Overthinking a Plate of Bean
July 20, 2009 3:00 PM   Subscribe

Multiple news outlets are reporting that Sean Bean has been cast as Eddard 'Ned' Stark and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in the HBO pilot for George R.R. Martin's "A Song Of Ice And Fire" tri quad quintilogy. Previous discussion of A Song of Ice and Fire and Martin.
posted by scrump (36 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: I both long for and fear a long-form cinematic take on this series, but a link to a google news search results page is a terrible post, man. -- cortex



 
Great casting and I wish them well.

But I've said it before and I'll say it again... The first one isn't too bad but the entire series just becomes unfathomably terrible.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 3:03 PM on July 20, 2009 [1 favorite]


As someone who is currently half way through the series all I can say is that this could be fantastic!
posted by errspy at 3:05 PM on July 20, 2009


is this something you'd have to have a dinklage to care about?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:08 PM on July 20, 2009


This is a link to Google News search results.
posted by cgc373 at 3:09 PM on July 20, 2009


BIG ASS SNARKY SPOILER: Heh. Sean Bean just can't manage to get cast as a character who lasts until the end of a series, can he?
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:11 PM on July 20, 2009 [3 favorites]


A link to google news? Weaksauce.
posted by splice at 3:13 PM on July 20, 2009


When we watched Fellowship of the Ring, when Boromir touches the shards of Narsil and says "Still sharp!", my friend immediately said "Yeah, but you're not Sharpe any more are you?"

It occurs to me that the line may have been a deliberate in-joke. Still funny though.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:16 PM on July 20, 2009


Confirmed by Martin himself here.
posted by Sandor Clegane at 3:19 PM on July 20, 2009


Holy god, there is no way to describe how much "A Feast for Crows" sucked. I refuse to spend another minute of my time on anything related to this series until G.R.R. Martin finishes the series and someone can tell me that I won't slog through another epic piece of crap. Given how long book 5 has taken him I have no confidence that the series will ever be completed.
posted by lucasks at 3:20 PM on July 20, 2009 [3 favorites]


I'm not familiar with the Song of Ice and Fire series, but if it has Peter Dinklage, I'll see it. That man is a fantastic actor (His turn as a heavy named Leflore in Safe Men was brilliantly cast and it made me realize that this was someone I had to keep an eye on.)
posted by quin at 3:20 PM on July 20, 2009


...the entire series just becomes unfathomably terrible.

That's an exaggeration.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 3:21 PM on July 20, 2009


Peter Dinklage is a brilliant actor.
posted by infinitewindow at 3:21 PM on July 20, 2009


SLGNP??

WTF!?

GYOFB!!
posted by fire&wings at 3:22 PM on July 20, 2009


Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

So... would that be a small role?

Sorry... I really love Dinklage.
posted by brundlefly at 3:22 PM on July 20, 2009


The Dinklage casting has been known for a while. Martin confirms the new casting here.
posted by kmz at 3:26 PM on July 20, 2009


It occurs to me that the line may have been a deliberate in-joke. Still funny though.
I have an unreliable memory of this in-joke being confirmed either on a DVD commentary or in an interview somewhere. Either way, you're right: it was deliberate.
posted by scrump at 3:26 PM on July 20, 2009


Cool!

I would have preferred Sean Bean snag the title role in the upcoming Thor film, as it's a part he seems absolutely perfect for, but this'll do.
posted by EatTheWeek at 3:28 PM on July 20, 2009


I was certain Tyrion was gonna be Michael J. Anderson since, frankly, HBO owes him for their unwarranted douching of Carnivale. Which...I think they canceled because it was expensive? Just like Rome and Deadwood? So I'm not sure what changed over there subsequently, as I cannot see any possible way this could be inexpensive, but I hope it sticks.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:28 PM on July 20, 2009


Dinklage is a good actor. But isn't he a little too old (40) for the part? Tyrion's the younger brother.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 3:35 PM on July 20, 2009


Whoa. Stop the presses.
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:36 PM on July 20, 2009


Is this really the kind of story that mutliple news outlets need to be covering?
posted by empath at 3:37 PM on July 20, 2009


Wait, this is a link to google news and another metafilter thread?

This will not stand.
posted by empath at 3:37 PM on July 20, 2009


But I've said it before and I'll say it again... The first one isn't too bad but the entire series just becomes unfathomably terrible.

No matter how many times you say it it isn't true. The first one is clearly the best epic fantasy since at least Tolkien. Now, that may not be that high a bar since most epic fantasy since Tolkien are unoriginal cliche-ridden retreads. But even if they weren't, the Martin would likely be the best since Tolkien.

There have been four books. The first three are excellent. The fourth is mediocre. There are some very good bits in it, mostly relating to Jaime, but it is an extremely flawed book for a lot of reasons. But "unfathomably terrible"? Have you ever tried to read anything by Terry Goodkind? Most of Eddings? Terry Brooks? Much of Robert Jordan? All those vampire-fucker books coming out these days? Bad Martin is still better than most of those folks on their best days. This is the guy who wrote DYING OF THE LIGHT after all.

God, I can't believe I've ended up defending Martin again. Because if anybody believes he is ever going to finish this series they are deluding themselves. I very much wish I were wrong; I have a non insignificant financial incentive for him to finish the series as the owner of one of the few unbroken lettered edition sets of his series from Meisha Merlin and Subterranean Press. If the HBO series increases interest in the books even further I could likely sell it for at least moderately high four figures... and possibly more... if he ever finished it.

He will not. Stick a fork in him, he's done.
posted by Justinian at 3:39 PM on July 20, 2009 [2 favorites]


Excellent news, I'm actually getting excited for this now. Before I was just flabbergasted that anyone would consider producing the series for TV (even HBO). I mean, holy shit.

spoiler alert

If they ever get around to filming the 3rd book, there's simply no way they'll be able to include Jaime's return to King's Landing. Stump-fucking his sister on the corpse their son? Not gonna happen.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 3:39 PM on July 20, 2009


Now that I got to comment on another hobbyhorse (yay!) I will now proceed to snark at such a weak post. A link to Google news? Try harder.
posted by Justinian at 3:40 PM on July 20, 2009


Stump-fucking his sister on the corpse their son? Not gonna happen.

You, ser, have clearly not watched much HBO.

I know that this opinion is in the extreme minority, but A Feast For Crows was my favorite book in the series.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 3:45 PM on July 20, 2009


Man, Sean Bean sure does get screwed when it comes to sequels.
I tried so hard to like this series, and I don't know what the problem was, but I am currently using it as an ottoman.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 3:45 PM on July 20, 2009 [1 favorite]


The 4th book is the weakest, in my opinion, and I was very dismayed after I read it... I felt betrayed by a good storyteller. Not a great author, in my opinion, but a good storyteller. Martin completely failed in the 4th book to create any kind of meaningful or interesting story (to me). All of my favorite characters were ignored in favor of those who I either hate (Cersei) or don't care about at all (Brienne).

However, after reading it a second time, I was able to enjoy the moments that were good and ignore the ones that sucked (most of Brienne's storyline). Cersei's total meltdown was too wonderful, as was the frankenstein-like subplot featuring the near-corpse of The Mountain.

I am very optimistic about the 5th in the series, and unlike Justinian, I do think GRRM will finish it out before dying. It might be close though. I said the same thing about Robert Jordan about 10 years ago (whose books take a similar turn for the worse around #4... but... just... keep... going...), and then he got that insane disease no one's ever heard of.

But there's only 2 more left after the next one, right? Right?
posted by synaesthetichaze at 3:53 PM on July 20, 2009


Actually I think what bugged me is the fact that he threw in the same little fused phrase every single time a character came on the scene. Like every damn time he described her it was Daenarys, the Flashing-Eyed Dragon-Born. No, dude. This isn't freaking Pern.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 3:58 PM on July 20, 2009


And what of Roy Dotrice? What's Roy Dotrice's part in all this?
posted by Kikkoman at 4:02 PM on July 20, 2009


The show is going to be either very good, or incredibly shitty. (I vote shitty... nerd-rage Voltron assemble).
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 4:04 PM on July 20, 2009


HBO makes pilots?
posted by smackfu at 4:14 PM on July 20, 2009


Can I get "The Shadow of the Torturer" as a pilot instead?
posted by JaredSeth at 4:19 PM on July 20, 2009


Also, one of the books you can read in "The Sims 3" is "A Game of Thorns," which always cracks me up.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:28 PM on July 20, 2009


Always.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:28 PM on July 20, 2009


I've read the pilot script, and it is remarkable how true to the book the series is keeping. Those worried that the story will be watered down will be happy to know that the pilot ends with Bran taking a trip.
posted by Bookhouse at 4:31 PM on July 20, 2009


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