episode a few weeks later. Casting announcements were made throughout 2009, with Peter Dinklage the first actor formally announced for the series. The pilot episode was filmed in Northern Ireland and Morocco in October and November 2009. HBO officially greenlit the series on 2 March 2010. Filming of Season 1 began on 23 July, with Malta replacing Morocco for overseas filming. Several actors from the pilot were recast, requiring the re-filming of most of the first episode. The season wrapped filming on 15 December. HBO later confirmed that the first season had a budget of $60 million. The first season aired on HBO on 17 April-19 June 2011, garnering critical acclaim and steadily rising ratings. HBO confirmed after the transmission of the first episode that a second season had been commissioned. Production of Season 2 began on 25 July 2011 and wrapped on 12 December. Malta was dropped as a filming location, replaced by Croatia, while additional filming took place in Iceland. The budget for Season 2 was 15% higher than Season 1, necessitated by the addition more ambitious effects sequences and the use of CGI creatures such as direwolves and dragons. The second season aired from 1 April to 3 June 2012, garnering additional critical acclaim and increased ratings. By the end of the second season, the show had become the third-most-successful series in HBO's history, behind only The Sopranos and True Blood. In addition, the DVD and Blu-ray set of Season 1 was released just prior to transmission of Season 2 and immediately became HBO's fastest-selling media release in its history. Production of Season 3 began on 10 July 2012 and wrapped on 24 November. Morocco was added to the filming roster alongside Croatia, Iceland and Northern Ireland, with the complexities of filming requiring the addition of a third filming unit to the existing two. An additional scene was shot in Los Angeles for safety reasons, meaning that Season 3 was filmed in five separate countries on three continents. The season aired from 31 March to 2 June 2013. The penultimate episode The Rains of Castamere won widespread critical acclaim for its shock twist ending. By the end of the season the show had supplanted True Blood as the second-most successful HBO show in the United States and The Sopranos as its most successful series worldwide. Production of Season 4 began on 8 July 2013 and concluded on 21 November. Production was more focused this season, with only two units used and filming restricted to Northern Ireland, Iceland and Croatia. This was to allow more of the budget to be concentrated on several major action and effects sequences late in the season. Production of Season 5 ran from 18 July 2014 to 12 December. Production was focused once more, with two units filming in Northern Ireland, Croatia and Spain, with Spain being a new addition to the show's shooting countries. Production of Season 6 ran from mid-July 2015 to 17 December. Filming took place in Northern Ireland and Spain, while the production only returned to Croatia for a brief shoot, as they used several locations in Spain as exterior sets for King's Landing, Braavos and Meereen. Production of Season 7 ran from 31 August 2016 to February 2017, which was later than past seasons, mainly due to the desire to accurately depict the winter that now grips Westeros, and will be shortened to seven episodes, due to the smaller amount of story content remaining, as well as the increased production values and time required to film episodes involving larger set pieces. Filming took place in Northern Ireland, Spain, Iceland and, once again briefly, Croatia. Adaptation process and catching up with the books Seasons 1-4: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings & A Storm of Swords As of 2016, five books have been published in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and author George R.R. Martin has predicted that there will be two more (though he is struggling not to let the final book run long, in which case it would have to be split, for a total of eight books). The third novel, A Storm of Swords, was so long that it pushed the limits of how large a published book could physically be without pages falling out. Because the third novel was so long, the production team realized it would be impossible to condense it all into a single season, so the decision was made to adapt its contents across two seasons. While Season 3 ends with the Red Wedding, this actually happened in the middle of the third novel (similar to how Renly Baratheon suddenly died in the middle of Season 2). Jon Snow returned to Castle Black by the middle of the third novel. Daenerys Targaryen had not yet reached Meereen by the middle of the third novel. A few characters did advance further than this in Season 3, i.e. Bran Stark actually passed north of the Wall at the end of the third novel (he had so few chapters in the entire book that the TV producers didn't want to space it out for two full seasons). By the end of the fourth season, most of the characters had completed their story from the third novel. Season 5 and 6: Intercutting A Feast for Crows & A Dance with Dragons What was originally planned as the fourth novel was even longer than the third novel, so Martin split it into two novels: A Feast for Crows (the fourth book) and A Dance with Dragons (the fifth book). The fourth and fifth books occur during a simultaneous timeframe: all of the chapters set in the Seven Kingdoms were moved to the fourth book, while all chapters set outside of the Seven Kingdoms (at the Wall or across the Narrow Sea in Essos) were moved to the fifth book. Though of course, despite splitting them because as one book they would have been longer than the third novel, Martin kept making additions to the fourth and fifth novels during the writing process, so both are nearly as long as the third novel. It would be odd to spend an entire season with one set of characters while the rest do not appear, then reverse this in the subsequent season. So Season 5 chronologically presented events in the order that they happened. This is comparable to how J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers actually consisted of two halves: the first half entirely follows Aragorn since the end of the first novel, then the second half backs up in time to follow only Frodo's perspective, but during the same timeframe since the end of the first novel. Peter Jackson's movie adaptation, however, chose to simply intercut between the two storylines to show events in the chronological order in which they occurred. Thus "Season 5" consisted of the majority of the material from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. Seasons 7 and 8: Beyond the books and ending Given that there are currently five novels (with the third split into two seasons), but given the fact that the majority of the fourth and fifth novels have been adapted in Seasons 5 and 6, there was only a very limited amount of material left to be adapted. Even so, Martin has told producers Benioff & Weiss the general outline of how the final two books are going to progress (so if a bolt of lightning strikes Martin, they'd still be able to finish according to Martin's general plan). As a result, the total amount of seasons remained unclear for quite some time. During Season 3, in an interview with Mother Jones magazine, Benioff & Weiss said that they thought the TV series might run as many as eight seasons, for a total of 80 episodes, though they were unsure:     Mother Jones: "So I gather that Game of Thrones could last eight or nine seasons. Does that mean putting novel writing on hold for a decade?     Benioff & Weiss: "Yes, if we live that long and HBO keeps wanting to make the show. We have the opportunity here to tell a coherent story that lasts for 80 hours. And while a canvas of that size presents all sorts of storytelling problems, it also allows us to spend more time with these characters we love than we'll ever get again.[2] Soon before Season 4 began, however, in early March 2014 executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss made several comments that they actually felt Season 4 was the "midway point" of the TV series, which would probably last seven seasons. On March 11, 2014, they said in Entertainment Weekly:     "It feels like this is the midpoint for us...If we’re going to go seven seasons, which is the plan, Season 4 is right down the middle, the pivot point...I would say it's the goal we've had from the beginning...It was our unstated goal, because to start on a show and say your goal is seven seasons is the height of lunacy. Once we got to the point where we felt like we're going to be able to tell this tale to its conclusion, that became [an even clearer] goal. Seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven seasons. It feels right to us.”[3] The repeated statements Benioff and Weiss made throughout Season 4 that they "always" intended for there to be seven seasons simply contradict previous statements they made in formal print interviews, such as with Mother Jones in 2013 (though plans can and do change over many years). Benioff & Weiss, as well as George R.R. Martin himself, then provided comments for the April 2014 issue of Vanity Fair (which was released about two weeks after Benioff and Weiss said in Entertainment Weekly that there might be only seven seasons). Contradicting his statements made at the same time in EW that "we're going for seven seasons, it's been our goal since the beginning", Benioff instead repeated that the production team wasn't sure if the TV series would last "seven or eight" seasons.     "If we're a series and we're four seasons, five seasons in, and it's indefinite as to how long it's gonna go, then I don't think there’s as much pressure as far as, the end is coming, the end is nigh. So, for us, whether it ends up being seven or eight, it's right around there. I think we've always felt — we just completed the fourth season — this is the midpoint. And we're coming around the bend right now."[4] D.B. Weiss also said in Vanity Fair, after they had just finished Season 4 and were about to start writing Season 5, that they saw the show as running up to eight seasons:     "We know there’s an end somewhere in the seven-or-eight season zone. It’s not something that goes ten, eleven — it doesn't just keep on going because it can. I think the desire to milk more out of it is what would eventually kill it, if we gave in to that.[5] HBO programming president Michael Lombardo said that the network would eagerly accept the TV series going on for eight to ten seasons, but only if writers Benioff and Weiss felt it served the story instead of dragging it out (though of course, the TV series has not been "padding" the massive novels series, but omitting many subplots for time). Lombardo said:     "We'll have an honest conversation that explores all possible avenues. If they [Benioff and Weiss] weren't comfortable going beyond seven seasons, I trust them implicitly and trust that's the right decision—as horrifying as that is to me. What I'm not going to do is have a show continue past where the creators believe where they feel they've finished with the story.[6] On July 30, 2015, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo announced that the TV series will last at least eight seasons, not only seven. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, Lombardo said that while Season 7 was not yet technically ordered, HBO and the writing team felt that there were about two more seasons worth of story (matching the expectation that it is based on a series of seven novels, one of which was so large it was split and adapted as two TV seasons). In contrast with Benioff and Weiss's frequent declarations since Season 4 that they had "always" intended for there to be seven TV seasons (though they had repeatedly said "seven or eight" before Season 4), Lombardo said that "Seven-seasons-and-out has never been the [internal] conversation" between the production team and HBO. Lombardo said,     "The question is: How much beyond seven are we going to do? Obviously we’re shooting six now, hopefully discussing seven. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are] feel like there’s two more years after six. I would always love for them to change their minds, but that’s what we’re looking at right now."[7] Lombardo also directly reiterated that HBO is interested in making prequel projects, adapted from Martin's other stories set in Westeros, i.e. the Tales of Dunk and Egg - but he also reiterated that they aren't going to have any serious negotiations about prequel projects until after the main TV series is over, due to the massive amount of work involved. On April 14, 2016, David Benioff confirmed they had 13 episodes left after season six. "We’re heading into the final lap," he said. "That's the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that's what we're looking at." Presumably, season seven would have that number of episodes, and season eight would be six episodes. Weiss and Benioff said they were unable continuing to produce ten episodes of the show in the previous 12 to 14-month time frame. "It's crossing out of a television schedule into more of a mid-range movie schedule," Weiss said.[8] Martin declined writing an episode for Season 5 and beyond to focus on writing The Winds of Winter, and in March 2015 canceled all of his future convention appearances to focus on writing it. Nevertheless, the final seasons of the TV series were released before the final two novels, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.[9] Casting With 250 speaking roles, almost 90 of them named, the cast was the largest ever assembled for the debut season of a HBO project. The cast grew even larger in the second and third seasons. The cast includes Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, Richard Madden as Robb Stark, Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister, Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish, Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy, Conleth Hill as Varys, Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane, Jerome Flynn as Bronn, John Bradley as Samwell Tarly, Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont, James Cosmo as Jeor Mormont, Joe Dempsie as Gendry, Sibel Kekilli as Shae and Jason Momoa as Drogo. The cast is also notable for including a number of teenage and child actors in prominent roles: Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark, Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark, and Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon. Jennifer Ehle was initially cast as Catelyn Stark, but after filming the pilot HBO decided to recast the role with Michelle Fairley. No further details have been given for the reason behind this decision, except that it was amicable. In a similar manner, Tamzin Merchant was initially cast as Daenerys Targaryen, but after filming the pilot she was replaced by newcomer Emilia Clarke. Several prominent recurring cast members introduced in first season were Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle, Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin, Gethin Anthony as Renly Baratheon, Ian Gelder as Kevan Lannister, Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister, Finn Jones as Loras Tyrell, Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn, Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn, Owen Teale as Alliser Thorne, Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt, Ian McElhinney as Barristan Selmy, David Bradley as Walder Frey, Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark, Francis Magee as Yoren, Natalia Tena as Osha, Kristian Nairn as Hodor, Mark Stanley as Grenn, Josef Altin as Pypar and Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon. The second season marked the introduction of many new cast members, including Stephen Dillane as Lord Stannis Baratheon, Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy, Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy, Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton, Rose Leslie as Ygritte, Hannah Murray as Gilly, Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar, Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne and Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett. For the third season, the cast was further swelled with additions, including Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell, Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Snow, Ciarán Hinds as Mance Rayder, Kristofer Hivju as Tormund, Anton Lesser as Qyburn, Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm, Tara Fitzgerald as Selyse Baratheon, Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon, Clive Russell as Brynden Tully, Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully, Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion, Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Ellie Kendrick as Jojen and Meera Reed. For the fourth season, only a few new cast members were added, including Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell, Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand, Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis, Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Mace Tyrell, Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon, Rupert Vansittart as Yohn Royce and Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris. For the fifth season, many new cast members were introduced, including Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow, Faye Marsay as the Waif, Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell, DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah and Keisha Castle-Hughes, Jessica Henwick and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as the Sand Snakes: Obara, Nymeria and Tyene Sand. For the sixth season, a small number of new cast members were added, including Max von Sydow as the Three-Eyed Raven, Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy, Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy, James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly, Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont and Tim McInnerny as Robett Glover. For the seventh season, Jim Broadbent was cast as Archmaester Ebrose, and for the eighth season, Marc Rissmann was cast as Harry Strickland. Premise The series is set in a world where the seasons can last for years at a time. The main setting is the continent of Westeros, which was home to seven feuding kingdoms until they were united by the Targaryen family using dragons some three centuries ago. The dragons died out and the Targaryen Mad King was unseated in a civil war led by Lords Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark, Jon Arryn. and Hoster Tully, seventeen years before the series opens. Robert has ruled as King ever since, but when the series opens his rule is increasingly undermined by other factions. At the same time, the only two known surviving Targaryen children, Viserys and Daenerys, having grown to adulthood in exile on the eastern continent of Essos, are now planning to return to Westeros and retake the Iron Throne, and to this end are seeking military alliances with other factions. As both civil war and an external invasion threaten Westeros, another danger arises in the lands to the far north, beyond the vast Wall that forms the realm's northern border, where a supernatural threat believed to be mythical seems to be stirring after millennia of sleep. The only defense lies with the Night's Watch, an undermanned, underfunded order of soldiers once held in honor but now used as a dumping ground for criminals and exiles. The Great Houses Westeros is ruled by nine Great Houses, who in turn command hundreds of lesser vassal houses. Houses Stark, Arryn, Tully, Greyjoy, Lannister, Baratheon, Tyrell, Martell and Targaryen are the nine original Great Houses. Each of the Great Houses rules a large region and commands significant armies and power in their own right. A list of the Great Houses and some of their more significant vassals follows:     House Arryn of the Eyrie: rulers of the Vale of Arryn and Wardens of the East. Led by Lord Jon Arryn, whose heir is Robin Arryn.         House Royce of Runestone: vassals of House Arryn who rule over the lands east of the Eyrie. Led by Lord Yohn Royce.     House Baratheon of Storm's End: rulers of the Stormlands and now the royal House of the Seven Kingdoms. Led by King Robert I Baratheon, whose heir is Joffrey Baratheon.     House Greyjoy of Pyke: rulers of the Iron Islands off the western coast of Westeros. Led by Lord Balon Greyjoy, whose heir is Theon Greyjoy.     House Lannister of Casterly Rock: rulers of the Westerlands and Wardens of the West. Led by Lord Tywin Lannister, whose heir is Tyrion Lannister.         House Clegane of Clegane's Keep: a House of landed knights in the service of the Lannisters. Led by Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as the Mountain and Tywin Lannister's Mad Dog.     House Martell of Sunspear: rulers of Dorne, the southeastern peninsula of Westeros. Led by Prince Doran Martell, whose heir is Trystane Martell.         House Dayne of Starfall: vassals of the Martells who rule over the lands in the western Red Mountains surrounding the mouth of the Torentine river.     House Stark of Winterfell: rulers of the North, the largest region of the continent. Led by Lord Eddard Stark, whose heir is Robb Stark.         House Bolton of the Dreadfort: vassals of the Starks who rule over the eastern lands of the North. Led by Lord Roose Bolton.         House Umber of the Last Hearth: vassals of the Starks who rule over the lands between Winterfell and the Wall. Led by Lord Greatjon Umber, whose heir is Smalljon Umber.         House Karstark of Karhold: vassals of the Starks who rule over the north-eastern lands of the North. Led by Lord Rickard Karstark, whose heir is Harrion Karstark.         House Mormont of Bear Island: vassals of the Starks who rule over Bear Island, which is north west of Winterfell. Led by Lady Maege Mormont, whose heir is Lyanna Mormont.         House Manderly of White Harbor: vassals of the Starks who rule over White Harbor, the only city in the North. Led by Lord Wyman Manderly, whose heir is Wendel Manderly.         House Glover of Deepwood Motte: vassals of the Starks who rule over Deepwood Motte, which is located in the Wolfswood north west of Winterfell. Led by Lord Galbart Glover, whose heir is Robett Glover.         House Hornwood of Hornwood: vassals of the Starks who rule over Hornwood, which is located in forested lands southeast of Winterfell.         House Mazin: vassals of the Starks who rule over lands in the North whose location is unclear.     House Targaryen: the royal House of the Seven Kingdoms from their conquest until Robert's Rebellion, where all its members were killed or exiled. Led in exile by Viserys Targaryen, whose heir is Daenerys Targaryen.     House Tully of Riverrun: rulers of the Riverlands, the well-traveled central region of the continent. Led by Lord Hoster Tully, whose heir is Ser Edmure Tully.         House Bracken of Stone Hedge: vassals of the Tullys who rule the lands south of the Red Fork of the Trident river. Led by Lord Jonos Bracken.         House Frey of the Twins: vassals of the Tullys who hold the crossing at the Green Fork of the Trident river. Led by Lord Walder Frey, whose heir is Stevron Frey.     House Tyrell of Highgarden: rulers of the Reach and Wardens of the South. Led by Lord Mace Tyrell, whose heir is Ser Loras Tyrell.         House Florent of Brightwater Keep: vassals of the Tyrells who rule the lands around the source of the Honeywine river. Led by Lord Axell Florent.         House Hightower of Oldtown: vassals of the Tyrells who rule the city of Oldtown on the mouth of the Honeywine river.         House Tarly of Horn Hill: vassals of the Tyrells who rule the lands southeast of Highgarden. Led by Lord Randyll Tarly, whose heir is Dickon Tarly. Cast This list of characters describes their location and status as of the first episode of the series. House Stark     Main article: House Stark     Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell.     Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark, originally of House Tully.     Richard Madden as Robb Stark, Eddard's eldest son and heir.     Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Eddard's eldest daughter.     Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Eddard's youngest daughter.     Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark, Eddard's middle son.     Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark, Eddard's youngest son.     Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard son by an unknown mother.     Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark, Eddard's younger brother, First Ranger of the Night's Watch. Retainers at Winterfell     Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy, a ward and hostage for his rebellious father's good behavior.     Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel, master of arms.     Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel, Rodrik's nephew, captain of the guards.     Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin, a maester of the Citadel.     Kristian Nairn as Hodor, a simple stableboy.     Margaret John as Old Nan, a retired servant and Hodor's great-grandmother.     Susan Brown as Septa Mordane, a religious tutor and governess to Arya and Sansa.     Esmé Bianco as Ros, a prostitute working in Winterfell's outlying town. Vassals and allies of House Stark     Clive Mantle as Lord Greatjon Umber, Lord of Last Hearth, a loyal vassal of House Stark.     Dean S. Jagger as Smalljon Umber, Greatjon Umber's son and heir.     Harry Grasby as Ned Umber, Smalljon Umber's son.     John Stahl as Lord Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold, a vassal and distant kinsman of House Stark.     Paul Rattray as Harald Karstark, Lord Rickard's son.     Megan Parkinson as Alys Karstark, Harald Karstark's daughter.     Bella Ramsey as Lady Lyanna Mormont, Lady of Bear Island.     Tim McInnerny as Lord Robett Glover, the Master of Deepwood Motte.     Tom Varey as Lord Cley Cerwyn, the heir to House Cerwyn.     Sean Blowers as Lord Wyman Manderly, Lord of White Harbor, a powerful and loyal vassal of House Stark.     Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jojen Reed, the son and heir of Lord Howland Reed, one of Eddard Stark's closest friends and allies.     Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed, Jojen's older sister. House Bolton and retainers     Main article: House Bolton     Michael McElhatton as Lord Roose Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, a vassal of Eddard Stark.     Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Snow, Lord Roose's bastard son.     Noah Taylor as Locke, a vassal and hunter in Lord Bolton's service.     Charlotte Hope as Myranda, the kennel master's daughter at the Dreadfort, and Ramsay's bedwarmer.     Richard Rycroft as Maester Wolkan, a maester in service to House Bolton.     Jamie Michie as Steelshanks, a man-at-arms in service to House Bolton. House Lannister     Main article: House Lannister     Charles Dance as Lord Tywin Lannister, the widowed patriarch of House Lannister and father of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion.     Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister, the wife of King Robert, twin sister of Jaime, mother of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen.     Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister, a knight of the Kingsguard, twin brother of Cersei.     Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Cersei and Jaime's younger brother, called the Imp for his size.     Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister, Lord Tywin's younger brother and closest adviser.     Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister, Ser Kevan's son, a squire to King Robert.     Karl Davies as Alton Lannister, a distant cousin of the main branch of the family. Vassals and allies of House Lannister     Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne, a squire, a member of one of the Lannisters' vassal families.     Fintan McKeown as Ser Amory Lorch, a loyal vassal and retainer of House Lannister.     Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane, Prince Joffrey's bodyguard and sworn sword, long in the service of House Lannister. Known as "the Hound."     Conan Stevens (Season 1)/Ian Whyte (Season 2)/Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Season 4-8) as Ser Gregor Clegane, Sandor Clegane's older brother and the most feared knight in Westeros, called "the Mountain" because of his massive size.     Anthony Morris as the Tickler, a noted interrogator and torturer in the service of Ser Gregor Clegane.     Andy Kellegher as Polliver, a master-at-arms in the service of Ser Gregor Clegane. House Baratheon     Main article: House Baratheon     Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon, the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men.     Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon, King Robert's eldest son and heir.     Aimee Richardson (Season 1-2)/Nell Tiger Free (Season 5) as Myrcella Baratheon, King Robert's eldest daughter.     Callum Wharry (Season 1-2)/Dean-Charles Chapman (Season 4-6) as Tommen Baratheon, King Robert's youngest son.     Gethin Anthony as Lord Renly Baratheon, King Robert's youngest brother, Lord of Storm's End.     Stephen Dillane as Lord Stannis Baratheon, King Robert's middle brother, Lord of Dragonstone.     Tara Fitzgerald as Lady Selyse Baratheon, Lord Stannis's wife, originally of House Florent.     Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon, Lord Stannis's daughter and only child. Vassals and allies of House Baratheon     Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Lord Stannis's adviser, a Red Priestess.     Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth, a former smuggler, now Lord Stannis' most loyal vassal.     Kerr Logan as Matthos Seaworth, Ser Davos's son and Lord Stannis' squire.     Oliver Ford Davies as Maester Cressen, Lord Stannis's maester.     Lucian Msamati as Salladhor Saan, a freesail in Stannis's employ.     Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, a fierce warrior from the Stormlands. House Arryn and retainers     Main article: House Arryn     Kate Dickie as Lady Lysa Arryn, originally of House Tully, Catelyn Stark's sister.     Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn, Lord Jon's only surviving son and heir.     Brendan McCormack as Ser Vardis Egen, the captain of the Eyrie's household guards.     Ciaran Bermingham as Mord, the Eyrie's chief gaoler.     Jefferson Hall as Ser Hugh of the Vale, Lord Jon's former squire.     Rupert Vansittart as Lord Yohn Royce, one of the Arryns' most stalwart vassals and supporters.     Paola Dionisotti as Lady Anya Waynwood, one of the Arryns' vassals.     Richard Doubleday as Ser Vance Corbray, a knight of House Corbray.     Alisdair Simpson as Ser Donnel Waynwood, the Knight of the Gate. House Tyrell     Main article: House Tyrell     Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and the Reach. Son of Olenna and the father of Loras and Margaery.     Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell, Lord Renly Baratheon's former squire and a famous tourney knight.     Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell, Loras's sister.     Dame Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell, nicknamed the Queen of Thorns, the matriarch of the Tyrell family. Vassals and allies of House Tyrell     James Faulkner as Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord of Horn Hill, one of the Tyrells' vassals, and father of Samwell Tarly.     Samantha Spiro as Lady Melessa Tarly, Randyll's wife.     John Bradley as Samwell Tarly, Randyll's eldest son who was forced to disinherit.     Freddie Stroma (Season 6)/Tom Hopper (Season 7) as Dickon Tarly, Randyll's youngest son and heir.     Rebecca Benson as Talla Tarly, Randyll's daughter. House Greyjoy and retainers     Main article: House Greyjoy     Patrick Malahide as Lord Balon Greyjoy, Lord of Pyke, father of Theon Greyjoy.     Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy, the only daughter of Lord Balon.     Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy, nicknamed "Crow's Eye", a younger brother of Lord Balon.     Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy, nicknamed "Damphair", a younger brother of Lord Balon.     Forbes KB as Black Lorren, a noted raider and reaver in the service of House Greyjoy.     Ralph Ineson as Dagmer, a noted raider, reaver and ship captain in the service of House Greyjoy.     Grahame Fox as Ralf Kenning, an ironborn commander. House Tully and retainers     Main article: House Tully     Tobias Menzies as Ser Edmure Tully, the son and heir of the ailing Lord Hoster Tully and the brother of Lady Catelyn Stark and Lady Lysa Arryn.     Clive Russell as Ser Brynden Tully, Lord Hoster's younger brother, a famous knight known as "the Blackfish" for his strained relationship with his brother. House Frey and retainers     Main article: House Frey     David Bradley as Lord Walder Frey, Lord of the Twins, an old and prickly vassal of House Tully, past ninety years of age.     Kelly Long as Joyeuse Frey, Walder Frey's eigth wife.     Tim Plester as "Black Walder" Frey, a bastard son of Walder Frey and a noted warrior with a hot temper.     Tom Brooke (Season 3)/Daniel Tuite (Season 6) as "Lame Lothar" Frey, a son of Walder Frey, nicknamed after the limp he has in his left leg.     Alexandra Dowling as Roslin Frey, one of Lord Frey's youngest daughters.     Elizabeth Webster as Walda Frey, one of Lord Frey's granddaughters, recently married to Roose Bolton.     Lucy Hayes as Kitty Frey, Walder Frey's ninth wife. House Martell and retainers     Main article: House Martell     Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne, who is heavily suffering from gout and confined to a wheelchair.     Toby Sebastian as Prince Trystane Martell, Prince Doran’s son and heir to Dorne.     Pedro Pascal as Prince Oberyn Martell, popularly known as the Red Viper. Younger brother of the ruling Prince Doran Martell of Dorne.     Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand, Oberyn's paramour and mother to several of his children, the Sand Snakes.     Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand, a fearsome warrior and the eldest bastard daughter of Prince Oberyn.     Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand, the second eldest of Prince Oberyn’s bastard daughters.     Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand, the daughter of Prince Oberyn by Ellaria Sand, his paramour.     DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah, the long-serving captain of Doran Martell’s palace guard, renowned for his loyalty and his longaxe.     Colin Azzopardi as Maester Caleotte, the maester at Sunspear. In the Riverlands and the Vale     Main article: Riverlands     Jerome Flynn as Bronn, a sellsword met at the Crossroads Inn.     Emun Elliott as Marillion, a singer and troubadour met at the Crossroads Inn.     Sibel Kekilli as Shae, a camp-follower and prostitute attached to the Lannister army.     Mark Lewis Jones as Shagga, a warrior clan chief from the Mountains of the Moon.     Oona Chaplin as Talisa Maegyr, a battlefield nurse originally from Volantis.     Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr, a Red Priest, warrior, famed drinker and friend of King Robert.     Philip McGinley as Anguy, an exceptionally-skilled archer of the Brotherhood Without Banners.     Anton Lesser as Qyburn, a disgraced maester.     Ian McShane as Brother Ray, a former mercenary who now serves the faith.     Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Lem, a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners. In King's Landing     Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin on the king's small council, also known as "Littlefinger" for his birthplace.     Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle, the master of wisdom on the king's small council.     Conleth Hill as Varys, a eunuch and the Master of Whisperers on the king's small council, also known as "the Spider" for his reputation.     Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow, the leader of the religious movement known as the Sparrows.     Ian McElhinney as Lord Commander Barristan Selmy, the head of the Kingsguard.     Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant, a knight of the Kingsguard.     Wilko Johnson as Ser Ilyn Payne, the king's headsman and executioner.     Richard Dormer as Lord Beric Dondarrion, a young lord and popular tourney knight.     Dominic Carter as Commander Janos Slynt, the commander of the City Watch of King's Landing.     Miltos Yerolemou as Syrio Forel, a master swordsman from Braavos.     Andrew Wilde as Tobho Mott, a master armorer and smith.     Joe Dempsie as Gendry, Mott's apprentice who is secretly a bastard of King Robert.     Will Tudor as Olyvar, a male prostitute and spy.     Sahara Knite as Armeca, a female prostitute.     Josephine Gillan as Marei, a female prostitute.     Elizabeth Cadwallader as Lollys Stokeworth, a simple-minded noblewoman.     Eros Vlahos as Lommy Greenhands, a dyer's apprentice.     Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie, a baker's apprentice.     Andy Beckwith as Rorge, a street criminal imprisoned in the Red Keep.     Gerard Jordan as Biter, a street criminal imprisoned in the Red Keep.     Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar, a prisoner in the Red Keep.     Roy Dotrice as Wisdom Hallyne, the head of the Alchemists' Guild.     Paul Bentley as the High Septon, the head of the Faith of the Seven.     Hannah Waddingham as Septa Unella, a devoted follower of the High Sparrow.     Tony Way as Ser Dontos Hollard, a knight in service to the crown.     Sara Dylan as Bernadette, a handmaiden of House Lannister. In Oldtown     Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose, one of the governing members of the Citadel. In the Night's Watch     Main article: Night's Watch     James Cosmo as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, commander of the Night's Watch.     Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne, in charge of training new recruits.     Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon, Lord Mormont's closest adviser.     Michael Condron as Bowen Marsh, the First Steward of the Watch.     Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck, the First Builder of the Watch.     Francis Magee as Yoren, a recruiter for the Watch.     Josef Altin as Pypar, a fresh recruit to the Watch, a former actor.     Mark Stanley as Grenn, a fresh recruit to the Watch.     Luke Barnes as Rast, a fresh recruit to the Watch, arrested for rape.     Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett, a squire, noted for his pessimistic sense of humor.     Simon Armstrong as Qhorin, one of the Watch's most respected rangers.     J.J. Murphy as Ser Denys Mallister, a veteran member of the Watch.     Burn Gorman as Karl Tanner, a ranger and former assassin from King's Landing.     Brenock O'Connor as Olly, a young boy from the Gift. Beyond the Wall     Natalia Tena as Osha, a wildling warrior-woman.     Robert Pugh as Craster, a wildling whose keep provides a safehaven for rangers of the Watch.     Hannah Murray as Gilly, one of Craster's daughters.     Rose Leslie as Ygritte, a wildling warrior-woman in the service of Mance Rayder.     Edward Dogliani (Season 2-3)/Ross O'Hennessy (Season 5) as the Lord of Bones, a famed wildling warrior.     Mackenzie Crook as Orell, a sinister wildling with unnatural powers.     Kristofer Hivju as Tormund, a charismatic wildling leader.     Ciarán Hinds as Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, the leader of all the wildlings by acclamation.     Yuri Kolokolnikov as Styr, the Magnar of Thenn.     Neil Fingleton as Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg, a Giant.     Struan Rodger (Season 4)/Max von Sydow (Season 6) as the Three-Eyed Raven.     Octavia Alexandru (Season 4)/Kae Alexander (Season 6) as Leaf, a child of the forest.     Richard Brake (Season 4-5)/Vladimír Furdík (Season 6-8) as the Night King, the leader of the White Walkers.     Ian Whyte as Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, a Giant.     Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Karsi, a Wildling leader.     Zahary Baharov as Loboda, a Thenn.     Murray McArthur as Dim Dalba, a Wildling elder. In Vaes Dothrak     Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo, the leading warlord of the Dothraki.     Dar Salim as Qotho, one of Drogo's bloodriders.     Elyes Gabel as Rakharo, a Dothraki warrior in Daenerys's service as a bodyguard.     Steven Cole as Kovarro, a Dothraki warrior.     Amrita Acharia as Irri, a handmaiden gifted to Daenerys.     Roxanne McKee as Doreah, a servant and adviser gifted to Daenerys.     Ivailo Dimitrov as Mago, a Dothraki warrior.     Joe Naufahu as Khal Moro, a warlord of the Dothraki.     Souad Faress as the high priestess of the dosh khaleen, the leader of the widows of dead Khals.     Hannah John-Kamen as Ornela, a member of the Dosh khaleen.     Staz Nair as Qhono, a Dothraki warrior. In the Free Cities     Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, an exiled Targaryen claimant to the Iron Throne.     Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, claimant to the Iron Throne.     Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont, a knight of Westeros, exiled by Lord Eddard Stark.     Roger Allam as Illyrio Mopatis, a magister of the Free City of Pentos.     Mia Soteriou as Mirri Maz Duur, a healer of the Lhazareen people.     Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris, a representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos.     Gary Oliver as Ternesio Terys, a trader from Braavos.     Faye Marsay as the Waif, an acolyte of the Faceless Men.     Richard E. Grant as Izembaro, leader of a Braavosi theater troupe.     Essie Davis as Lady Crane, the leading actress in Izembaro's theater troupe.     Marc Rissmann as Harry Strickland, the commander of the Golden Company. In Qarth     Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a merchant lord of Qarth.     Ian Hanmore as Pyat Pree, a warlock of Qarth.     Laura Pradelska as Quaithe, a priestess of the Shadow Lands resident in Qarth.     Nicholas Blane as the Spice King, the leader of the spice merchants of Qarth. In Slaver's Bay     Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, a slave and translator working in the city of Astapor.     Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm, a warrior-eunuch of the Unsullied.     Dan Hildebrand as Kraznys mo Nakloz, a slave-trader and immensely rich merchant in Astapor.     Clifford Barry as Greizhen mo Ullhor, one of the Good Masters of Astapor.     George Georgiou as Razdal mo Eraz, a slave-trader and one of the Wise Masters of Yunkai.     Ed Skrein (Season 3)/Michiel Huisman (Season 4-6) as Daario Naharis, a charismatic mercenary.     Mark Killeen as Mero, a mercenary commander from Braavos nicknamed "The Titan's Bastard".     Ramon Tikaram as Prendahl na Ghezn, a mercenary commander.     Joel Fry as Hizdahr zo Loraq, a master of Meereen.     Reece Noi as Mossador, a slave in Meereen.     Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Malko, a pirate.     Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan zo Qaggaz, an extremely wealthy slave-trader in Meereen.     Meena Rayann as Vala, a female prostitute and an associate of the Sons of the Harpy.     Gerald Lepkowski as Zanrush, a Red Priest based in Meereen.     Ania Bukstein as Kinvara, the High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis. In Bran's visions     Robert Aramayo and Sebastian Croft as Eddard Stark.     Aisling Franciosi and Cordelia Hill as Lyanna Stark.     Wilf Scolding as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.     David Rintoul as King Aerys II Targaryen, commonly called "the Mad King".     Matteo Elezi as Benjen Stark.     Luke Roberts as Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning.     Eddie Eyre as Ser Gerold Hightower, Lord Commander of Aerys II Targaryen's Kingsguard.     Leo Woodruff as Lord Howland Reed, the father of Meera and Jojen Reed.     Sam Coleman as Hodor, who was known as a boy called Wylis.     Annette Tierney as Old Nan.     Fergus Leathem as Rodrik Cassel.     Wayne Foskett as Lord Rickard Stark, the father of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen Stark. Crew Producers and staff     David Benioff: writer/executive producer     D.B. Weiss: writer/executive producer     George R.R. Martin: writer/co-executive producer     Frank Doelger: executive producer     Carolyn Strauss: executive producer     Bernadette Caulfield: executive producer     David Nutter: executive producer (Season 8)     Miguel Sapochnik: executive producer (Season 8)     Guymon Casady: co-executive producer     Vince Gerardis: co-executive producer     Bryan Cogman: co-executive producer (Season 4-8)     Chris Newman: producer (Season 3-8)     Greg Spence: producer (Season 3-8)     Lisa McAtackney: producer (Season 5-8)     Duncan Muggoch: producer (Season 8)     Michele Clapton: costume designer     Deborah Riley: production designer (Season 4-8)     Ramin Djawadi: composer     Nina Gold: casting director     Robert Sterne: casting director Former producers and staff     Vanessa Taylor: co-executive producer (Season 2-3)     Alan Taylor: co-executive producer (Season 2)     Ralph Vicinanza: co-executive producer (Season 1)     Mark Huffam: producer (Season 1)     April Ferry: costume designer (Season 6)     Gemma Jackson: production designer (Season 1-3) Writers     David Benioff & D.B. Weiss: episodes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72 and 73     Bryan Cogman: episodes 4, 13, 25, 34, 36, 45, 46, 56, 57, 62 and 69     Jane Espenson: episode 6     George R.R. Martin: episodes 8, 19, 27 and 32     Vanessa Taylor: episodes 14, 16 and 22     Dave Hill: episodes 44, 52, 65 and 68 In an interview with New York Observer just before Season 5 began, Bryan Cogman explained the writing process for the TV series:     "It’s varied from season to season as we figured out how this thing works. But it’s basically run the same way the past few years. As we’re shooting one season we’re trading emails and/or chatting on set about the broad strokes of the next season: ”Character X” starts at “blank” and we want him or her to end up at “blank.” Then, as we start to approach the end of production, David and Dan, in some years, will assign the various writers a few characters. For instance, when we were working on Season 4, I was assigned Arya and a few others. So I’d go home and work for a few weeks on my “Arya Season 4,” keeping in mind a few scenes we’d already discussed and what chapters and scenarios and themes from the books we might use.     Then, in January, when we’re back in L.A., we’d meet for about two or three weeks, armed with the work we’d all done individually, and throw it all up on the board. You debate, you use some stuff, you throw some stuff out, you think up some new stuff. Sometimes what you end up with is really close to the individual outlines. Sometimes it's very different.     After we map out all the main characters’ individual arcs, using color-coded index cards, we arrange them by episode and get a rough idea of the scene order. From there, we all split up again and each tackle a chunk of the outline—a detailed outline, which sometimes ends up being over a hundred pages. David and Dan polish it, and that’s what we use to script our episodes. I’m generally assigned mid-season episodes—it just seems to work out that way. George wrote a script per season for the first four seasons, but took a break for Season 5 as he’s hard at work on the next book. And while George isn't in the writers room, he reads the outlines and gives his notes.     From there I write my two scripts—it takes me about a month and half to do both—D&D read them, give notes, I do a rewrite, D&D sometimes do a pass on it themselves. And we continue to tinker with all of the scripts through prep and production. But they’re generally camera-ready when we finish them. They have to be, as we have to have all 10 scripts complete well before shooting starts. We shoot all 10 episodes simultaneously, out of order, like a big, 10-hour movie, with two shooting units going at all times, sometimes in different countries."[10] Cogman went on to explain that, as of Season 5, there were never more than four people in the writers' room at any one time. Martin didn't actually sit in the writers room even when he wrote one episode each year in Seasons 1 to 3 (he didn't move to Northern Ireland to oversee filming for months at a time the way they did), though they sent him their outlines and he would send them back with notes. In Season 1 the only three people sitting in the writers' room and discussing the scripts were Benioff, Weiss, and Cogman. Jane Espenson wrote one episode in Season 1, but as she has explained, they gave her a copy of the book filled with stick-it notes and strict instructions to adapt a certain page range - but she was not actively contributing on the rest of the season as a whole, and left after Season 1. In Season 2 Vanessa Taylor joined the show and became the fourth person (and only woman) sitting in the writer's room discussions. Taylor stayed through Season 3 but did not return for Season 4, and in Season 5 assistant Dave Hill was promoted up to be a new full staff writer, bringing the number of people in the room back up to four. Cogman said that he felt having such a small number of writers helped keep the show more focused.[11] Directors     Thomas McCarthy: pilot episode (unscreened)     Tim Van Patten: episodes 1 and 2     Brian Kirk: episodes 3, 4 and 5     Daniel Minahan: episodes 6, 7, 8, 21 and 22     Alan Taylor: episodes 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20 and 66     Alik Sakharov: episodes 13, 26, 36 and 37.     David Petrarca: episodes 14 and 15     David Nutter: episodes 16, 17, 29, 30, 49, 50, 68, 69 and 71     Neil Marshall: episodes 19 and 39     David Benioff & D.B. Weiss: episodes 23, 31 and 73     Alex Graves: episodes 24, 25, 32, 33, 38 and 40     Michelle MacLaren: episodes 27, 28, 34 and 35     Michael Slovis: episodes 41 and 42     Mark Mylod: episodes 43, 44, 57, 58, 62 and 63     Jeremy Podeswa: episodes 45, 46, 51, 52, 61 and 67     Miguel Sapochnik: episodes 47, 48, 59, 60, 70 and 72     Daniel Sackheim: episodes 53 and 54     Jack Bender: episodes 55 and 56     Matt Shakman: episodes 64 and 65 Cinematography     Alik Sakharov: episodes 1, 2, 9 and 10     Marco Pontecorvo: episodes 3, 4 and 5     Matthew Jensen: episodes 6, 7, 8 and 23     Kramer Morgenthau: episodes 11 and 12     P.J. Dillon: episodes 13, 57, 58, 62 and 63     Martin Kenzie: episodes 14, 15, 16 and 17     Jonathan Freeman: episodes 18, 20, 21, 22, 31, 55, 56 and 66     Sam McCurdy: episode 19     Anette Haellmigk: episodes 24, 25, 32, 33, 38, 40, 43, 44, 53 and 54     David Katznelson: episode 26     Chris Seager: episodes 27 and 28     Robert McLachlan: episodes 29, 30, 34, 35, 49, 50, 64 and 65     Fabian Wagner: episodes 36, 37, 47, 48, 59, 60, 70 and 72     David Franco: episodes 39, 41, 42, 68 and 69     Gregory Middleton: episodes 45, 46, 51, 52, 61 and 67 Filming locations     Main article: Game of Thrones filming locations     Northern Ireland (The Paint Hall Studios in Belfast was used for all primary interior sets.)     Malta (Season 1)     Croatia (Season 2-8)     Iceland (Season 2-4, 7-8)[12]     Morocco (Season 3)     United States (Season 3, 7)     Spain (Season 5-8)     Canada (Season 5)[13] Filming dates     The pilot was originally expected to be filmed between 12 October and 6 November 2009, but there was a two-week delay in pre-production. A read-through of the script was held on 12 October 2009. Production and on-location rehearsals began on 24 October. Filming commenced on 26 October and concluded on 19 November.     Scenes at Doune Castle were filmed on 26–27 October 2009 and are believed to include the Winterfell feast to celebrate King Robert's visit. Some filming was also done in the courtyard.     The prologue was filmed on 29 October 2009 at Tollymore Forest Park.     Filming at Cairncastle took place on 2 November 2009, including the scene of Gared's execution and finding the dead direwolf in the snow.     Filming of the scene between Ros, Tyrion and Jaime in King's Landing was filmed on or prior to 3 November 2009, possibly at the Paint Hall studios.     Filming at Castle Ward took place on 5 November 2009, including the scenes of Tommen and Bran sparring and Sandor and Joffrey insulting Rodrik and Robb.     The UK filming bloc was expected to last for 18 days, suggesting that it would finish around 12 November 2009. George R.R. Martin confirmed on his blog that after this date production would move to Morocco for the remainder of the shoot.     Daenerys and Khal Drogo's wedding was filmed on 16 November 2009.     Production of the rest of Season 1, including reshoots on the pilot, commenced on 23 July 2010 and ran through 18 December 2010. Filming took place in Northern Ireland and Malta.     Production of Season 2 ran from 25 July 2011 to 12 December 2011. Filming took place in Northern Ireland, Iceland and Croatia (replacing Malta).     Production of Season 3 ran from 10 July to 24 November 2012, with Morocco added to the filming roster. An additional scene was also shot in Los Angeles, meaning that filming for Season 3 took place in five countries and on three continents.     Production of Season 4 ran from 8 July to 21 November 2013. Filming took place in Northern Ireland, Iceland and Croatia, with Morocco dropped. Filming in Iceland was expanded to encompass locations in the south of Westeros as well as beyond the Wall, and took place earlier in the schedule to allow for more filming time.     Production of Season 5 ran from 18 July to 12 December 2014, with Spain added to the filming roster. Filming also took place in Northern Ireland and Croatia, with Iceland dropped. Additional shooting took place in Canada for the scenes involving the direwolf Ghost.     Production of Season 6 ran from mid-July to mid-December 2015. Filming took place in Northern Ireland and Spain, with minor additional filming taking place in Croatia.     Production of Season 7 ran from 31 August 2016 to February 2017. Filming took place in Northern Ireland, Spain, Croatia and Iceland, which returns as a shooting location.     Production of Season 8 ran from 23 October 2017 to 6 July 2018. Filming took place in Northern Ireland, Spain, Croatia and Iceland. Gallery Videos Behind the scenes Audition Reel Audition Reel Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos Trailers Official Series Trailer Official Series Trailer Official Sansa Stark Trailer Official Sansa Stark Trailer Official Tyrion Lannister Trailer Official Tyrion Lannister Trailer Official Dragons & White Walkers Trailer Official Dragons & White Walkers Trailer Official Arya Stark Trailer Official Arya Stark Trailer Official Brienne of Tarth Trailer Official Brienne of Tarth Trailer Official Cersei Lannister Trailer Official Cersei Lannister Trailer Official Jon Snow Trailer Official Jon Snow Trailer Official Daenerys Targaryen Trailer Official Daenerys Targaryen Trailer Official Bran Stark Trailer Official Bran Stark Trailer Official Jaime Lannister Trailer Official Jaime Lannister Trailer Iron Anniversary Iron Anniversary Iron Anniversary MaraThrone MaraThrone A Decade of Game of Thrones The Crew The Crew Emilia Clarke on Daenerys Targaryen Emilia Clarke on Daenerys Targaryen Iain Glen on Jorah Mormont Iain Glen on Jorah Mormont Isaac Hempstead Wright on Bran Stark Isaac Hempstead Wright on Bran Stark Kit Harington on Jon Snow Kit Harington on Jon Snow Liam Cunningham on Davos Seaworth Liam Cunningham on Davos Seaworth Maisie Williams on Arya Stark Maisie Williams on Arya Stark Peter Dinklage on Tyrion Lannister Peter Dinklage on Tyrion Lannister Rory McCann on The Hound Rory McCann on The Hound Sophie Turner on Sansa Stark Sophie Turner on Sansa Stark Lena Headey on Cersei Lannister Lena Headey on Cersei Lannister Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on Jaime Lannister Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on Jaime Lannister John Bradley on Samwell Tarly John Bradley on Samwell Tarly Evolution of the Dragons Evolution of the Dragons See also     Westeros.org - a subset of the Westeros.org website which covers developments on the series.     Game of Thrones Tour Belfast - A tour of filming locations in Belfast Northern Ireland.     A Wiki of Ice and Fire favicon.PNG Game of Thrones on A Wiki of Ice and Fire     Imdb2.PNG Game of Thrones on IMDb     WP favicon.PNG Game of Thrones on Wikipedia References [1] Benioff & Weiss Mother Jones interview. Entertainment Weekly, March 11th, 2014] Vanity Fair, April 2014 Vanity Fair, April 2014 [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] http://watchersonthewall.com/game-thrones-reportedly-set-return-iceland-season-7/#more-71161     [8] v • d • e Game of Thrones Seasons:     Season 1 · Season 2 · Season 3 · Season 4 · Season 5 · Season 6 · Season 7 · Season 8 Characters:     Tyrion Lannister · Jaime Lannister · Cersei Lannister · Daenerys Targaryen · Jon Snow · Sansa Stark · Arya Stark · Theon Greyjoy · Samwell Tarly · Varys · Bronn · Jorah Mormont Cast:     Peter Dinklage · Nikolaj Coster-Waldau · Lena Headey · Emilia Clarke · Kit Harington · Sophie Turner · Maisie Williams · Alfie Allen · John Bradley · Conleth Hill · Jerome Flynn · Iain Glen Showrunners:     David Benioff · D.B. Weiss Source material:     A Song of Ice and Fire Others like you also viewed Game of Thrones Wiki Jon Snow Daenerys Targaryen Bran Stark Sansa Stark Rhaegar Targaryen House of the Dragon Cersei Lannister Theon Greyjoy Tyrion Lannister Arya Stark Ramsay Bolton Game of Thrones: Season 1 Joffrey Baratheon Robert Baratheon Categories Languages Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Others like you also viewed Game of Thrones Wiki Jon Snow Daenerys Targaryen Bran Stark Sansa Stark Rhaegar Targaryen House of the Dragon Cersei Lannister Theon Greyjoy Two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House Targaryen is at the absolute apex of its power. King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm. Season 1 of House of the Dragon premieres 21:00 EST, August 21, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max. Comic-Con extended trailer released July 2022 Rhaenyra Targaryen Rhaenyra Targaryen The king's first-born child and named heir Daemon Targaryen Daemon Targaryen The younger brother to King Viserys and heir presumptive Viserys I Targaryen Viserys I Targaryen King of the Seven Kingdoms Otto Hightower Otto Hightower The Hand of the King Alicent Hightower Alicent Hightower The daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King Corlys Velaryon Corlys Velaryon Head of House Velaryon and husband to Rhaenys Rhaenys Targaryen Rhaenys Targaryen The wife of Lord Corlys Velaryon Criston Cole Criston Cole A knight of House Cole Mysaria Mysaria A trusted ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen Harrold Westerling Harrold Westerling Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Laena Velaryon Laena Velaryon Daughter of Corlys and Rhaenys Laenor Velaryon Laenor Velaryon Son of Corlys and Rhaenys Vaemond Velaryon Vaemond Velaryon Brother of Corlys Aemma Arryn Aemma Arryn Queen of the Seven Kingdoms Jaehaerys I Targaryen Jaehaerys I Targaryen Viserys's predecessor House of the Dragon: Season 1/Cast Browse all characters and cast successor projects Multiple successor projects are in development to follow the main Game of Thrones television series. House of the Dragon House of the Dragon The history of House Targaryen at its peak The Sea Snake The Sea Snake The nine voyages of young Corlys Velaryon Ten Thousand Ships Ten Thousand Ships The legend of Nymeria and the Rhoynar migration The Hedge Knight The Hedge Knight The tales of Dunk and Egg The Golden Empire The Golden Empire An animated series taking place in Yi Ti Snow Snow The continuation of Jon Snow's story following the events of Game of Thrones Game of Thrones successor projects Browse all successor projects the world of game of thrones Category:Individuals Characters Category:Noble houses Noble houses Category:Locations Locations Category:Organizations Organizations Category:Religion Religions Category:Culture and society Culture and society Category:Living beings Living beings Timeline Timeline next episode Jaehaerys and Chest.png "The Heirs of the Dragon" is the first episode of the first season of House of the Dragon. It is the first episode of the series overall. It will premiere on August 21, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max. It was written by Ryan Condal and directed by Miguel Sapochnik. recent news     The Hollywood Reporter reports that a Game of Thrones sequel is in early development, with Kit Harington attached to reprise his role as Jon Snow.     Redanian Intelligence reports that HBO has quietly ordered scripts for House of the Dragon: Season 2 ahead of its Season 1 premiere.     The official House of the Dragon teaser trailer is here!     Six more cast members for House of the Dragon have been confirmed: Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen, Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen, Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, and Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen.     George R.R. Martin has confirmed the titles of all three live-action prequel TV series which are currently in pilot script phase: The Sea Snake (Bruno Heller), Ten Thousand Ships (Amanda Segel), and The Hedge Knight (Steve Conrad). Additionally, he revealed the development of one of three animated series, The Golden Empire, set in Yi Ti.     IMDb has named House of the Dragon the most-anticipated new TV series of 2022, based on site traffic. featured article Harrenhal Great Hall.png The Great Council at Harrenhal was convened to determine the heir to the Iron Throne in the final years of old King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, grandson of Aegon the Conqueror. Jaehaerys outlived both of his sons, leading to a succession crisis. To avoid a civil war, an unprecedented council was held at Harrenhal in which every lord of Westeros, great or small, convened to decide the succession between Jaehaerys's grandchildren. contributing We are currently housing 4,612 articles, and 13,082 files. Game of Thrones Wiki is created by fans, for fans, and you can edit! We need YOUR help expanding and adding articles to the wiki! If you're new to FANDOM, please take a moment to read the Wiki tutorial before getting started. If you're new to this wiki, please observe our policies and guidelines, and if you get stuck feel free to check in at the help desk. TelevisionFantasyFooter.png Fantasy Shows Go to these sites for info or for help with your own wiki! Angel / Buffy the Vampire Slayer • Charmed • Charmed (2018) • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina • Game of Thrones / House of the Dragon • Grimm • iZombie • Just Add Magic • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power • Lucifer • The Magicians • Midnight, Texas • NOS4A2 • Once Upon a Time • Sandman • The Shannara Chronicles • Shadowhunters • Siren • Sleepy Hollow • Supernatural / The Winchesters • Teen Wolf / Wolf Pack • True Blood • The Vampire Diaries / The Originals / Legacies • Van Helsing • The Wheel of Time • The Witcher • Witches of East End Game of Thrones Wiki OT Rhaenyra.png     COMIC-CON EXTENDED TRAILER released for House of the Dragon!     Game of Thrones Wiki Game of Thrones Wiki     Explore     Game of Thrones     House of the Dragon     World     Trending FANDOM Games Anime Movies TV Video Wikis Start a Wiki Advertisement Advertisement Game of Thrones Wiki Game of Thrones Wiki 4,612 pages     Explore     Game of Thrones     House of the Dragon     World     Trending in: Articles containing House of the Dragon spoilers, Live-action television series, House of the Dragon    English    House of the Dragon    View source Play Sound HotDSpoiler.jpg     SPOILER WARNING This article includes content relating to the Dance of the Dragons, and therefore contains potential spoilers for House of the Dragon, as revealed in GRRM's writings. Anyone wishing to remain completely spoiler free for the new show should avoid any articles displaying this tag. House of the Dragon Format Live-action Seasons 1 Episodes 10 Premiere "The Heirs of the Dragon" Network HBO Transmission dates August 21, 2022 Production dates March 26, 2021 Starring Emma D'Arcy Matt Smith Paddy Considine Rhys Ifans Olivia Cooke Steve Toussaint Eve Best Fabien Frankel Sonoya Mizuno Creator(s) George R.R. Martin Ryan Condal Executive producers George R.R. Martin Ryan Condal Miguel Sapochnik Vince Gerardis Sara Hess Ron Schmidt Jocelyn Diaz Ira Parker Greg Yaitanes David Hancock Writers Ryan Condal Gabe Fonseca Ira Parker Charmaine DeGraté Sara Hess Kevin Lau Eileen Shim Ti Mikkel Directors Miguel Sapochnik Greg Yaitanes Clare Kilner Geeta V. Patel     "Fire will reign"     ―Tagline House of the Dragon, also marketed as Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon,[1] is an upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series. It was ordered by HBO in October 2019. The prequel goes back approximately 200 years to center on the beginning of the end of the once all-powerful dynasty that dominated the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.[2] Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik serve as showrunners and executive producers. George R.R. Martin, Vince Gerardis, Sara Hess, and Ron Schmidt also serve as executive producers, with Greg Yaitanes as co-executive producer.[3] The first season will premiere on August 21, 2022.[4] In May 2022, Redanian Intelligence reported that HBO had quietly renewed the series for a second season and that writing had already begun.[5] Fandom Trivia Quiz      House Targaryen Quiz8 questions Check out more quizzes at Fandom Trivia Overview The concept for House of the Dragon was first pitched by George R.R. Martin in the summer of 2016,[6] with the working title The Dance of the Dragons. It was initially helmed by Carly Wray, and then by Bryan Cogman, and finally Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik.[7] With the launch of HBO Max in May 2020, the House of the Dragon prequel is based on Martin's bestselling Fire & Blood. The first installment in the prequel book series was published in November 2018. It received a 10-episode straight-to-series order. Miguel Sapochnik directed the pilot and additional episodes. The title of the show derives from a passage from A Game of Thrones Chapter 3, Daenerys I: The water was scalding hot, but Daenerys did not flinch or cry out. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean. Besides, her brother had often told her that it was never too hot for a Targaryen. "Ours is the house of the dragon," he would say. "The fire is in our blood." Premise     "The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."     ―Logline Cast This list of characters describes their location and status as of the first episode of the series. House Targaryen     Main article: House Targaryen/House of the Dragon     Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen, the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men.[8]     Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the younger brother and heir presumptive of King Viserys.[9]     Emma D'Arcy and Milly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys.[10]     Tom Glynn-Carney, Jake Heard, and Rory Heard as Prince Aegon Targaryen.[11] (MAJOR spoilers ahead)     Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen.[11] (MAJOR spoilers ahead)     Phia Saban as Princess Helaena Targaryen.[11] (MAJOR spoilers ahead)     Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen.[11] (MAJOR spoilers ahead)     Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen.[11] (MAJOR spoilers ahead) House Hightower     Main article: House Hightower/House of the Dragon     Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King to King Viserys.[12]     Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto.[13] House Velaryon     Main article: House Velaryon     Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, "the Sea Snake", the Lord of the Tides.[12]     Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, "the Queen Who Never Was", the wife of Lord Corlys.[12]     Savannah Steyn as Lady Laena Velaryon, the daughter of Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys.[14]     John Macmillan and Theo Nate as Ser Laenor Velaryon, the son of Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys.[14]     Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon, the younger brother of Lord Corlys and commander in the Velaryon navy.[14]     Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon.[11] (MAJOR spoilers ahead) House Strong     Main article: House Strong     Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong, the Lord of Harrenhal and Master of Laws to King Viserys.[15]     Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin Strong, "Breakbones", the eldest son of Lord Lyonel and heir to Harrenhal.[15]     Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, the younger son of Lord Lyonel.[15] House Lannister     Main article: House Lannister/House of the Dragon     Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock and twin to Ser Tyland.[15]     Jefferson Hall as Ser Tyland Lannister, twin to Lord Jason.[15] In King's Landing     Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven.[16]     Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, the most trusted ally of Prince Daemon.[12]     David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, a trusted advisor to King Viserys.[15]     Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling, a knight of the Kingsguard.[15]     Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury, the Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin to King Viserys.[15]     Kurt Egyiawan as Orwyle, a maester.[17] Crew Producers     George R.R. Martin: co-creator & executive producer     Ryan Condal: co-creator, executive producer & showrunner     Miguel Sapochnik: executive producer & showrunner     Vince Gerardis: executive producer     Sara Hess: executive producer     Ron Schmidt: executive producer     Jocelyn Diaz: executive producer     Ira Parker: co-executive producer     Greg Yaitanes: co-executive producer     David Hancock: co-executive producer Writers     Ryan Condal: episodes 1, 2, and 10; co-writer on episode 3     Gabe Fonseca: episode 3 (co-written with Condal)     Ira Parker: episode 4     Charmaine DeGraté: episode 5 (with some revisions by Hess)     Sara Hess: episodes 6 and 9 (and some revisions to episode 5 with DeGraté)     Kevin Lau: episode 7     Eileen Shim: episode 8     Ti Mikkel (not credited with a specific episode but part of roundtable discussions) Directors     Miguel Sapochnik: episodes 1, 6 and 7     Greg Yaitanes: episodes 2, 3 and 10     Clare Kilner: episodes 4, 5 and 9     Geeta V. Patel: episode 8 Cinematographers Each cinematographer (director of photography) is paired with a specific director's filming unit:     Fabian Wagner (with Miguel Sapochnik)     Pepe Avila del Pino (with Greg Yaitanes)     Alejandro Martínez (with Clare Kilner)     Catherine Goldschmidt (with Geeta Patel) Staff     Ramin Djawadi: composer     Jany Temime: costume designer     Jim Clay: production designer     Tim Porter: film editor     Crispin Green: film editor     Lauren DeSantis: virtual production coordinator     Simon Brindle: costume armor supervisor     David J. Peterson: language consultant     Michael Dawson: visual effects supervisor     Daren Bailey: marine coordinator     Steve Weightman: key grip     Jack Parry: best boy grip     Clive Williams: Libra Head technician     Kate Rhodes James: casting director Filming locations     Main article: House of the Dragon filming locations See also     A Wiki of Ice and Fire favicon.PNG House of the Dragon on A Wiki of Ice and Fire     Imdb2.PNG House of the Dragon on IMDb     WP favicon.PNG House of the Dragon on Wikipedia References House of the Dragon Twitter account ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘House Of The Dragon’ Gets Straight To Series Go-Ahead From HBO, Deadline, October 29, 2019 House of the Dragon | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com Official Twitter account: "The series will premiere in 2022". January 1, 2021. https://redanianintelligence.com/2022/05/13/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-seemingly-renewed-hbo/ The Dragons Take Wing George R. R. Martin, Not A Blog, October 30, 2019 - retrieved October 31, 2019 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/house-of-the-dragon-game-of-thrones-prequels-1235181929/ https://deadline.com/2020/10/house-of-the-dragon-paddy-considine-cast-star-hbo-game-of-thrones-prequel-series-1234591696/ https://winteriscoming.net/2020/08/19/house-of-the-dragon-game-of-thrones-hbo-casting-call-daemon-targaryen/ https://redanianintelligence.com/2020/07/18/hbos-game-of-thrones-prequel-house-of-the-dragons-is-looking-for-two-female-leads/ https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/bio/house-dragon-character-descriptions ‘House Of the Dragon’: Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best & Sonoya Mizuno Join HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel https://redanianintelligence.com/2020/07/18/hbos-game-of-thrones-prequel-house-of-the-dragons-is-looking-for-two-female-leads/ HBO Releases First Official Teaser For HOUSE OF THE DRAGON ‘House Of The Dragon’: Ryan Corr, Jefferson Hall & David Horovitch Among 7 Cast In ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Series Not A Blog, George R.R. Martin, April 15th, 2021.     Kurt Egyiawan's CV v • d • e House of the Dragon Seasons:     Season 1 · Season 2 Characters:     Rhaenyra Targaryen · Daemon Targaryen · Viserys I Targaryen · Otto Hightower · Alicent Hightower · Corlys Velaryon · Rhaenys Targaryen · Criston Cole · Mysaria Cast:     Emma D'Arcy · Matt Smith · Paddy Considine · Rhys Ifans · Olivia Cooke · Steve Toussaint · Eve Best · Fabien Frankel · Sonoya Mizuno Showrunners:     Ryan Condal · Miguel Sapochnik Source material:     Fire & Blood v • d • e Game of Thrones successor projects Active successor projects:     House of the Dragon (Season 1 · Season 2) Current successor pitches:     The Sea Snake · Ten Thousand Ships · The Hedge Knight · The Golden Empire · Snow Canceled and paused successor pitches:     Bloodmoon · Empire of Ash Source material:     Fire & Blood · Tales of Dunk and Egg Others like you also viewed Rhaenyra Targaryen Viserys I Targaryen Daemon Targaryen Game of Thrones Wiki Rhaenys Targaryen House of the Dragon: Season 1 Daenerys Targaryen Jaehaerys I Targaryen The Heirs of the Dragon Aemma Arryn House Targaryen/House of the Dragon Rhaegar Targaryen House Targaryen House Velaryon Categories Languages Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. Others like you also viewed Rhaenyra Targaryen Viserys I Targaryen Daemon Targaryen Game of Thrones Wiki Rhaenys Targaryen House of the Dragon: Season 1 Daenerys Targaryen Jaehaerys I Targaryen The Heirs of the Dragon A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and FireA Song of Ice and Fire book collection box set cover.jpg A Song of Ice and Fire book collection box set cover     A Game of Thrones (1996)     A Clash of Kings (1998)     A Storm of Swords (2000)     A Feast for Crows (2005)     A Dance with Dragons (2011)     The Winds of Winter (forthcoming)     A Dream of Spring (planned) Author    George R. R. Martin Country    United States Language    English Genre    Epic fantasy[1][2] Publisher        Bantam Books (US, Canada)     Voyager Books (UK, Australia) Published    August 1, 1996 – present Media type    Print (hardback & paperback) Audiobook E-book A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, A Game of Thrones, in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who initially envisioned the series as a trilogy, has published five out of a planned seven volumes. The fifth and most recent volume of the series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011, six years after the publication of the preceding book, A Feast for Crows. He is currently writing the sixth novel, The Winds of Winter. A seventh novel, A Dream of Spring, is planned. A Song of Ice and Fire takes place on the fictional continents Westeros and Essos. The point of view of each chapter in the story is a limited perspective of a range of characters growing from nine in the first novel, to 31 characters by the fifth novel. Three main stories interweave: a dynastic war among several families for control of Westeros, the rising threat of the supernatural Others in northernmost Westeros, and the ambition of the deposed king's exiled daughter to assume the Iron Throne. Martin's inspirations included the Wars of the Roses and the French historical novel The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon.[3][4] An assortment of disparate and subjective points of view confronts the reader, and the success or survival of point-of-view characters is never assured. Within the often morally ambiguous world of A Song of Ice and Fire, questions concerning loyalty, pride, human sexuality, piety, and the morality of violence frequently arise. The books have sold 90 million copies worldwide as of April 2019,[5] after having been translated into 47 languages as of January 2017.[6][7] The fourth and fifth volumes reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller lists upon their releases.[8] Among the many derived works are several prequel novellas, a TV series, a comic book adaptation, and several card, board, and video games. Plot synopsis Further information: List of A Song of Ice and Fire characters and World of A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world in which seasons last for years and end unpredictably. Nearly three centuries before the events of the first novel, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros were united under the Targaryen dynasty, establishing military supremacy through their control of dragons. The Targaryens ruled for three hundred years, continuing past the extinction of the dragons. Their dynasty eventually ended with a rebellion led by Lord Robert Baratheon, in which Aerys "the Mad King" Targaryen was killed and Robert proclaimed king of the Seven Kingdoms. At the beginning of A Game of Thrones, 15 years have passed since Robert's rebellion, with a nine-year-long summer coming to an end. The principal story chronicles the power struggle for the Iron Throne among the great Houses of Westeros following the death of King Robert in A Game of Thrones. Robert's heir apparent, the 13-year-old Joffrey, is immediately proclaimed king through the machinations of his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister. When Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Robert's closest friend and chief advisor, discovers that Joffrey and his siblings are the product of incest between Cersei and her twin brother Ser Jaime Lannister, Eddard attempts to unseat Joffrey, but is betrayed and executed for treason. In response, Robert's brothers Stannis and Renly both lay separate claims to the throne. During this period of instability, two of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros attempt to become independent from the Iron Throne: Eddard's eldest son Robb is proclaimed King in the North, while Lord Balon Greyjoy desires to recover the sovereignty of his region, the Iron Islands. The so-called "War of the Five Kings" is in full progress by the middle of the second book, A Clash of Kings. The second part of the story takes place in the far north of Westeros, where an 8,000-year-old wall of ice, simply called "the Wall", defends the Seven Kingdoms from supernatural creatures known as the Others. The Wall's sentinels, the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch, also protect the realm from the incursions of the "wildlings" or "Free Folk", who are several human tribes living on the north side of the Wall. The Night's Watch story is told primarily through the point of view of Jon Snow, Lord Eddard Stark's bastard son.[9] Jon follows the footsteps of his uncle Benjen Stark and joins the Watch at a young age, rising quickly through the ranks. He eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. In the third volume, A Storm of Swords, the Night's Watch storyline becomes increasingly entangled with the War of the Five Kings. The third storyline follows Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of Aerys II, the last Targaryen king. On the continent of Essos, east of Westeros across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys is married off by her elder brother Viserys Targaryen to a powerful warlord, but slowly becomes an independent and intelligent ruler in her own right. Her rise to power is aided by the historic birth of three dragons, hatched from eggs given to her as wedding gifts. The three dragons soon become not only a symbol of her bloodline and her claim to the throne, but also devastating weapons of war, which help her in the conquest of Slaver's Bay. The story follows her year-long conflict with the region's city states, in which she aims to consolidate power, disrupt the Essosi slave trade, and gather support for her ambitions to reclaim Westeros. Publishing history Overview Books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series are first published in hardcover and are later re-released as paperback editions. In the UK, Harper Voyager publishes special slipcased editions.[10] The series has also been translated into more than 30 languages.[11] All page totals given below are for the US first editions. #     Title     Pages     Chapters     Words     Audio     US release 1     A Game of Thrones     694[12]     73     292,727[13]     33 h 53 min     August 1996[12] 2     A Clash of Kings     768[14]     70     318,903[15]     37 h 17 min     February 1999[14] 3     A Storm of Swords     973[16]     82     414,604[17]     47 h 37 min     November 2000[16] 4     A Feast for Crows     753[18]     46     295,032[19]     31 h 10 min     November 2005[18] 5     A Dance with Dragons     1056[20]     73     414,788[21]     48 h 56 min     July 2011[20] 6     The Winds of Winter     Forthcoming[22] 7     A Dream of Spring     Forthcoming[23] Total     4,244     344     1,736,054     198 h 53 min     1996–present First three novels (1991–2000) George R. R. Martin at Archipelacon in Mariehamn, Åland, 2015 George R. R. Martin was already a successful fantasy and sci-fi author and TV writer before writing his A Song of Ice and Fire book series.[24] Martin had published his first short story in 1971 and his first novel in 1977.[25] By the mid-1990s, he had won three Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards, and other awards for his short fiction.[26] Although his early books were well-received within the fantasy fiction community, his readership remained relatively small and Martin took on jobs as a writer in Hollywood in the mid-1980s.[26] He worked principally on the revival of The Twilight Zone throughout 1986 and on Beauty and the Beast until 1990, but he also developed his own TV pilots and wrote feature film scripts. He grew frustrated that his pilots and screenplays were not getting made[26] and that TV-related production limitations like budgets and episode lengths were forcing him to cut characters and trim battle scenes.[27] This pushed Martin back towards writing books, where he did not have to worry about compromising the size of his imagination.[26] Admiring the works of J. R. R. Tolkien in his childhood, he wanted to write an epic fantasy, though he did not have any specific ideas.[28] When Martin was between Hollywood projects in the summer of 1991, he started writing a new science fiction novel called Avalon. After three chapters, he had a vivid idea of a boy seeing a man's beheading and finding direwolves in the snow, which would eventually become the first non-prologue chapter of A Game of Thrones.[29] Putting Avalon aside, Martin finished this chapter in a few days and grew certain that it was part of a longer story.[30] After a few more chapters, Martin perceived his new book as a fantasy story[30] and started making maps and genealogies.[24] However, the writing of this book was interrupted for a few years when Martin returned to Hollywood to produce his TV series Doorways that ABC had ordered but ultimately never aired.[27]     "The first scene...chapter one of the first book, the chapter where they find the direwolf pups...just came to me out of nowhere. I was...at work on a different novel, and suddenly I saw that scene. It didn't belong in the novel I was writing, but it came to me so vividly that I had to sit down and write it, and by the time I did, it led to a second chapter, and the second chapter was the Catelyn chapter where Ned has just come back." —George R. R. Martin in 2014[31] In 1994, Martin gave his agent, Kirby McCauley, the first 200 pages and a two-page story projection as part of a planned trilogy with the novels A Dance with Dragons and The Winds of Winter intended to follow. When Martin had still not reached the novel's end at 1400 manuscript pages, he felt that the series needed to be four and eventually six books long,[27][32] which he imagined as two linked trilogies of one long story.[33] Martin chose A Song of Ice and Fire as the overall series title: Martin saw the struggle of the cold Others and the fiery dragons as one possible meaning for "Ice and Fire", whereas the word "song" had previously appeared in Martin's book titles A Song for Lya and Songs the Dead Men Sing, stemming from his obsessions with songs.[34] Martin also named Robert Frost's 1920 poem "Fire and Ice" and cultural associations such as passion versus betrayal as possible influences for the series' title.[35] The revised finished manuscript for A Game of Thrones was 1088 pages long (without the appendices),[36] with the publication following in August 1996.[12] The Wheel of Time author Robert Jordan had written a short endorsement for the cover that was influential in ensuring the book's and hence series' early success with fantasy readers.[37] Blood of the Dragon, a pre-release sample novella drawn from Daenerys's chapters, went on to win the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella.[38] The 300 pages removed from the A Game of Thrones manuscript served as the opening of the second book, entitled A Clash of Kings.[32] It was released in February 1999 in the United States,[14] with a manuscript length (without appendices) of 1184 pages.[36] A Clash of Kings was the first book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series to make the best-seller lists,[27] reaching 13 on The New York Times Best Seller list in 1999.[39] After the success of The Lord of the Rings films, Martin received his first inquiries to the rights of the A Song of Ice and Fire series from various producers and filmmakers.[27] Martin was several months late turning in the third book, A Storm of Swords.[26] The last chapter he had written was about the "Red Wedding", a pivotal scene notable for its violence (see Themes: Violence and death).[40] A Storm of Swords was 1521 pages in manuscript (without appendices),[36] causing problems for many of Martin's publishers around the world. Bantam Books published A Storm of Swords in a single volume in the United States in November 2000,[16] whereas some other-language editions were divided into two, three, or even four volumes.[36] A Storm of Swords debuted at number 12 in the New York Times bestseller list.[38][41] Bridging the timeline gap (2000–2011) After A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords, Martin originally intended to write three more books.[26] The fourth book, tentatively titled A Dance with Dragons, was to focus on Daenerys Targaryen's return to Westeros and the associated conflicts.[33] Martin wanted to set this story five years after A Storm of Swords so that the younger characters could grow older and the dragons grow larger.[42] Agreeing with his publishers early on that the new book should be shorter than A Storm of Swords, Martin set out to write the novel closer in length to A Clash of Kings.[36] A long prologue was to establish what had happened in the meantime, initially just as one chapter of Aeron Damphair on the Iron Islands at the Kingsmoot. Since the events on the Iron Islands were to have an impact in the book and could not be told with existing POV characters, Martin eventually introduced three new viewpoints.[43] In 2001, Martin was still optimistic that the fourth installment might be released in the last quarter of 2002.[34] However, the five-year gap did not work for all characters during writing. On one hand, Martin was unsatisfied with covering the events during the gap solely through flashbacks and internal retrospection. On the other hand, it was implausible to have nothing happen for five years.[42] After working on the book for about a year, Martin realized he needed an additional interim book, which he called A Feast for Crows.[42] The book would pick up the story immediately after the third book, and Martin scrapped the idea of a five-year gap.[34] The material of the written 250-page prologue was mixed in as new viewpoint characters from Dorne and the Iron Islands.[43] These expanded storylines and the resulting story interactions complicated the plot for Martin.[44] The manuscript length of A Feast for Crows eventually surpassed A Storm of Swords.[42] Martin was reluctant to make the necessary deep cuts to get the book down to publishable length, as that would have compromised the story he had in mind. Printing the book in "microtype on onion skin paper and giving each reader a magnifying glass" was also not an option for him.[36] On the other hand, Martin rejected the publishers' idea of splitting the narrative chronologically into A Feast for Crows, Parts One and Two.[8] Being already late with the book, Martin had not even started writing all characters' stories[45] and also objected to ending the first book without any resolution for its many viewpoint characters as in previous books.[42] With the characters spread out across the world,[22] a friend suggested that Martin divide the story geographically into two volumes, of which A Feast for Crows would be the first.[8] This approach would give Martin the room to complete his commenced story arcs as he had originally intended,[36] which he still felt was the best approach years later.[22] Martin moved the unfinished characters' stories set in the east (Essos) and north (Winterfell and the Wall) into the next book, A Dance with Dragons,[46] and left A Feast for Crows to cover the events in King's Landing, the Riverlands, Dorne, and the Iron Islands.[36] Both books begin immediately after the end of A Storm of Swords,[22] running in parallel instead of sequentially, and involve different casts of characters with only little overlap.[36] Martin split Arya's chapters into both books after having already moved the three other most popular characters (Jon Snow, Tyrion, and Daenerys) into A Dance with Dragons.[46] Upon its release in October 2005 in the UK[47] and November 2005 in the US,[18] A Feast for Crows went straight to the top of The New York Times bestseller list.[48] Among the positive reviewers was Lev Grossman of Time, who dubbed Martin "the American Tolkien".[49] However, fans and critics alike were disappointed with the story split that left the fates of several popular characters unresolved after A Storm of Swords' cliffhanger ending.[50][51] With A Dance with Dragons said to be half-finished,[50] Martin mentioned in the epilogue of A Feast for Crows that the next volume would be released by the next year.[52] However, planned release dates were repeatedly pushed back. Meanwhile, HBO acquired the rights to turn A Song of Ice and Fire into a fantasy drama series in 2007[53] and aired the first of ten episodes covering A Game of Thrones in April 2011.[54] With around 1600 pages in manuscript length,[1] A Dance with Dragons was eventually published in July 2011 after six years of writing,[27] longer in page count and writing time than any of the preceding four novels.[24][50] The story of A Dance with Dragons catches up with and goes beyond A Feast for Crows around two-thirds into the book,[45] but nevertheless covers less story than Martin had intended, omitting at least one planned large battle sequence and leaving several character threads ending in cliff-hangers.[24] Martin attributed the delay mainly to his untangling "the Meereenese knot", which the interviewer understood as "making the chronology and characters mesh up as various threads converged on [Daenerys]".[51] Martin also acknowledged spending too much time on rewriting and perfecting the story, but soundly rejected the theories of some of his critics that he had lost interest in the series or would bide his time to make more money.[50] Planned novels and future Martin believes the last two volumes of the series will be large books of 1500 manuscript pages each.[55] The sixth book will be called The Winds of Winter,[56] taking the title of the last book of the originally planned trilogy.[22] Displeased with the provisional title A Time for Wolves for the final volume, Martin ultimately announced A Dream of Spring as the title for the seventh book in 2006.[23] Martin said in March 2012 that the final two novels will take readers farther north than any of the previous books, and that the Others will appear.[57] The Winds of Winter Main article: The Winds of Winter The Winds of Winter will resolve the cliffhangers from A Dance with Dragons early on and "will open with the two big battles that [the fifth book] was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle [...] of Slaver's Bay. And then take it from there."[57] By the middle of 2010, Martin had already finished five chapters of The Winds of Winter from the viewpoints of Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Arianne Martell, and Aeron Greyjoy, coming to around 100 completed pages.[56][58] After the publication of A Dance with Dragons in 2011, Martin announced he would return to writing in January 2012.[24] He spent the meantime on book tours, conventions, and continued working on his The World of Ice & Fire companion guide and a new Tales of Dunk and Egg novella.[59][60] In December 2011, Martin posted a chapter from The Winds of Winter from the viewpoint of Theon Greyjoy;[61] several other chapters have been made public since. Four hundred pages of the sixth novel had been written as of October 2012, although Martin considered only 200 as "really finished"; the rest needed revising.[35] During the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico in early December 2016, Martin offered the following hint as to the tone of this book: "There are a lot of dark chapters right now ... I've been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming. Winter is the time when things die, and cold and ice and darkness fill the world, so this is not going to be the happy feel-good that people may be hoping for. Some of the characters [are] in very dark places."[62] Martin did not intend to separate the characters geographically again.[28] In 2011, Martin gave three years as a realistic estimate for finishing the sixth book at a good pace,[1] but said ultimately the book "will be done when it's done",[22] acknowledging that his publication estimates had been too optimistic in the past.[24] In 2015 there were indications that the book would be published before the sixth season of the HBO show[63][64][65][66][67][68] but in early January 2016 Martin confirmed that he had not met an end-of-year deadline that he had established with his publisher for release of the book before the sixth season. He also revealed there had been a previous deadline of October 2015 that he had considered achievable in May 2015, and that in September 2015 he had still considered the end-of-year deadline achievable. He further confirmed that some of the plot of the book might be revealed in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones.[69] In February 2016, Martin stated that he dropped all his editing projects except for Wild Cards, and that he would not be writing any teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions or forewords before delivering The Winds of Winter.[70] In March 2020, Martin stated that he was writing The Winds of Winter every day,[71] and in June he hoped to be done with it in 2021.[72] A Dream of Spring Martin is only firm about ending the series with the seventh novel "until I decide not to be firm".[24] With his stated goal of telling the story from beginning to end, he will not truncate the story to fit into an arbitrary number of volumes.[40] He knows the ending in broad strokes as well as the future of the main characters,[28] and will finish the series with bittersweet elements where not everyone will live happily ever after.[38] Martin hopes to write an ending similar to The Lord of the Rings that he felt gave the story a satisfying depth and resonance. On the other hand, Martin noted the challenge to avoid a situation like the finale of the TV series Lost, which left some fans disappointed by deviating too far from their own theories and desires.[22] In 2012, Martin had acknowledged his concerns about A Dream of Spring not being completed by the time the TV series Game of Thrones catches up in its storyline to the novels.[73] In 2015, Martin said that he was not writing A Dream of Spring together with The Winds of Winter,[74] and in early 2016, he said he did not believe A Dream of Spring would be published before the last season of the HBO show.[75] In April 2018, Martin commented he had not started working on the book,[76] and in November he said that after The Winds of Winter he would decide what to do next: A Dream of Spring or the second volume of Fire & Blood or one or two stories for the Tales of Dunk and Egg.[77] In May 2019 he reiterated he had not started writing A Dream of Spring and would not do so before finishing The Winds of Winter.[78] During a Q&A at the 2016 Guadalajara International Book Fair, Martin said, "I'm not going to tell you how I'm going to end my book, but I suspect the overall flavor is going to be as much bittersweet as it is happy."[62] TV series and other writings Early during the development of the TV series, Martin told major plot points to producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.[28] Martin was confident he would have published at least The Winds of Winter before the TV series overtook him.[28] Nevertheless, there were general concerns about whether Martin would be able to stay ahead of the show.[79] As a result, head writers Benioff and Weiss learned more future plot points from Martin in 2013 to help them set up the show's new possible seasons. This included the end stories for all the core characters. Deviations from the books' storylines were considered, but a two-year hiatus to wait for new books was not an option for them (as the child actors continue to grow and the show's popularity would wane).[80] Martin indicated he would not permit another writer to finish the book series.[50] On January 2, 2016, Martin confirmed that the sixth volume would not be published before the start of the sixth season of the HBO series.[81] Regarding A Song of Ice and Fire as his masterpiece, Martin stated he would never write anything on this scale again and would only return to this fictional universe in the context of stand-alone novels.[43] He prefers to write stories about characters from other A Song of Ice and Fire periods of history such as his Tales of Dunk and Egg project, instead of continuing the series directly.[43][82] Martin said he would love to return to writing short stories, novellas, novelettes, and stand-alone novels from diverse genres such as science fiction, horror, fantasy, or even a murder mystery.[30][37] Inspiration and writing Genre Further information: Themes in A Song of Ice and Fire     "[Martin's Ice and Fire series] was groundbreaking (at least for me) in all kinds of ways. Above all, the books were extremely unpredictable, especially in a genre where readers have come to expect the intensely predictable. [...] A Game of Thrones was profoundly shocking when I first read it, and fundamentally changed my notions about what could be done with epic fantasy." —Fantasy writer Joe Abercrombie in 2008[83] George R. R. Martin believes the most profound influences to be the ones experienced in childhood.[84] Having read H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert A. Heinlein, Eric Frank Russell, Andre Norton,[30] Isaac Asimov,[34] Fritz Leiber, and Mervyn Peake[85] in his youth, Martin never categorized these authors' literature into science fiction, fantasy, or horror and will write from any genre as a result.[84] Martin classified A Song of Ice and Fire as "epic fantasy",[1] and specifically named Tad Williams' high fantasy epic Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn as very influential for the writing of the series.[34][85] One of his favorite authors is Jack Vance,[34] although Martin considered the series not particularly Vancean.[33] Martin experienced some harsh winters when living in Dubuque a few years in the 1970s, and suspects these winters had an influence on his writing; "I think a lot of the stuff in A Game of Thrones, the snow and ice and freezing, comes from my memories of Dubuque".[31] The medieval setting has been the traditional background for epic fantasy. However, where historical fiction leaves versed readers knowing the historical outcome,[85] original characters may increase suspense and empathy for the readers.[84] Yet Martin felt historical fiction, particularly when set during the Middle Ages, had an excitement, grittiness, and a realness to it that was absent in fantasy with a similar backdrop.[86] Thus, he wanted to combine the realism of historical fiction with the magic appeal of the best fantasies,[87] subduing magic in favor of battles and political intrigue.[26] He also decided to avoid the conventional good versus evil setting typical for the genre, using the fight between Achilles and Hector in Homer's Iliad, where no one stands out as either a hero or a villain, as an example of what he wants to achieve with his books.[88] Martin is widely credited with broadening the fantasy fiction genre for adult content.[50] Writing for The Atlantic, Amber Taylor assessed the novels as hard fantasy with vulnerable characters to which readers become emotionally attached.[89] CNN found in 2000 that Martin's mature descriptions were "far more frank than those found in the works of other fantasy authors",[90] although Martin assessed the fantasy genre to have become rougher-edged a decade later and that some writers' work was going beyond the mature themes of his novels.[40] Adam Roberts called Martin's series the most successful and popular example of the emerging subgenre of grimdark fantasy.[91] Writing process A Song of Ice and Fire series was partly inspired by the Wars of the Roses, a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England. This painting by Richard Burchett portrays Edward IV demanding that his defeated enemies be taken from Tewkesbury Abbey. Setting out to write something on an epic scale,[90] Martin projected to write three books of 800 manuscript pages in the very early stages of the series.[85] His original 1990s contract specified one-year deadlines for his previous literary works, but Martin only realized later that his new books were longer and hence required more writing time.[42] In 2000, Martin planned to take 18 months to two years for each volume and projected the last of the planned six books to be released five or six years later.[38] However, with A Song of Ice and Fire series evolving into the biggest and most ambitious story he has ever attempted writing,[46] he still has two more books to finish as of 2022. Martin said he needed to be in his own office in Santa Fe, New Mexico to immerse himself in the fictional world and write.[26] As of 2011, Martin was still typing his fiction on a DOS computer with WordStar 4.0 software.[92] He begins each day at 10 am with rewriting and polishing the previous day's work,[84] and may write all day or struggle to write anything.[26] Excised material and previous old versions are saved to be possibly re-inserted at a later time.[46] Martin does not consider A Song of Ice and Fire a "series" but a single story published in several volumes.[93] Martin set the A Song of Ice and Fire story in a secondary world inspired by Tolkien's writing.[28] Unlike Tolkien, who created entire languages, mythologies, and histories for Middle-earth long before writing The Lord of the Rings, Martin usually starts with a rough sketch of an imaginary world that he improvises into a workable fictional setting along the way.[50] He described his writing as coming from a subconscious level in "almost a daydreaming process",[94] and his stories, which have a mythic rather than a scientific core, draw from emotion instead of rationality.[30] Martin employs maps[26] and a cast list topping 60 pages in the fourth volume,[8] but keeps most information in his mind.[1] His imagined backstory remains subject to change until published, and only the novels count as canon.[46] Martin does not intend to publish his private notes after the series is finished.[26] Martin drew much inspiration from actual history for the series,[84] having several bookcases filled with medieval history for research[95] and visiting historic European landmarks.[44] For an American who speaks only English, the history of England proved the easiest source of medieval history for him, giving the series a British rather than a German or Spanish historic flavor.[96] For example, Ned and Robb Stark resemble Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and his son Edward IV, and Queen Cersei resembles both Margaret of Anjou[97] and Elizabeth Woodville.[98] Martin immersed himself in many diverse medieval topics such as clothing, food, feasting, and tournaments to have the facts at hand if needed during writing.[38] The series was in particular influenced by the Hundred Years' War, the Crusades, the Albigensian Crusade, and the Wars of the Roses,[84][95] although Martin refrained from making any direct adaptations.[84] Martin was also inspired by the French historical novels The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon, which are about the French monarchy in the 13th and 14th centuries.[3][4] Martin has also said that important events of the narrative are based on events in Scottish history such as the Black Dinner of 1440 and the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692.[99] Martin has also drawn from Roman history for inspiration, comparing Stannis Baratheon to the Roman emperor Tiberius.[100] Martin has sourced the Massacre of Glencoe and Black Dinner as inspiration for the "Red Wedding," a crucial twist in A Storm of Swords.[101] The story is written to follow principal landmarks with an ultimate destination, but leaves Martin room for improvisation. On occasion, improvised details significantly affected the planned story.[102] By the fourth book, Martin kept more private notes than ever before to keep track of the many subplots,[34] which became so detailed and sprawling by the fifth book as to be unwieldy.[24] Martin's editors, copy editors, and readers monitor for accidental mistakes,[34] although some errors have slipped into publication. For instance, Martin has inconsistently referred to certain characters' eye colors, and has described a horse as being of one sex and then another.[50] Narrative structure Number of chapters per point-of-view character POV character     Game     Clash     Storm     Feast     Dance     (Winds)     Sum Bran Stark     7     7     4         3         21 Catelyn Stark     11     7     7                 25 Daenerys Targaryen     10     5     6         10         31 Eddard Stark     15                         15 Jon Snow     9     8     12         13         42 Arya Stark     5     10     13     3     2     ≥1[56]     ≥34 Tyrion Lannister     9     15     11         12     ≥2[103]     ≥49 Sansa Stark     6     8     7     3         ≥1[56]     ≥25 Davos Seaworth         3     6         4         13 Theon Greyjoy         6             7     ≥1[61]     ≥14 Jaime Lannister             9     7     1         17 Samwell Tarly             5     5             10 Cersei Lannister                 10     2         12 Brienne of Tarth                 8             8 Aeron Greyjoy                 2         ≥1[58]     ≥3 Areo Hotah                 1     1     ≥1[104]     ≥3 Asha Greyjoy                 1     3         4 Arys Oakheart                 1             1 Victarion Greyjoy                 2     2     ≥1[103]     ≥5 Arianne Martell                 2         ≥2[56]     ≥4 Quentyn Martell                     4         4 Jon Connington                     2         2 Melisandre                     1         1 Barristan Selmy                     4     ≥2[105][106]     ≥6 Prologue/Epilogue     1/–     1/–     1/1     1/–     1/1     1/TBD     ≥8 Total (characters)     73 (9)     70 (10)     82 (12)     46 (13)     73 (18)     ≥13 (≥9)     ≥357 (≥24)       Appears as a POV character       Appears as a non-POV character       No appearance The books are divided into chapters, each one narrated in the third person limited through the eyes of a point of view character,[50] an approach Martin learned himself as a young journalism student.[107] Beginning with nine POV characters in A Game of Thrones, the number of POV characters grows to a total of 31 in A Dance with Dragons (see table). The short-lived one-time POV characters are mostly restricted to the prologues and epilogues.[38] David Orr of The New York Times noted the story importance of "the Starks (good guys), the Targaryens (at least one good guy, or girl), the Lannisters (conniving), the Greyjoys (mostly conniving), the Baratheons (mixed bag), the Tyrells (unclear), and the Martells (ditto), most of whom are feverishly endeavoring to advance their ambitions and ruin their enemies, preferably unto death".[108] However, as Time's Lev Grossman noted, readers "experience the struggle for Westeros from all sides at once", such that "every fight is both triumph and tragedy [...] and everybody is both hero and villain at the same time".[109] Modeled on The Lord of the Rings, the story of A Song of Ice and Fire begins with a tight focus on a small group (with everyone in Winterfell, except Daenerys) and then splits into separate stories. The storylines are to converge again, but finding the turning point in this complex series has been difficult for Martin and has slowed down his writing. Depending on the interview, Martin is said to have reached the turning point in A Dance with Dragons,[22] or to not quite have reached it yet in the books.[110] The series' structure of multiple POVs and interwoven storylines was inspired by Wild Cards, a multi-authored shared universe book series edited by Martin since 1985.[111] As the sole author, Martin begins each new book with an outline of the chapter order and may write a few successive chapters from a single character's viewpoint instead of working chronologically. The chapters are later rearranged to optimize character intercutting, chronology, and suspense.[38] Influenced by his television and film scripting background, Martin tries to keep readers engrossed by ending each A Song of Ice and Fire chapter with a tense or revelational moment, a twist or a cliffhanger, similar to a TV act break.[112] Scriptwriting has also taught him the technique of "cutting out the fat and leaving the muscle", which is the final stage of completing a book, a technique that brought the page count in A Dance with Dragons down almost eighty pages.[113] Dividing the continuous A Song of Ice and Fire story into books is much harder for Martin. Each book shall represent a phase of the journey that ends in closure for most characters. A smaller portion of characters is left with clear-cut cliffhangers to make sure readers come back for the next installment, although A Dance with Dragons had more cliffhangers than Martin originally intended.[28][38] Both one-time and regular POV characters are designed to have full character arcs ending in tragedy or triumph,[38] and are written to hold the readers' interest and not be skipped in reading.[85] Main characters are killed off so that the reader will not rely on the hero to come through unscathed and will instead feel the character's fear with each page turn.[37] The unresolved larger narrative arc encourages speculation about future story events.[50] According to Martin, much of the key to A Song of Ice and Fire's future lies over a dozen years in the fictional past, of which each volume reveals more.[26] Events planned from the beginning are foreshadowed, although Martin is careful not to make the story predictable.[110] The viewpoint characters, who serve as unreliable narrators,[22] may clarify or provide different perspectives on past events.[114] Therefore, what the readers believe to be true may not necessarily be true.[26] Character development Main article: List of A Song of Ice and Fire characters Regarding the characters as the heart of the story,[115] Martin planned the epic A Song of Ice and Fire to have a large cast of characters and many different settings from the beginning.[22] A Feast for Crows has a 63-page list of characters,[8] with many of the thousands of characters mentioned only in passing[50] or disappearing from view for long stretches.[116] When Martin adds a new family to the ever-growing number of genealogies in the appendices, he devises a secret about the personality or fate of the family members. However, their backstory remains subject to change until written down in the story.[46] Martin drew most character inspiration from history (without directly translating historical figures)[26] and his own experiences, but also from the manners of his friends, acquaintances, and people of public interest.[34] Martin aims to "make my characters real and to make them human, characters who have good and bad, noble and selfish well-mixed in their natures".[38] Jeff VanderMeer of the Los Angeles Times remarked that "Martin's devotion to fully inhabiting his characters, for better or worse, creates the unstoppable momentum in his novels and contains an implied criticism of Tolkien's moral simplicity"[117] (see Themes: Moral ambiguity). Martin deliberately ignored the writing rule of never giving two characters names starting with the same letter.[46] Instead, character names reflect the naming systems in various European family histories, where particular names were associated with specific royal houses and where even the secondary families assigned the same names repeatedly.[46] The story of A Song of Ice and Fire therefore has children called "Robert" in honor of King Robert of House Baratheon, a "Brandon" in every other generation of the Starks in commemoration of Brandon the Builder (of the Wall), and the syllable "Ty" commonly occurring in given names of House Lannister.[32] Confident that readers would pay attention, Martin distinguished people sharing a given name[46] by adding numbers or locations to their given names (e.g. Henry V of England). The family names were designed in association with ethnic groups (see backstory): the First Men in the North of Westeros had very simply descriptive names like Stark and Strong, whereas the descendants of the Andal invaders in the South have more elaborate, undescriptive house names like Lannister or Arryn, and the Targaryens and Valyrians from the Eastern continent have the most exotic names with the letter Y.[32] All characters are designed to speak with their own internal voices to capture their views of the world.[38] The Atlantic pondered whether Martin ultimately intended the readers to sympathize with characters on both sides of the Lannister–Stark feud long before plot developments force them to make their emotional choices.[118] Contrary to most conventional epic fantasies, the characters of A Song of Ice and Fire are vulnerable so that, according to The Atlantic, the reader "cannot be sure that good shall triumph, which makes those instances where it does all the more exulting."[89] Martin gets emotionally involved in the characters' lives during writing, which makes the chapters with dreadful events sometimes very difficult to write.[38] Seeing the world through the characters' eyes requires a certain amount of empathy with them, including the villains,[84] all of whom he has said he loves as if they were his own children.[85][115] Martin found that some characters had minds of their own and took his writing in different directions. He returns to the intended story if it does not work out, but these detours sometimes prove more rewarding for him.[46] Arya Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen generate the most feedback from readers.[119] Martin has stated that Tyrion is his personal favorite, as the grayest of the gray characters, with his cunning and wit making him the most fun to write.[85] Martin has also said that Bran Stark is the hardest character to write. As the character most deeply involved in magic, Bran's story needs to be handled carefully within the supernatural aspects of the books. Bran is also the youngest viewpoint character,[38] and has to deal with the series' adult themes like grief, loneliness, and anger.[112] Martin set out to have the young characters grow up faster between chapters, but, as it was implausible for a character to take two months to respond, a finished book represents very little time passed. Martin hoped the planned five-year break would ease the situation and age the children to almost adults in terms of the Seven Kingdoms, but he later dropped the five-year gap (see section Bridging the timeline gap).[28][38] Themes Main article: Themes in A Song of Ice and Fire Although involving dragons and sorcery, A Song of Ice and Fire series de-emphasizes magic as compared to many other epic fantasy works (emblem of J. Allen St. John's 1905 fantasy work The Face in the Pool). Modern fantasy may often embrace strangeness, but A Song of Ice and Fire series is generally praised for what is perceived as a sort of medieval realism.[108] Believing that magic should be used moderately in the epic fantasy genre,[27] Martin set out to make the story feel more like historical fiction than contemporary fantasy, with less emphasis on magic and sorcery and more on battles, political intrigue, and the characters.[26] Though the amount of magic has gradually increased throughout the story, the series is still to end with less overt magic than most contemporary fantasies.[38] In Martin's eyes, literary effective magic needs to represent strange and dangerous forces beyond human comprehension,[60] not advanced alien technologies or formulaic spells.[120] As such, the characters understand only the natural aspects of their world, but not the magical elements like the Others.[108] Since Martin drew on historical sources to build the world of A Song of Ice and Fire,[84] Damien G. Walter of The Guardian saw a strong resemblance between Westeros and England in the period of the Wars of the Roses.[121] The Atlantic's Adam Serwer regarded A Song of Ice and Fire as "more a story of politics than one of heroism, a story about humanity wrestling with its baser obsessions than fulfilling its glorious potential", where the emergent power struggle stems from the feudal system's repression and not from the fight between good and evil.[118] Martin not only wanted to reflect the frictions of the medieval class structures in the novels, but also explore the consequences of the leaders' decisions, as general goodness does not automatically make competent leaders and vice versa.[87] A common theme in the fantasy genre is the battle between good and evil,[87] which Martin rejects for not mirroring the real world.[33] Attracted to gray characters,[122] Martin instead endorses William Faulkner's view that only the human heart in conflict with itself was worth writing about.[87] Martin explores the questions of redemption and character change in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.[123] The multiple viewpoint structure allows characters to be explored from many sides, such that the supposed villains can provide their viewpoint.[90][43] Although fantasy comes from an imaginative realm, Martin sees an honest necessity to reflect the real world where people, even beloved people, sometimes die ugly deaths.[38] Main characters are killed off so that the reader will not expect the supposed hero to survive, and instead will feel the same tension and fear that the characters might.[37] The novels also reflect the substantial death rates in war.[85] The deaths of supernumerary extras, or of orcs or their equivalents, have no major effect on readers, whereas a friend's death has much more emotional impact.[110] Martin prefers a hero's sacrifice to say something profound about human nature.[28] According to Martin, the fantasy genre rarely focuses on sex and sexuality,[38] instead often treating sexuality in a juvenile way or neglecting it completely.[84] Martin, however, considers sexuality an important driving force in human life that should not be excluded from the narrative.[123] Providing sensory detail for an immersive experience is more important than plot advancement for Martin,[22] who aims to let the readers experience the novels' sex scenes, "whether it's a great transcendent, exciting, mind blowing sex, or whether it's disturbing, twisted, dark sex, or disappointing perfunctory sex."[123] Martin was fascinated by medieval contrasts where knights venerated their ladies with poems and wore their favors in tournaments while their armies mindlessly raped women in wartime.[38] The non-existent concept of adolescence in the Middle Ages served as a model for Daenerys' sexual activity at the age of 13 in the books.[112] The novels also allude to the incestuous practices in the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt to keep their bloodlines pure.[124] Martin provides a variety of female characters to explore the place of women in a patriarchal society.[110] Writing all characters as human beings with the same basic needs, dreams, and influences,[25] his female characters are to cover the same wide spectrum of human traits as the males.[110][25] Reception Critical response Science Fiction Weekly stated in 2000 that "few would dispute that Martin's most monumental achievement to date has been the groundbreaking A Song of Ice and Fire historical fantasy series",[38] for which reviews have been "orders of magnitude better" than for his previous works, as Martin described to The New Yorker.[50] In 2007, Weird Tales magazine described the series as a "superb fantasy saga" that "raised Martin to a whole new level of success".[30] Shortly before the release of A Dance with Dragons in 2011, Bill Sheehan of The Washington Post was sure that "no work of fantasy has generated such anticipation since Harry Potter's final duel with Voldemort",[116] and Ethan Sacks of Daily News saw the series turning Martin into a darling of literary critics as well as mainstream readers, which was "rare for a fantasy genre that's often dismissed as garbage not fit to line the bottom of a dragon's cage".[61] Salon.com's Andrew Leonard stated:     The success is all the more remarkable because [the series debuted] without mass market publicity or any kind of buzz in the fantasy/SF scene. George R. R. Martin earned his following the hard way, by word of mouth, by hooking his characters into the psyche of his readers to an extent that most writers of fantasy only dream of.[125] Publishers Weekly noted in 2000 that "Martin may not rival Tolkien or Robert Jordan, but he ranks with such accomplished medievalists of fantasy as Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson."[16] After the fourth volume came out in 2005, Time's Lev Grossman considered Martin a "major force for evolution in fantasy" and proclaimed him "the American Tolkien", explaining that, although Martin was "[not] the best known of America's straight-up fantasy writers" at the time and would "never win a Pulitzer or a National Book Award ... his skill as a crafter of narrative exceeds that of almost any literary novelist writing today".[49] As Grossman said in 2011, the phrase American Tolkien "has stuck to [Martin], as it was meant to",[109] being picked up by the media including The New York Times ("He's much better than that"),[126] the New Yorker,[50] Entertainment Weekly ("an acclaim that borders on fantasy blasphemy"),[24] The Globe and Mail,[52] and USA Today.[122] Time magazine named Martin one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011,[52] and USA Today named George R.R. Martin their Author of the Year 2011.[127] According to The Globe and Mail's John Barber, Martin manages simultaneously to master and transcend the genre so that "Critics applaud the depth of his characterizations and lack of cliché in books that are nonetheless replete with dwarves and dragons".[52] Publishers Weekly gave favorable reviews to the first three A Song of Ice and Fire novels at their points of release, saying that A Game of Thrones had "superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness",[12] that A Clash of Kings was "notable particularly for the lived-in quality of [their fictional world and] for the comparatively modest role of magic",[14] and that A Storm of Swords was one "of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy".[16] However, they found that A Feast For Crows as the fourth installment "sorely misses its other half. The slim pickings here are tasty, but in no way satisfying."[18] Their review for A Dance with Dragons repeated points of criticism for the fourth volume, and said that, although "The new volume has a similar feel to Feast", "Martin keeps it fresh by focusing on popular characters [who were] notably absent from the previous book."[20] According to the Los Angeles Times, "Martin's brilliance in evoking atmosphere through description is an enduring hallmark of his fiction, the settings much more than just props on a painted stage", and the novels captivate readers with "complex storylines, fascinating characters, great dialogue, perfect pacing, and the willingness to kill off even his major characters".[117] CNN remarked that "the story weaves through differing points of view in a skillful mix of observation, narration and well-crafted dialogue that illuminates both character and plot with fascinating style",[90] and David Orr of The New York Times found that "All of his hundreds of characters have grace notes of history and personality that advance a plot line. Every town has an elaborately recalled series of triumphs and troubles."[108] Salon.com's Andrew Leonard "couldn't stop reading Martin because my desire to know what was going to happen combined with my absolute inability to guess what would happen and left me helpless before his sorcery. At the end, I felt shaken and exhausted."[128] The Christian Science Monitor advised reading the novels with an A Song of Ice and Fire encyclopedia at hand to "catch all the layered, subtle hints and details that [Martin] leaves throughout his books. If you pay attention, you will be rewarded and questions will be answered."[129] Among the most critical voices were Sam Jordison and Michael Hann, both of The Guardian. Jordison detailed his misgivings about A Game of Thrones in a 2009 review and summarized "It's daft. It's unsophisticated. It's cartoonish. And yet, I couldn't stop reading .... Archaic absurdity aside, Martin's writing is excellent. His dialogue is snappy and frequently funny. His descriptive prose is immediate and atmospheric, especially when it comes to building a sense of deliciously dark foreboding [of the long impending winter]."[130] Hann did not consider the novels to stand out from the general fantasy genre, despite Martin's alterations to fantasy convention, although he rediscovered his childhood's views:     That when things are, on the whole, pretty crappy [in the real world], it's a deep joy to dive headfirst into something so completely immersive, something from which there is no need to surface from hours at a time. And if that immersion involves dragons, magic, wraiths from beyond death, shapeshifting wolves and banished princes, so be it.[131] Academic literary criticism has been slow to engage with the series; there will likely be much more criticism if and when the series is completed. The first scholarly monograph on the series is George R. R. Martin and the Fantasy Form, by New Zealand scholar Joseph Rex Young.[132] Sales Sales performance of A Song of Ice and Fire series in the New York Times combined print and e-book fiction bestseller list in 2011 between the airing of the Game of Thrones pilot episode and the publication of A Dance with Dragons.[133] The reported overall sales figures of the A Song of Ice and Fire series vary. The New Yorker said in April 2011 (before the publication of A Dance with Dragons) that more than 15 million A Song of Ice and Fire books had been sold worldwide,[50] a figure repeated by The Globe and Mail in July 2011.[52] Reuters reported in September 2013 that the books including print, digital and audio versions have sold more than 24 million copies in North America.[134] The Wall Street Journal reported more than six million sold copies in North America by May 2011.[135] USA Today reported 8.5 million copies in print and digital overall in July 2011,[136] and over 12 million sold copies in print in December 2011.[127] The series has been translated into more than 20 languages;[11] USA Today reported the fifth book to be translated into over 40 languages.[122] Forbes estimated that Martin was the 12th highest-earning author worldwide in 2011 at $15 million.[137] Martin's publishers initially expected A Game of Thrones to be a best-seller,[24] but the first installment did not even reach any lower positions in bestseller list.[59] This left Martin unsurprised, as it is "a fool's game to think anything is going to be successful or to count on it".[115] However, the book slowly won the passionate advocacy of independent booksellers and the book's popularity grew by word of mouth.[50] The series' popularity skyrocketed in subsequent volumes,[24] with the second and third volume making The New York Times Best Seller lists in 1999[39] and 2000,[41] respectively. The series gained Martin's old writings new attention, and Martin's American publisher Bantam Spectra was to reprint his out-of-print solo novels.[38] The fourth installment, A Feast for Crows, was an immediate best-seller at its 2005 release,[24] hitting number one on "The New York Times" hardcover fiction bestseller list November 27, 2005, which for a fantasy novel suggested that Martin's books were attracting mainstream readers.[1] The paperback edition of A Game of Thrones reached its 34th printing in 2010, surpassing the one million mark.[138] Before it even premiered, the TV series had boosted sales of the book series, with A Song of Ice and Fire approaching triple-digit growth in year-on-year sales. Bantam was looking forward to seeing the tie-ins boost sales further,[54] and Martin's British publisher Harper Voyager expected readers to rediscover their other epic fantasy literature.[139] With a reported 4.5 million copies of the first four volumes in print in early 2011,[54] the four volumes re-appeared on the paperback fiction bestseller lists in the second quarter of 2011.[133][140] At its point of publication in July 2011, A Dance with Dragons was in its sixth print with more than 650,000 hardbacks in print.[141] It also had the highest single and first-day sales of any new fiction title published in 2011 at that point, with 170,000 hardcovers, 110,000 e-books, and 18,000 audio books reportedly sold on the first day.[136] A Dance with Dragons reached the top of The New York Times bestseller list on July 31, 2011.[8] Unlike most other big titles, the fifth volume sold more physical than digital copies early on,[142] but nevertheless, Martin became the tenth author to sell 1 million Amazon Kindle e-books.[143] All five volumes and the four-volume boxed set were among the top 100 best-selling books in the United States in 2011 and 2012.[144] The TV series has contributed significantly boosting sales of both the books and collectibles like box-sets, merchandise, and other items. The TV series also contributed in increasing the geographic coverage of the books, introducing new customers in emerging countries like India and Brazil to the book series. All this has significantly increased the overall book sales. As of April 2019, the book series has sold 90 million copies worldwide.[5] Fandom Main article: A Song of Ice and Fire fandom     "After all, as some of you like to point out in your emails, I am sixty years old and fat, and you don't want me to 'pull a Robert Jordan' on you and deny you your book. Okay, I've got the message. You don't want me doing anything except A Song of Ice and Fire. Ever. (Well, maybe it's okay if I take a leak once in a while?)" —George R. R. Martin on his blog in 2009[145] During the 1980s and early 1990s, Martin's novels had slowly earned him a reputation in science fiction circles,[146] although he said to only have received a few fans' letters a year in the pre-internet days.[84] The publication of A Game of Thrones caused Martin's following to grow, with fan sites springing up and a Trekkie-like society of followers evolving that meet regularly.[146] Westeros.org, one of the main A Song of Ice and Fire fansites with about seventeen thousand registered members as of 2011, was co-founded in 1999 by a Swedish-based fan of Cuban descent, Elio M. García, Jr., as well as Linda Antonsson, who introduced him to the series; their involvement with Martin's work has now become semi-professional.[50][147] The Brotherhood Without Banners, an unofficial fan club operating globally, was formed in 2001. Their founders and other longtime members are among Martin's good friends.[50] Martin runs an official website[8] and administers a lively blog with the assistance of Ty Franck.[50] He also interacts with fandom by answering emails and letters, although he stated in 2005 that their sheer numbers might leave them unanswered for years.[84] Since there are different types of conventions nowadays, he tends to go to three or four science-fiction conventions a year simply to go back to his roots and meet friends.[148] He does not read message boards anymore, so that his writing will not be influenced by fans foreseeing twists and interpreting characters differently from what he intended.[148] While Martin calls the majority of his fans "great", and enjoys interacting with them,[28] some of them turned against him because of the six years it took to release A Dance with Dragons.[50] A movement of disaffected fans called GRRuMblers formed in 2009, creating sites such as Finish the Book, George and Is Winter Coming?[50][52] When fans' vocal impatience for A Dance with Dragons peaked shortly after, Martin issued a statement called "To My Detractors"[145] on his blog that received media attention.[50][130][149] The New York Times noted that it was not uncommon for Martin to be mobbed at book signings.[146] The New Yorker called this "an astonishing amount of effort to devote to denouncing the author of books one professes to love. Few contemporary authors can claim to have inspired such passion."[50] Awards and nominations     A Game of Thrones (1996) – Locus Award winner,[150] World Fantasy Award[151] and Nebula Award nominee, 1997[152]     A Clash of Kings (1998) – Locus Award winner,[150] Nebula Award nominee, 1999[152]     A Storm of Swords (2000) – Locus Award winner,[150] Hugo Award[153] and Nebula Awards nominee, 2001[154]     A Feast for Crows (2005) – Hugo,[155] Locus,[150] and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 2006[156]     A Dance with Dragons (2011) – Locus Award winner,[157] Hugo Award[158] and World Fantasy Award nominee, 2012[159] Derived works Novellas Martin has written several prequel novellas. The Tales of Dunk and Egg series, three novellas set 90 years before the events of the novel series, feature the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire "Egg", who later became King Aegon V Targaryen. The stories have no direct connection to the plot of A Song of Ice and Fire, although both characters are mentioned in A Storm of Swords and A Feast For Crows, respectively. The first installment, The Hedge Knight, was published in the 1998 anthology Legends. The Sworn Sword followed in 2003, published in Legends II.[43] Both were later adapted into graphic novels.[160] The third novella, The Mystery Knight, was first published in the 2010 anthology Warriors[161] and in 2017 it was adapted as a graphic novel, as well.[162] In 2015, the first three novellas were published as one illustrated collection, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The novella The Princess and the Queen or, the Blacks and the Greens appeared in Tor Books's 2013 anthology Dangerous Women and explains some of the Targaryen backstory two centuries before the events of the novels.[163][164] The Rogue Prince, or, the King's Brother, published in the 2014 anthology Rogues, is itself a prequel to the events of The Princess and the Queen.[165] The novella The Sons of the Dragon, published in the 2017 anthology The Book of Swords, is the story of Aegon the Conqueror's two sons Aenys I and Maegor I "The Cruel". All three of these stories were incorporated as parts of Fire and Blood, a book chronicling the history of the Targaryen line. Chapter sets from the novels were also compiled into three novellas that were released between 1996 and 2003 by Asimov's Science Fiction and Dragon:     Blood of the Dragon (July 1996),[166] taken from the Daenerys chapters in A Game of Thrones     Path of the Dragon (December 2000),[167] taken from the Daenerys chapters in A Storm of Swords     Arms of the Kraken (March 2003),[168] based on the Iron Islands chapters from A Feast for Crows Fire & Blood Main article: Fire & Blood (book) Fire & Blood is Martin's complete history of House Targaryen, to be released in two volumes. The first volume was released on November 20, 2018.[169] Television series Main article: Game of Thrones With the popularity of the series growing, HBO optioned A Song of Ice and Fire for a television adaptation in 2007.[53] A pilot episode was produced in late 2009, and a series commitment for nine further episodes was made in March 2010.[170] The series, titled Game of Thrones, premiered in April 2011 to great acclaim and ratings (see Game of Thrones § Reception). The network picked up the show for a second season covering A Clash of Kings two days later.[171] Shortly after the conclusion of the first season, the show received 13 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, winning Outstanding Main Title Design and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage's portrayal of Tyrion Lannister.[172] HBO announced a renewal for a third season in April 2012, ten days after the season 2 premiere.[173] Due to the length of the corresponding book, the third season only covered roughly the first half of A Storm of Swords.[174] Shortly after the season 3 premiere in March 2013, the network announced that Game of Thrones would be returning for a fourth season, which would cover the second half of A Storm of Swords along with the beginnings of A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons.[175] Game of Thrones was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards for season 3.[176] Two days after the fourth season premiered in April 2014, HBO renewed Game of Thrones for a fifth and sixth season.[177] Season 5 premiered on April 12, 2015, and set a Guinness World Records for winning the highest number of Emmy Awards for a series in a single season and year, winning 12 out of 24 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.[178][179] These episodes were watched by 8 million viewers, setting a record number for the series.[180] The sixth season premiered on April 24, 2016.[181] These episodes received the most nominations for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards with 23, winning 12, including the award for Outstanding Drama Series.[182] The seventh season premiered on July 16, 2017. The eighth and final season premiered on April 14, 2019.[183] A spin-off prequel series, House of the Dragon, was later developed based on Martin's Fire & Blood. The first season is set to premiere on August 21, 2022.[citation needed] Other works Main article: Works based on A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and Fire has spawned an industry of spin-off products. Fantasy Flight Games released a collectible card game, a board game, and two collections of artwork inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire series.[184][185] Various roleplaying game products were released by Guardians of Order and Green Ronin.[186][187] Dynamite Entertainment adapted A Game of Thrones into a same-titled monthly comic in 2011.[188] Several video games are available or in production, including A Game of Thrones: Genesis (2011) and Game of Thrones (2012) by Cyanide;[189][190] both received mediocre ratings from critics.[191] A social network game titled Game of Thrones Ascent (2013) by Disruptor Beam allows players to live the life of a noble during the series' period setting.[192] Random House released an official map book called The Lands of Ice and Fire, which includes old and new maps of the Ice and Fire world.[193] The companion book The World of Ice & Fire by Martin and the Westeros.org owners Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson was published in October 2014.[50] Other licensed products include full-sized weapon reproductions,[194] a range of collectable figures,[195][196] Westeros coinage reproductions,[197] and a large number of gift and collectible items based on the HBO television series.[198] The popularity of the HBO series has made its version of the Iron Throne an icon of the entire media franchise.[199][200][201][202] See also     Outline of A Song of Ice and Fire franchise References Flood, Alison (April 13, 2011). "George RR Martin: Barbarians at the gate". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012. Heen, Kent Erik (2013). "A Perspective on the Unfamiliar: Epic Fantasy in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire". Institutt for språk og litteratur: 89. Milne, Ben (April 4, 2014). "Game of Thrones: The cult French novel that inspired George RR Martin". BBC. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016. 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"A Song of Ice and Fire RPG homepage: Ours is the Fury!". greenronin.com. June 21, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011. Schedeen, Jesse (September 21, 2011). "A Game of Thrones No. 1 Review: The popular fantasy epic jumps from books to TV to comics". ign.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2011. "Focus Home Interactive press release". focus-home.com. July 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011. Peckham, Matt (February 3, 2012). "From Bleak to Bleaker in A Game of Thrones the Roleplaying Game's New Trailer". Time. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012. "A Game of Thrones: Genesis for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014. Webb, Charles (May 21, 2012). "Westeros Goes Social with 'Game of Thrones Ascent'". MTV. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012. "The Lands of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones)". randomhouse.ca. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2012. Martin, George R. R. (March 20, 2007). "Nothing Holds an Edge Like Valyrian Steel". grrm.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012. Martin, George R. R. (December 7, 2006). "Valyrian Resin to produce Ice & Fire mini-busts". georgerrmartin.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012. "Dark Sword Miniatures and Tom Meier to produce George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire premium miniature line". darkswordminiatures.com. August 13, 2007. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2015. "Coins inspired by the fictional works of George R.R. Martin". shirepost.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012. "HBO Shop " Shows " Game of Thrones". hbo.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2012. Acuna, Kirsten (October 28, 2014). "George R.R. Martin: No One Ever Gets The Most Iconic Part Of Game Of Thrones Right". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2014. Martin, George R. R. (July 8, 2013). "Not A Blog: The Real Iron Throne". GRRM.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014. Jackson, Matthew (July 9, 2013). "George R.R. Martin shows us what the Iron Throne REALLY looks like". Blastr.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2014.     Hudson, Laura (July 10, 2013). "Behold the Iron Throne the Way George R. R. Martin Intended It". Wired. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to A Song of Ice and Fire.     George R. R. Martin's Official Website     So Spake Martin, Collection of statements, correspondences and interviews by George R. R. 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R. Martin Top 50 Fantasy Movies and TV Shows The Sandman 1. The Sandman (2022– ) 18 | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 7.8 Rate this Upon escaping after decades of imprisonment by a mortal wizard, Dream, the personification of dreams, sets about to reclaim his lost equipment. Stars: Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong Votes: 48,719 Stranger Things 2. Stranger Things (2016– ) 15 | 51 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 8.7 Rate this When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief and his friends must confront terrifying supernatural forces in order to get him back. Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, David Harbour Votes: 1,121,533 Thor: Love and Thunder 3. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) 12A | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy 6.7 Rate this 57 Metascore Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct. Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson Votes: 160,279 Game of Thrones 4. Game of Thrones (2011–2019) 18 | 57 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 9.2 Rate this Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia. Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey Votes: 2,023,645 Super Pets 5. Super Pets (2022) PG | 105 min | Animation, Action, Adventure 7.9 Rate this 56 Metascore Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis. However, Krypto must master his own powers for a rescue mission when Superman is kidnapped. Directors: Jared Stern, Sam Levine | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski Votes: 27,136 Everything Everywhere All at Once 6. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) 15 | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy 8.2 Rate this 81 Metascore An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led. Directors: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert | Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong Votes: 175,931 House of the Dragon 7. House of the Dragon (2022– ) Action, Adventure, Drama | Post-production The story of the House Targaryen set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones (2011). Stars: Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith The Umbrella Academy 8. The Umbrella Academy (2019–2022) 15 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy 7.9 Rate this A family of former child heroes, now grown apart, must reunite to continue to protect the world. Stars: Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman Votes: 236,146 Luck 9. Luck (I) (2022) PG | 105 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy 6.3 Rate this 48 Metascore The curtain is pulled back on the millennia-old battle between the organizations of good luck and bad luck that secretly affects everyday lives. Director: Peggy Holmes | Stars: Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg Votes: 6,901 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 10. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– ) Action, Adventure, Drama | Post-production Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. Stars: Morfydd Clark, Nazanin Boniadi, Benjamin Walker, Peter Mullan Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 12A | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy 7.0 Rate this 60 Metascore Doctor Strange teams up with a mysterious teenage girl from his dreams who can travel across multiverses, to battle multiple threats, including other-universe versions of himself, which threaten to wipe out millions across the multiverse. They seek help from Wanda the Scarlet Witch, Wong and others. Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong Votes: 350,313 Supernatural 12. Supernatural (2005–2020) 15 | 44 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 8.4 Rate this Two brothers follow their father's footsteps as hunters, fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds, including monsters, demons and gods that roam the earth. Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins Votes: 435,922 What We Do in the Shadows 13. What We Do in the Shadows (2019– ) 16 | 30 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror 8.6 Rate this A look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of four vampires, who've lived together for over 100 years, on Staten Island. Stars: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén Votes: 70,930 Harley Quinn 14. Harley Quinn (2019– ) NR | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure 8.5 Rate this The series focuses on a single Harley Quinn, who sets off to make it on her own in Gotham City. Stars: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, Ron Funches Votes: 26,494 Samaritan 15. Samaritan (2022) PG-13 | Action, Drama, Fantasy | Completed A young boy learns that a superhero who was thought to have gone missing after an epic battle twenty years ago may in fact still be around. Director: Julius Avery | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Javon 'Wanna' Walton, Pilou Asbæk, Dascha Polanco The Northman 16. The Northman (2022) 15 | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 7.2 Rate this 82 Metascore From visionary director Robert Eggers comes The Northman, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father's murder. Director: Robert Eggers | Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke Votes: 157,022 The Sea Beast 17. The Sea Beast (2022) PG | 115 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy 7.1 Rate this 74 Metascore When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters - and make history to boot. Director: Chris Williams | Stars: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste Votes: 29,577 Spider-Man: No Way Home 18. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) 12A | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy 8.3 Rate this 71 Metascore With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Director: Jon Watts | Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon Votes: 702,862 | Gross: $804.75M Ms. Marvel 19. Ms. Marvel (2022) 15 | 271 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy 6.2 Rate this Kamala is a superhero fan with an imagination, particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel; Kamala feels like she doesn't fit in at school and sometimes even at home, that is until she gets superpowers like the heroes she's looked up to. Stars: Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Zenobia Shroff, Yasmeen Fletcher Votes: 84,610 Barbie 20. Barbie (2023) Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy | Post-production A live-action film based on the popular 'Barbie' franchise. Director: Greta Gerwig | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Ritu Arya, Will Ferrell The Age of Adaline 21. The Age of Adaline (2015) 12A | 112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance 7.2 Rate this 51 Metascore A young woman, born at the turn of the 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man who complicates the eternal life she has settled into. Director: Lee Toland Krieger | Stars: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford, Kathy Baker Votes: 177,410 | Gross: $42.48M Lucifer 22. Lucifer (2016–2021) 15 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy 8.1 Rate this Lucifer Morningstar has decided he's had enough of being the dutiful servant in Hell and decides to spend some time on Earth to better understand humanity. He settles in Los Angeles - the City of Angels. Stars: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, D.B. Woodside Votes: 314,935 Lost 23. Lost (2004–2010) 15 | 44 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy 8.3 Rate this The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island. Stars: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly Votes: 544,357 Outlander 24. Outlander (2014– ) 18 | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance 8.4 Rate this An English combat nurse from 1945 is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743. Stars: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin Votes: 156,812 Attack on Titan 25. Attack on Titan (2013–2023) 15 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure 9.0 Rate this After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Jaeger vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction. Stars: Josh Grelle, Yûki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa, Marina Inoue Votes: 357,488 Locke & Key 26. Locke & Key (2020–2022) 15 | 48 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 7.4 Rate this After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father's death. Stars: Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, Jackson Robert Scott Votes: 77,745 The Mandalorian 27. The Mandalorian (2019– ) PG | 40 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy 8.7 Rate this The travels of a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. Stars: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Barry Lowin Votes: 453,565 Ghostbusters: Afterlife 28. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) 12A | 124 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy 7.1 Rate this 45 Metascore When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace Votes: 168,746 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore 29. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) 12A | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy 6.2 Rate this 47 Metascore Professor Albus Dumbledore must assign Newt Scamander and his fellow partners as Grindelwald begins to lead an army to eliminate all Muggles. Director: David Yates | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler Votes: 121,820 Daredevil 30. Daredevil (2015–2018) 15 | 54 min | Action, Crime, Drama 8.6 Rate this A blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Matt Murdock fights the crime of New York as Daredevil. Stars: Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson Votes: 428,738 The Witcher 31. The Witcher (2019– ) 15 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 8.2 Rate this Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. Stars: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Mimi Ndiweni Votes: 474,601 One Piece 32. One Piece (1999– ) 12 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure 8.9 Rate this Follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew in order to find the greatest treasure ever left by the legendary Pirate, Gold Roger. The famous mystery treasure named "One Piece". Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Laurent Vernin, Tony Beck, Akemi Okamura Votes: 118,631 Midnight Mass 33. Midnight Mass (2021) 15 | 450 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 7.7 Rate this An isolated island community experiences miraculous events - and frightening omens - after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest. Stars: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman, Samantha Sloyan Votes: 108,161 Moon Knight 34. Moon Knight (2022) 16 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy 7.4 Rate this Steven Grant discovers he's been granted the powers of an Egyptian moon god. But he soon finds out that these newfound powers can be both a blessing and a curse to his troubled life. Stars: Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, Michael Benjamin Hernandez Votes: 204,788 The Vampire Diaries 35. The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017) 15 | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 7.7 Rate this The lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers. Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham Votes: 315,636 Men 36. Men (2022) 15 | 100 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror 6.1 Rate this 65 Metascore A young woman goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside following the death of her ex-husband. Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu, Gayle Rankin Votes: 26,085 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 37. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy 7.6 Rate this 65 Metascore An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith Votes: 762,859 | Gross: $317.58M Eternals 38. Eternals (2021) 12A | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy 6.3 Rate this 52 Metascore The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations. Director: Chloé Zhao | Stars: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek Votes: 326,643 | Gross: $164.87M Love, Death & Robots 39. Love, Death & Robots (2019– ) 18 | 15 min | Animation, Short, Action 8.4 Rate this A collection of animated short stories that span various genres including science fiction, fantasy, horror and comedy. Stars: Fred Tatasciore, Scott Whyte, Nolan North, Noshir Dalal Votes: 161,518 Dungeons & Dragons 40. Dungeons & Dragons (2023) Action, Adventure, Fantasy | Post-production A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein | Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith Black Adam 41. Black Adam (2022) Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Post-production Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods-and imprisoned just as quickly-Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. Director: Jaume Collet-Serra | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Shahi, Viola Davis, Pierce Brosnan Shazam! Fury of the Gods 42. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022) Action, Adventure, Comedy | Post-production Sequel to the 2019 film 'Shazam!' Plot details are not yet known. Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Zachary Levi, Grace Caroline Currey, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu Buffy the Vampire Slayer 43. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) 12 | 44 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy 8.3 Rate this A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends. Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head Votes: 145,013 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 44. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) PG | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 8.8 Rate this 92 Metascore A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean Votes: 1,822,184 | Gross: $315.54M Thor: Ragnarok 45. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) 12A | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy 7.9 Rate this 74 Metascore Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela. Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo Votes: 729,560 | Gross: $315.06M Arcane 46. Arcane (2021– ) 15 | 41 min | Animation, Action, Adventure 9.0 Rate this Set in utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions-and the power that will tear them apart. Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Kevin Alejandro, Jason Spisak, Terri Douglas Votes: 190,095 The Wheel of Time 47. The Wheel of Time (2021– ) 15 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama 7.1 Rate this Set in a high fantasy world where magic exists, but only some can access it, a woman named Moiraine crosses paths with five young men and women. This sparks a dangerous, world-spanning journey. Based on the book series by Robert Jordan. Stars: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Madeleine Madden, Zoë Robins Votes: 98,655 Teen Wolf 48. Teen Wolf (2011–2017) 15 | 41 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy 7.7 Rate this An average high school student and his best friend get caught up in some trouble causing him to receive a werewolf bite. As a result they find themselves in the middle of all sorts of dramas in Beacon Hills. Stars: Tyler Posey, Holland Roden, Dylan O'Brien, Linden Ashby Votes: 145,644 The Princess 49. The Princess (I) (2022) 12 | 94 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy 5.5 Rate this 43 Metascore When a strong-willed princess refuses to wed the cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must save the kingdom. Director: Le-Van Kiet | Stars: Joey King, Olga Kurylenko, Antoni Davidov, Radoslav Parvanov Votes: 10,191 Free Guy 50. Free Guy (2021)
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