Fan Rants

With only one episode under its belt so far I can only surmise that someone at HBO was very impressed with the early reviews. As a huge fan of the books I am certainly glad to hear this great show will be around for awhile.

Press release from HBO:

HBO RENEWS “GAME OF THRONES” FOR SECOND SEASON

LOS ANGELES, April 19, 2011 – Following strong critical and viewer response to the series’ April 17 debut, HBO has renewed GAME OF THRONES for a second season, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.

“We are delighted by the way David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin‘s amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers,” said Lombardo. “This is the continuation of an exciting creative partnership.”

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, GAME OF THRONES follows kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and noblemen as they vie for power in a land where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime.

Among the early critical raves, TV Guide has called the show “a crowning triumph” and “brilliant,” while the Los Angeles Times termed GAME OF THRONES “a great and thundering series,” as well as “wild and bewitching.” The Hollywood Reporter praised the “excellent storytelling, superb acting and stunning visual effects,” and the New York Post observed that the “art directing, acting and incredible sets are as breathtaking as the massive scope of the series.”

The gross audience for the premiere night of GAME OF THRONES on the main HBO channel was 4.2 million viewers.

The season one cast includes (in alphabetical order): Mark Addy, Alfie Allen, Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, Jack Gleeson, Iain Glen, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Harry Lloyd, Richard Madden, Rory McCann, Jason Momoa, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.

Season one credits: GAME OF THRONES is executive produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss; co-executive producers, Carolyn Strauss, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza and George R.R. Martin; producers, Mark Huffam and Frank Doelger; directors of photography, Marco Pontecorvo, Alik Sakharov and Matt Jensen; production designer, Gemma Jackson; costume designer, Michele Clapton.

Over at ReasonablyClever.com they have created something very shiny! Its a fully lit LEGO model of the Firefly class ship Serenity. Check it out!

Oh, and Amazon still has Serenity for only $10.49 on Blu-Ray, grab it while you can.

Castle is one of my favorite shows on TV right now. Not only because Nathan Fillion is just a great actor, but the writing is imaginative and witty (specially for a cop show). Now they have created a website based around the main character, here’s the press release from ABC.

Famous Mystery Writer Is Central Character for ABC’s Hit Series “Castle”

Famous mystery writer Richard Castle, author of the recent books “Naked Heat” and “Heat Wave,” has launched his own website – “RichardCastle.net” — today. Castle is the central character for the hit series “Castle,” which airs Mondays (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. A mention for this new website will be highlighted in tonight’s episode.

“RichardCastle.net” will be a living website that will be frequently updated with features, interviews and videos. Among the elements to be included are a home page newsfeed of the author’s adventures, a bibliography containing his books in print and earlier works “currently unavailable,” an ongoing bio that expands as events happen in his life and on the television screen, a shop section linking to Hyperion Books and a Q & A section where fans will be able to pose questions/get answers back.

“Castle” is produced by ABC Studios. Andrew Marlowe is the show’s creator/executive producer, along with executive producers Rob Bowman, David Amann, Laurie Zaks and Armyan Bernstein.

For more information on “Castle,” visit ABC.com

Back in the early 80′s I found comic books. Now I had been reading them before that time, but the same way any kid does…tear through the superhero books and try and figure out the Archie comics (pre-teen understanding of girls).

But one day while I was at my friend Don Hoffmans house he showed me some comics that his mom read. That statement alone was odd, but these comics were unlike anything I had seen before. They were oversized, black and white, and the most engaging stories. It was truely at that point that I found comic books for the first time. And lord knows, my future would not be the same.

Elfquest is not about your traditional elves, and in many ways the characters depicted have no similarity to elves that we all know other than the pointy ears. The species is actually a space faring folk that land on a primitive earth like planet. At that point the visitors shaped themselves into what we consider ‘high elves’ to walk amongst the humans. But there was another species here, a cro-magnon proto human (called trolls) that caused their ship to crash, trapping the visitors on the planet.

The stories in Elfquest take place a 1000 years later when the elves have broken into different groups, some more accepting and embracing of their new home and others still holding onto the old ways. The ‘Wolfriders‘ are more a mix of what we think of as elves and druid/native american philosophys. They are the main focus in the books.

Over the years, there has been plenty of rumors and attempts at an Elfquest movie (and TV show). But really no success. In the 90′s there was a direct to video moving comic animated feature, but even I passed on that. But it looks like some fans have taken it upon themselves to work on a film.

You can read all about the project and watch the trailer at Elfquest: A Fan Imagining. They have the full blessing by the creators of the comic series, Richard and Wendi Pini. I wish them the best, if nothing else they have the best looking elves I have ever seen!

Finally got some interesting news from Warner Brothers about the next Superman movie, Man of Steel.

Press Release from Warner Brothers:

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Michael Shannon will star in the role of General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s new Superman film, titled “Man of Steel.”

“Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”

Snyder stated, “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”

As General Zod, Shannon will go toe-to-toe with Henry Cavill, who plays the new Clark Kent/Superman in the film. The main cast also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

Michael Shannon was honored with an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Shannon was most recently seen in the award-winning HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire,” from executive producer Martin Scorsese. He will next be seen in Sony Pictures Classics’, “Take Shelter,” from director/writer Jeff Nichols.

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

“Man of Steel” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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