Game of Thrones
In the frozen north beyond a massive stone wall, a young boy named Benjen Stark stands guard with his brothers of the Night's Watch. They watch the tree line where ancient creatures stir after centuries of silence. The air smells of pine and old snow as the first white walker appears from the mist. This is the beginning of a war that will consume three continents.
Across the Narrow Sea in Essos, a young woman named Daenerys Targaryen sits on a throne made of dragon bones. She wears a dress woven from horsehair and holds a sword forged from Valyrian steel. Her brother Viserys shouts at her to take command of their small army of Dothraki riders. He demands she use her marriage to Khal Drogo to reclaim the Iron Throne of Westeros.
Thousands of miles away in King's Landing, a man named Eddard Stark kneels before the Iron Throne itself. He sees seven swords hanging above him, each representing a different noble house fighting for control. The metal feels cold against his skin as he realizes the game has begun. No one who enters this room leaves without losing something vital.
David Benioff read the first four books of A Song of Ice and Fire in January 2006 during a phone call with George R.R. Martin's literary agent. He finished reading the entire novel in about thirty-six hours while sitting in a restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard. Benioff pitched the idea to HBO after a five-hour meeting with Martin himself.
HBO acquired the television rights in January 2007 with Benioff and D.B. Weiss serving as executive producers. They submitted the pilot script draft in August 2007 and a second version in June 2008. The network ordered a full pilot episode in November 2008 which cost between five and ten million dollars to produce.
The show premiered on the 17th of April 2011 with an estimated budget of fifty to sixty million dollars for its first season. By the final season in 2019 production costs reached fifteen million dollars per episode. The total budget for the eighth season exceeded one hundred million dollars making it the most expensive series ever produced at that time.
Principal photography began on the 26th of July 2010 at the Paint Hall Studios in Belfast Northern Ireland. Exterior scenes were filmed at Sandy Brae in the Mourne Mountains standing in for Vaes Dothrak. Castle Ward served as Winterfell while Saintfield Estates became the godswood where characters pray to their ancestors.
Filming moved to Malta for southern scenes using Mdina as King's Landing and Fort Manoel representing the Sept of Baelor. The Azure Window on Gozo hosted Daenerys's wedding ceremony before collapsing into the sea during filming. Croatia provided Dubrovnik as the walled city of King's Landing with Fort Lovrijenac serving as Red Keep exteriors.
Iceland offered multiple glaciers including Vatnajökull near Smyrlabjörg and Svínafellsjökull near Skaftafell for northern battles. The Mýrdalsjökull glacier near Vik on Höfðabrekkuheiði stood in for the Fist of the First Men. Spain contributed Seville for Dorne scenes and Navarra for additional winter landscapes.
Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean joined the pilot cast in 2009 before any other actors were announced. Kit Harington played Jon Snow while Jack Gleeson portrayed Joffrey Baratheon. Harry Lloyd took the role of Viserys Targaryen and Mark Addy became Robert Baratheon.
Several roles changed between seasons with Michelle Fairley replacing Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark. Emilia Clarke replaced Tamzin Merchant as Daenerys Targaryen after the pilot episode. Gregor Clegane was played by three different actors throughout the series run.
By the final season five main cast members earned per episode making them among the highest paid television performers. Peter Dinklage won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. Lena Headey received praise for playing Cersei Lannister while Maisie Williams gained recognition for Arya Stark's journey.
HBO hired BlueBolt and Screen Scene for visual effects during the first season. Most environment builds used 2.5D projections to give viewers perspective without overwhelming the screen. The season one finale Fire and Blood received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2011.
Pixomondo became the lead producer starting with season two using nine facilities including Stuttgart as their main studio. They retained a team of twenty-two to thirty people focused solely on Daenerys Targaryen's dragons. Average production time per season ranged from twenty to twenty-two weeks.
The show won eight Creative Arts Emmy Awards for visual effects over seven consecutive seasons. More than three hundred artists worked on the visual effects team creating ten thousand shots total. Dragon muscle movements were based largely on chicken anatomy for realistic wing motion.
Stephen Dillane compared the series frequent explicit scenes to German porn from the 1970s during an interview. Saturday Night Live parodied sexposition in a sketch showing a thirteen-year-old boy consulting on breast exposure levels. The episode The Bear and the Maiden Fair featured lengthy torture of Theon Greyjoy which prompted criticism.
New York magazine called that scene torture porn while one commentator noted Greyjoy emasculation was rare sexual assault where a male victim appeared. A fourth season scene showed Jaime Lannister raping his sister Cersei in their dead son's tomb triggering public discussion about consent.
Sansa Stark suffered rape by Ramsay Bolton in Unbowed Unbent Unbroken leading The Mary Sue website to cease coverage. US Senator Claire McCaskill said she would no longer watch after this episode became the lowest rated on Rotten Tomatoes until The Bells aired.
Vulture ranked Game of Thrones fans as most devoted in popular culture surpassing Lady Gaga Justin Bieber Harry Potter and Star Wars supporters. Barack Obama sat on a digitally added Iron Throne in the Oval Office surrounded by other people in 2014. David Cameron used quotes from Martin novels in a 2013 speech framing European politics.
Arya jumped from 711th to 413th place as fastest rising girl name in the United States during early seasons. Khaleesi became more popular for baby girls while Daenerys also rose in popularity lists. Five point five percent of two point nine million Facebook fans talked online about the series compared to one point eight percent of True Blood fans.
Australian scientists conducted survival analysis examining mortality among three hundred thirty important characters across seven seasons. Colossal Biosciences announced work to de-extinct dire wolves named Romulus Remus and Khaleesi with Kit Harington Sophie Turner and George R.R. Martin as investors.
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Common questions
When did Game of Thrones premiere and what was its budget for the first season?
Game of Thrones premiered on the 17th of April 2011 with an estimated budget of fifty to sixty million dollars for its first season. Production costs reached fifteen million dollars per episode by the final season in 2019.
Where were exterior scenes for Game of Thrones filmed including locations like Winterfell and King's Landing?
Principal photography began on the 26th of July 2010 at the Paint Hall Studios in Belfast Northern Ireland while Castle Ward served as Winterfell. Filming moved to Malta for southern scenes using Mdina as King's Landing and Croatia provided Dubrovnik as the walled city of King's Landing.
Who created Game of Thrones and when did they acquire television rights from HBO?
David Benioff read the first four books of A Song of Ice and Fire in January 2006 during a phone call with George R.R. Martin's literary agent. HBO acquired the television rights in January 2007 with Benioff and D.B. Weiss serving as executive producers.
Which actors played main roles in the pilot cast of Game of Thrones before other announcements?
Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean joined the pilot cast in 2009 before any other actors were announced while Kit Harington played Jon Snow and Jack Gleeson portrayed Joffrey Baratheon. Harry Lloyd took the role of Viserys Targaryen and Mark Addy became Robert Baratheon.
How many seasons did Game of Thrones run and what was the total budget for its eighth season?
The show ran from 2011 to 2019 with eight seasons produced by HBO. The total budget for the eighth season exceeded one hundred million dollars making it the most expensive series ever produced at that time.