I thoroughly enjoyed the Game of Thrones Comic-Con panel. It wasn't quite the Walking Dead panel, nor could it have been. HBO's "genre-busting" hit just completed its second season and the timing just isn't right for a panel full of reveals and fireworks and all the spoilery stuff fans get hot and bothered over. In fact, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss couldn't even make it because there is just too much critical Season 3 planning going on.
The size of the cast is also problematic when it comes to having a killer Comic-Con panel. There are just too many moving parts and only a small sampling available. What the panel did have though was George R. R. Martin as moderator, which was just flat out cool. He's not quite Hardwick at MC, but watching the man who created the characters and the world they live in interact with the actors who portray them and the fans who adore his work was truly fascinating.
He opened the panel by telling everyone Andy Samberg's teenage alter ego was unable to make it due to a boobie-lite film production emergency in the Ukraine. This was not the last mention.
Since they had to forgo an exclusive preview, Game of Thrones instead opted for a pretty darn exciting Season 2 video recap ("Blackwater" explosion, still epic) followed by a big casting reveal of all the new players. It pretty much confirmed Dustin's casting news from earlier this week but there were a few surprises...
- Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell aka The Queen of Thorns
- Mackenzie Crook as Orell
- Clive Russell as Bryndon "Blackfish" Tully
- Nathalie Emannuel as Missandei
- Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr
- Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon
- Tara Fitzgerald as Selyse Baratheon
Alfie Allen just has this detached aloofness to him and doesn't take himself at all seriously. Examples:
- When Martin attempted to goad him into admitting all the Theon sex scenes are fun (SHOCKER: George is a little pervy, but in a harmless old guy sort of way) Alfie said they're OK and reminded everyone that Theon pretty much exclusively bangs prostitutes.
- When the writers gave Alfie a fake Season 2 script where Theon gets killed by Bran in ridiculous fashion he told them he thought it was great. They waited two weeks to inform him it was fake. He didn't seem to care either way.
- When asked what his favorite scene is he didn't hesitate to answer that it's the Theon-motivational-speech-ended-by-knockout scene. This is also my favorite Theon scene.
- His face isn't nearly as punchable in person.
I couldn't get a decent shot because he was slumming it in the sea of people, but Martin gave a shout out to Kristian Nairn who was in attendance.
It's not quite Daryl swooning but let's just say Richard Madden wouldn't have any trouble at Comic-Con, which I realize isn't much of a testament to anything but the girls do like him.
She dodged recognition bullets early on thanks to her natural hair color but now she gets Khaleesi-bombed on the reg. "I was in a department store and I was just in the lift, and the lift doors opened and this woman kind of looked at me and did a double take and just said 'Khaleesi!'"
I assumed it might get a little tedious after a while, and maybe they were just pandering to the audience, but all the cast members present were seriously enthusiastic when speaking about how bad ass it is to have wardrobe deliver such incredible costumes. George did use this as an opportunity to mention that Daeny's Qarth dress was slightly more revealing in the books. Of course he did.
Rose Leslie was happy to oblige when requested. It was awesome.
George R. R. Martin painted a picture of his childhood in the Bayonne, New Jersey projects where turtles were the only pets allowed. He created fantasy worlds around the turtles in their castle houses and they became the seedlings for all his writing.
DVR programming is coming.
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still no reeds?
The Reeds were confirmed in the cast announcement video.
And Rose Leslie could well become my new favourite redhead.
The “You know nothing” bit made me a fan of Rose for life.
damn, khaleesi looking fine.
So’s Lady Stark, to be honest.
Emilia was extra YOWZA. And I was definitely a bit surprised by how nicely Michelle Fairley cleans up.
Yeah, I’d smash it.
I’d give her a ‘Red Wedding’ to remember…
I’m pretty sure George was a little tipsy. He was nowhere near as awkward moderating last year’s panel. So many awkward silences and nervous laughter and boobie talk.
Loved Emilia’s story of a lift’s doors opening, a startled woman recognizing her and saying “Khaleesi.” before the doors closed again.
He definitely didn’t seem to find a good groove. As I alluded to above, they’re just behind the eight ball a bit with this panel. The timing as it coincides with the show and the massive cast aren’t ideal for putting on a stellar Comic-Con panel.
OMG, CASTING NEWS! OMG, QUEEN OF THORNS AND BLACKFISH.
Someone GIF’d Emilia’s story from the panel. [hiyoritic.tumblr.com]
“I was in a department store and I was just in the lift, and the lift doors opened and this woman kind of looked at me and did a double take and just said ‘Khaleesi’.”
I never thought I’d like her better as a brunette, but… My.God!
99.9% of women look better with dark hair.
Agreed. Brunettes FTW
Rose Leslie>Everything
Would bang.
I want to be the meat in a Daenerys/Ygritte sandwich….