HBO just released 23 large high-quality photos from the eagerly anticipated third season of Game of Thrones. Behold images of fan favorites like Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister, along with new characters joining the show this year such as Wildling leader Mance Rayder and the Lady Olenna the Queen of Thorns.
Game of Thrones returns March 31.
Two Game of Thrones items for you today. First is HBO’s new teaser trailer. This has no new footage. Having read Storm of Swords a couple times I don’t really understand why the teaser would draw a parallel to our world, it sort of suggests to casual viewers that there’s some Fringe-like portal being opened up (I suppose it’s simply trying to say what the title cards suggest — that the world of Westeros is returning to our world via the launch of the new season, but you would think the tease would be more S3 specific). Nice use of “The Rains of Castamere”; book fans will get that hint (a lion still has claws, indeed). After the video, we have the writer and director lineup for the third season.
Here’s the teaser: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: HBO
EW takes you through the 10 best and 5 worst television episodes of 2012. See them all below!
The Best
1. Game of Thrones, ”Blackwater” — May 27, HBO
Season 2′s climactic Battle of the Blackwater wins because HBO allowed producers
the time and cash to stage a massive land-and-sea confrontation. Thus, this was an episode of rousing heroism, chilling cowardice, gory action, and one giant green explosion that went ”FOOOOOM!” The most ingenious part? It made us care about the warriors on both sides. Staging that battle in viewers’ hearts was the episode’s most successful wartime victory of all. –James Hibberd
You may have seen the story yesterday (in the New York Times, no less) announcing that a custom-made Game of Thrones beer is on the way. Want to see what the bottle looks like?
Below is a first look at Iron Throne, a blonde ale from Ommegang brewery that’s “crafted to directly tie into themes and nuances of the medieval-like fantasy realm of Westeros and the surrounding kingdoms.” In other words, you can not only taste Westeros in every sip, but even get a little hint of Braavos too.
Naturally the bottle is big and manly, 25 ounces, perfect for keeping a fire in your belly while guarding The Wall. And it’s corked — no fancy modern twist-offs or bottle openers needed here — so you can uncork it with your teeth and take a swig while leaving your sword hand free.
“It made us approach development in a completely new way and I think the first edition Iron Throne reveals that,” said Phil Leinhart, brewmaster at Ommegang. “With a Lannister currently on the throne, it made sense to do a delicate, but piercing Golden Blonde Ale with Noble hops. Iron Throne is certainly fair in color and soft in appearance, yet it still possesses a complexity and bite to be on guard for.”
Iron Throne, the first of multiple Thrones-inspired beers to be released, goes on sale nationwide in March for the kingly retail price of $8.50 a bottle. So what kind will the brewery release next, do you think? A Stark Stout? A Jon Snow Pale Ale? A Valyrian Light? I could seriously write these all day.
Here’s your first look.
The biggest production on TV of one of the biggest stories in fantasy is about to get a little, well, bigger.
The Game of Thrones team is creating a “super-sized” third season of the hit series.
With showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss tackling content from the first half (roughly) of author George R.R. Martin’s largest Song of Ice and Fire novel (the 973-page fan-favorite A Storm of Swords), the writer-producer duo are delivering slightly longer episodes to the network. There’s still 10, but you’ll get a little more each week than previous seasons.
“There’s almost another full episode’s worth of extra minutes spread across the season,” Weiss says. “One of the great liberties with HBO is we’re not forced to come in at a specific time. We can’t be under 50 minutes or over 60, but that gives us a lot of flexibility.”
“A super-sized season, as befitting Storm of Swords,” Benioff adds. “Last year we had a lot of 52-minute episodes. This year is a lot of 56, 57.”
In fact, the third season finale is expected to run more than an hour — a move that requires special permission from the network (previously, the show’s pilot and its second season finale exceeded an hour). Episodes are still being calibrated so exact times could change, but HBO and producers are confident the season will deliver more Thrones than ever before. Says HBO in a statement: “All 10 episodes gained a minute or two from past seasons with the finale very possibly exceeding 60 minutes.”
“So for people clamoring for another episode, it’s in there,” Weiss says. “It’s just been cut into tiny pieces.”
Game of Thrones returns March 31, with the season two DVD out Feb. 19.
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– ‘Game of Thrones’ beer first photo — EXCLUSIVE
– ‘Game of Thrones’ season 3 teaser poster released
– Coldplay drummer joins ‘Game of Thrones’ season 3 — EXCLUSIVE
– ‘Game of Thrones’ casts ‘Rome’ actor as Mance Rayder — EXCLUSIVE
Image Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC
The purpose of a cliffhanger is to keep the fans talking — for a week or for months. Here are five that got our readers buzzing.
Image Credit: Chris Large/The History Channel
Letterman vs. Leno! The Barnes family vs. the Ewings! Bugs Bunny vs. Daffy Duck! Much of pop culture is built on feuds — both on-camera and behind the scenes. Here’s a list of 2012’s most memorable ongoing conflicts from scripted and reality TV.
READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Lewis Jacobs/AMC
What do Walter White and Phil Dunphy have in common? They’re both at the center of the TV shows most honored by the Writers Guild of America today. The group just announced the nominees for its annual awards, which will be handed out Feb. 17 at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. Breaking Bad garnered five nods; Modern Family drew four. Here’s a list of all the primetime and late night series in contention for the event’s biggest prizes:
The North — and George R. R. Martin fans everywhere — remember that HBO’s Game of Thrones will return on March 31, 2013. And while that date currently seems as far away as Westeros itself, watching the following featurette may make waiting a little easier.
In this two-minute clip — which aired before last night’s Boardwalk Empire finale — creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, as well as cast members including Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clark, offer a few vague teases about GOT‘s upcoming third season. More importantly, the video gives a glimpse at a few of the season’s new characters, most notably Queen of Thorns Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) and the Reed siblings, Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Meera (Ellie Kendirck). The video also previews a few of the season’s breathtaking locations, found once more in countries as far flung as Ireland, Croatia, Iceland, and Morocco.
Benioff and Weiss agree that this may well be the best season of Thrones yet: “This is the season that Dan and I have been anticipating from the very beginning,” the former explains. Weiss adds that he and his partner have always “envisioned season 3 as sort of the place we needed to get. If we made it through season 3 and if we could do season 3 right, then it would all be worthwhile.” Get an early peek (it rhymes with shriek!) at their handiwork below: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: HBO
All season long we’d been teased that “War is Coming.” And then, it was finally time for Game of Thrones, the HBO hit that’s redefined fantasy television, to stage its first large-scale war sequence. Here, in an interview originally published in May, before “Blackwater” aired, Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss talk about the making of the eagerly anticipated episode, and how the hour was itself a battle to get produced. For more stories behind this year’s top TV and movie moments, click here for EW.com’s Best of 2012: Behind the Scenes coverage. READ FULL STORY »
Want to know when Game of Thrones season two is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray and all the extras will it have?
Below are all the details, plus a behind-the-scenes clip on the creation of Thrones‘ giant Battle of the Blackwater explosion (and, for those who missed it, there’s also the season three date-tease video that aired on HBO last night). The second season of HBO’s acclaimed fantasy drama is expected to be a huge hit on home video since since Thrones’ first season ranks as the top-selling TV home video release this year and the network’s ratings for the second season were higher than the first.
Here’s the release date: Feb. 19, 2013. That’s for DVD, Blu-ray and digital download. That gives fans who didn’t watch the second season on HBO more than a month to catch up before season three debuts on March 31. Ten hours of Thrones in five weeks? Shouldn’t be a problem.
Here’s the official copy detailing the S2 extras: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: WireImage.com
You know your show is a big deal when you need to cast a drummer and Will Champion shows up.
The Coldplay musician will appear in the eagerly anticipated third season of the fantasy drama.
Here’s all we’re permitted to reveal about his cameo: Champion will play … a drummer! READ FULL STORY »
Last Saturday, Pixomondo, the visual effects company for Game of Thrones, nabbed a Creative Art Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for its work on the show. In honor of their achievement, they posted a reel demonstrating the various effects created for the second season. Take a look below at how they made the direwolves bigger, how they created Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) dragons, and how they built the show’s mythical landscape. Perhaps most impressive, however, is the Battle of Blackwater. Now that’s how you blow up a fleet of ships. READ FULL STORY »
James Hibberd
@James_Hibberd
Lynette Rice
@EWLynette
