“Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder.” – Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
We’re three rounds in to our Game of Thrones March Madness tournament, and there have been plenty of surprises. The third round of the tournament — the Sweet 16 — saw some upsets. Let’s take a look at the results before we get to the next round.
Tyrion Lannister vs. Tywin Lannister
Theon Greyjoy vs. Sansa Stark
Jon Snow vs. Oberyn Martell
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish vs. Daenerys Targaryen
Tyrion vanquishing his father (again) wasn’t shocking, although Tywin was leading during brief periods before Tyrion pulled away over the last few days. Sansa Stark continued her strong showing, taking out Theon Greyjoy. That sets up an awkward matchup as former husband and wife face off for a chance to compete in the championship round.
No upset was bigger than King in the North Jon Snow losing to Oberyn Martell. Despite Oberyn only appearing in only one season, the Red Viper toppled one of the most characters on the show. This matchup was also impressive for because of the numbers involved — over fifteen thousand votes were tallied, six thousand more than any other matchup this round.
Then there’s Dany. Deanerys Targaryen might be on her way to Westeros on the show, but here, her path goes no further. Littlefinger’s fans pushed him onward, and we have a situation where neither Dany nor Jon, both fan favorites, are in the Final Four.
And now we arrive at the new polls. On one side, we have a spousal showdown between Tyrion and Sansa, and on the other we have a dangerous warrior throwing down with a master of chaos. Who will advance to our championship round? Voting lasts but two days this time (just like in the real Final Four), so get your votes in! And remember, there’s no right way to define “favorite character.” Vote for your favorites!
HBO released a new promo trailer for Game of Thrones season 7, featuring new footage of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister and a special guest! Do we love it? Hate it? Somewhere in the middle. Let’s react all over it.
Also, beware of light SPOILERS.
DAN: I loved the promo trailer. First of all, I think it’s a fun novelty that we even got one. We didn’t get something like this for season 6, did we? We had the Hall of Faces teaser, which didn’t involve any actual footage, and then we got the full trailer sometime later. We didn’t get anything like this, something with new footage shot especially for the promo. It’s a great way to bridge the gap.
Okay, tell me if I’m projecting: does Jon not look miserable about being in charge? The whole trailer is about these three characters taking their seats at the table. Dany has that look of steely determination we know so well, Cersei looks like she’s in her element and loving it, and Jon…looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. Maybe I’m reading too deeply into Kit Harington’s resting gloom face, but that’s what I got from it. It would fit, what with Jon always being nominated to positions of authority (whether he wants it or not) whereas Daenerys and Cersei seek them out.
The other big takeaway, for me, is the look at Daenerys’ new throne. I think it’s a great fit for her. It’s stark, it’s severe, it’s intimidating and it just looks really cool. I think she’ll be very happy making sweeping proclamations from that thing.
I didn’t even mind the music this time around, and usually HBO’s choices in the trailers bug me. (Why don’t they just get Ramin Djawadi to write something for the trailers?) I thought it was terrific. How’d the trailer strike you guys?
SARAH: Daenerys has a throne! Cersei has the throne to end all thrones! Jon has…a bench. Poor Jon, always getting the muddy end of the stick.
That said, his seat doesn’t appear to be as inconveniently placed as Dany’s, which looks as if it’s sitting out in the middle of a cave somewhere. Imagine the hilarity when someone tells her that it’s actually the toilet.
I have to agree with Dan: Jon is quite the sourpuss, but that’s no surprise. Nobody can blame him for wanting a quiet life once this is all over. His fake dad is dead, as well as two of his brothers, while Bran and Arya remain MIA. His real dad is A) dead; and B) unknown to him, as is his mother. The woman he loves died in his arms at the hands of a weaselly orphan. He’s spent the last few years living beneath the world’s largest ice cube, risking his life and fighting endless battles against wildlings and demonic zombies. The future of the human race is in his hands and he was literally murdered. Oh, and people are always swearing at him. Seriously. Rewatch seasons 1 – 6 and you’ll see what I mean.
I really enjoyed the teaser. Its message was direct: Cersei has the best catwalk pose. But also that the three powerhouses of Stark, Lannister and Targaryen are finally gearing up to go toe-to-toe, with the ever-terrifying Night King never far from the action.
But back to Cersei. I’m really glad that she was included in this teaser because so many members of our glorious fandom are already counting her out. As a Cersei fan and an avid supporter of her survival to the end of season 8, I was thrilled to see that out of the three of them, she got the last word. It looks as if she’s still got a trick or two up her sleeve. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: Don’t count her out.
COREY: I think it’s nice that we’re finally getting down to what the show has been teasing for the past six seasons: the invasion of the White Walkers. Yes, we saw each of the three primary monarchs left in Westeros (sorry, Euron) make the long lonely walk to their respective thrones, but as in the first teaser, the White Walkers are the last thing we see. That’s not an accident. Like the first teaser, where all of the house statues crumble, this teaser reinforces the idea that the White Walkers are the primary threat. Hopefully that means season 7 will finally show them making their way past (or through) the Wall.
I also like the symbolism behind each of the monarch’s thrones. Cersei, who has always desired power above all else, has the most striking and imposing throne, the Iron Throne itself. Dany’s throne is unique, but not as gaudy or overbearing as the Iron Throne — it represents both Dany’s desire to rule as a means to make a better world. And last, we have Jon’s simple bench. There could be no clearer representation of Jon’s complete lack of desire to rule than that.
I think having each leader walk to their destinations by themselves was a deliberate choice to illustrate how each of them is ultimately alone. Yes, they have supporters, but the final decisions will always come down to them. Two thumbs up HBO.
RAZOR: I love how HBO just randomly drops a teaser promo for the biggest show in all of television right in the middle of the afternoon. No warning, no fanfare — just drop it and watch the chaos. Really, only HBO could do this and get away with it. The network knows its audience, and knows that anything remotely related to Game of Thrones will be savagely set upon like a pack hungry hounds eating Ramsay’s face. (Too soon? No.)
The teaser is telling us that while there’s going to be strife between the kings and queens of Westeros, in the end it all pales in comparison to the threat of the Night King and his horde undead minions.
As far as the living monarchs in this teaser go, I think our look at Cersei’s refurbished throne room is the standout moment, followed by Daenerys sitting on the Dragonstone throne. At first glance, Jon gets the short end of the stick as far as new digs go — Winterfell never really changes. But that’s what makes it perfect for Jon. He’s half-Stark, and the Starks are steadfast and consistent. While others are adapting to their new worlds, Jon Snow invites us back to a familiar place, somewhere warm and inviting. All hail the King in the North.
RICHARD: Great teaser, once again. HBO is putting their money on atmospherics, and if my spine-tingling has anything to say about it, it’s paying off. Beautifully shot, and while I wasn’t crazy about the music I think it worked just fine. It symbolically portrays the long walk each main character has had to reach their throne and immediately reduces their achievements in light of the threat of the White Walkers. Their human success thus far seems petty in comparison.
Could we say the teaser also states that the three kings and queens, isolated in their new realms, are utterly vulnerable if they can’t find a way to unite against the common foe, and that will be the great question posed in Season 7? A Westerosi house divided against itself cannot stand? Martin/D&D don’t make the path easy, so we can figure that the three leaders will find a way to decimate each other before the White Walkers come over the horizon. We’ll launch into season 8 with the remnants of the human kingdoms finally joining forces in the face of the seemingly overpowering enemy.
As for who gets crushed first? It’s interesting that Cersei is the leader selected to breathe an icy breath, but I don’t think we can read much into that. Everybody had better be sharpening their Valyrian blades and dragonglass.
KATIE: Although it doesn’t give us much to work with on the outset, I love the teaser for its simplicity. It’s foreboding without overdoing it, and intense without any gimmicks. (Granted, we might be able to call the pop music a gimmick, but in my opinion it’s more of a nice touch that captures the mood.)
As most of my fellow writers have pointed out, this footage pits the last great houses against one another. In a time when they need to band together, it looks as though they won’t recognize the bigger picture — at least, not immediately. Jon knows what’s coming, but Cersei and Daenerys will need convincing. It’s no small wonder. After all, the past six seasons have been more or less about the noble families one-upping each other in their quest for the Iron Throne. That tension has spanned generations, and won’t be broken so easily.
Now, the major contenders for the throne are Cersei, who has it; Daenerys, who wants it; and Jon, who would just… rather not. I agree wholeheartedly with Dan and Sarah: Jon is miserable in a position of power. Indeed, that was made rather clear when he was declared King in the North in the season 6 finale. He was all shock and apprehension. Jon can inspire faith and loyalty, and as such he has the makings of a great leader, but he has no desire to be a king.
In fact, I think that showcasing these would-be monarchs in the season 7 teaser suggests that, in the end, none of them will sit the Iron Throne. It’s just a bit too traditional in a story that upends narrative traditions. The dissolution of the throne is a popular fan theory for series’ end, but even if it remains intact, I think the rug will be pulled out from under us with a less obvious character taking that power. My bet’s on Tyrion, who has so often been denied and stripped of power that granting him the ultimate position would nicely suit his arc. But I digress.
Perhaps it’s a bit premature to speculate on season 8 when this is only a season 7 teaser, but the end has to begin somewhere. While the teaser concentrates on the thrones of Westeros, those who will ultimately sit them will have to take on the White Walkers first.
Let’s go back a few years. The giant theory was first mentioned in an offhand way by Robb Stark way back in season 1, when he was talking to Bran about Old Nan’s wacky stories. “One time she told me the sky is blue because we live inside the eye of a blue-eyed giant named Macumber,” he said. “Maybe we do,” replied a sullen Bran.
It was a throwaway moment at the time, but later, in season 4, Oberyn Martell brought up the same idea to Tywin Lannister. “Some believe the king choked,” Tywin said, talking about Joffrey’s recent death. “Some believe the sky is blue because we live inside the eye of a blue-eyed giant,” Oberyn replied.
At minimum, the fact that Robb and Oberyn, two characters who live on opposite ends of Westeros, both know this story establishes that it’s a well-known myth. That doesn’t mean it’s literally true, of course, but the HBO production team has been having fun with the idea in the first two promos for season 7.
First came the statues teaser, featuring statues based on the sigils of the great houses of Westeros tearing each other apart. At the very end, the camera pulls back, revealing that the whole thing is happening inside a blue eye.
Then came yesterday’s “Long Walk” promo, featuring Jon Snow, Daenerys and Cersei slow-walking toward their thrones. Again, at the end, the camera pulls back, and we see that everything’s been happening inside a blue eye.
The obvious conclusion is that the eye belongs to a White Walker. We know they’re coming, we know they’re bad news, and Cersei exhales a chilly breath right before we see the blue eye in the “Long Walk” promo. But others, including the fan behind YouTube channel Alt Shift X, have wondered if that’s really a White Walker’s eye. Alt Shift X notes that it looks similar to the eye of Wun Wun the giant, last seen dying in the Winterfell courtyard in “Battle of the Bastards” (Ramsay puts an arrow through his eye, strangely enough). You can look above at the image comparing the two and decide for yourself. Note the similarity of the brow and the wide nose.
Alt Shift X notes the similarity in the video below — I’ve linked to the point in the video where he talks about it, but the whole thing is worth watching by itself.
If this is Wun Wun’s eye we’re looking at, it could mean that the beloved giant will come back as a wight. We’ve seen the White Walkers revive things other than humans to serve in their army of the dead before — they’ve been seen riding dead horses, and in the books some of the Night’s Watchmen encounter a dead bear. Considering the damage he did in seasons 5 and 6, a zombie Wun Wun would be terrible news for the living.
But Wun Wun died at Winterfell, so if the Night King were going to revive him, he’d have to make his way south. And that’s without bringing up the living-inside-the-eye-of-a-blue-eyed-giant question. I suspect HBO was just reaching for a creepy image to end its promo, but it’s fun to mull over these theories.
And they don’t end there. Redditor dragonmcmxnoticed something reflected in that blue eye: the Wall. Take a look at the image below; does dragonmcmx have a point?
Whether this is the eye of a wight or a White Walker, it makes sense he’d have his sights set on the Wall. Again, bad news for the living.
What do you guys think of all these theories? Are they just for fun, or are we through the looking glass?
HBO gave the internet a gift yesterday by releasing an all-new promo trailer for Game of Thrones season 7. It features Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady) taking their seats in the halls of power: Jon in Winterfell, Dany at Dragonstone, and Cersei in King’s Landing on the Iron Throne. Here’s a refresher, in case you somehow forgot:
No one does slow motion walks better than Game of Thrones. And even though we didn’t get much detail from this short teaser, it still makes for some beautiful GIFs.
The teaser starts with Cersei, seen in silhouette, walking through the Red Keep as Jon Snow stalks through Winterfell.
The candles and torches are lit.
Jon looks like he has a lot on his mind.
Next, we have Daenerys exploring Dragonstone, walking through tunnels carved from the rock of the island.
And here’s Cersei strutting towards the Iron Throne.
Jon’s back, and he’s brought his trademark brooding face with him.
He’s looking at the great hall in Winterfell. Last we saw it, Jon was being crowned the King in the North.
Back on Dragonstone, Dany has arrived at the throne room.
Cersei’s reached her destination, as well.
We have a look at the newly remodeled throne room. Notice the House Lannister lions adorning the windows. Time for the age of Cersei.
Yep, Jon’s still brooding and walking…and brooding and walking.
Dany looks serious, as well.
And Cersei’s face betrays her thoughts: “I’m better than these pretenders.”
Dany and Cersei ascend to their thrones.
The two queens take a seat.
Jon doesn’t get a throne, though, so he just sits at the head table. Hardly fair, in my opinion. Although nobody does a smoldering look better than Jon.
Cersei tries, though.
Ditto Dany. Leave the smoldering broody looks to Jon, ladies.
See?
These candles cower under his glare.
Cersei tries to fog the camera up with her icy breath…
…but the Night King is having none of it.
Game of Thrones season 7 premieres on July 16.
This teaser is showing us what season 7 will be about: All three of these characters may be rulers in their own right, but none of that will matter when the Night King and his army come knocking.
HBO has released a new promo trailer for Game of Thrones season 7, featuring Lena Headey, Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke decked out head to toe as Cersei Lannister, Jon Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen respectively. Let’s break it down shot by show and see what we can learn.
But first, the promo itself:
So this is more involved than the teaser trailer HBO released a few weeks back — the one featuring statues modeled after the House sigils tearing at each other — but shy of a proper trailer. The footage here is new, but not taken from the actual episodes. We’ll take it.
Anyway, the trailer opens with a host of a hard stone floor. A shadow falls over it as a melancholy, drum-heavy remix of James’ “Sit Down” begins to play. It’s Cersei, still wearing a version of her black coronation dress from the season 6 finale.
Next, a shot of Jon Snow stalking the halls of Winterfell. As it’s taken through a doorway, this one is more remote, as though someone is spying on Jon.
Finally, we see Dany walking through her new home, blurry in the background while a big honking shot of flaming candles talks up the foreground. Because fire is her thing.
This is the strategy the promo employs throughout — it cuts between these three characters as each of them take their new seats of power, with varying levels of comfort. We can take this as the theme of the new seasons: three leaders with competing interests posturing while a dire problem elsewhere becomes too big to ignore…
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – March 30, 2017 – The Baltimore Comic-Con will be held on September 22-24, 2017 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center.
Our first priority at the Baltimore Comic-Con will always be the safety and welfare of our fans, guests, vendors, and the Baltimore community as a whole. It is with this priority in mind, along with new legislation in the City of Baltimore as well as recent tragedies both at home and abroad, that the Baltimore Comic-Con is prohibiting bringing weapons of any kind into the convention.
The following list is not meant to be all-inclusive and the Baltimore Comic-Con reserves the right to prohibit additional items not listed in this policy. Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
Firearms of any kind (including air soft guns, BB guns, cap guns, paintball guns, and pellet guns)
Replica firearms (including reproductions, or toy guns that can be confused for actual firearms)
Any projectile weapons (including blow guns, crossbows, long bows, silly string, slingshots, water balloons, and water guns)
Bladed weapons (including axes, daggers, hatchets, knives and swords, sword canes, and switch blades)
Explosives of any type (including black powder, firecrackers, and fireworks)
Chemical weapons (including mace and pepper spray)
Blunt weapons (including bats, mallets, brass knuckles, clubs, and any type of martial arts weapon)
Prop weapons made of anything besides soft plastic or foam. The Baltimore Comic-Con reserves the right to deny admission to individuals attempting to bring any prop into the show deemed unacceptable by staff.
Please note that any replica or prop weapon purchased from a Vendor at the convention must remain in the packaging or be taken out of the convention center.
We completely appreciate the time and effort that so many of our fans and guests put into their costumes and convention attire. Whether dressing for our annual costume contest, cosplay, or simply showing your fandom, we understand that weaponry is often part of the overall presentation. We sincerely hope everyone understands these extra measures that have been designed to preserve a safe and enjoyable environment for all and to ensure compliance with new legislation in Baltimore, and we strongly encourage everyone to continue wearing the costumes on which they have spent so much time and effort.
Thank you in advance for working with us to ensure a safe and fun time is experienced by everyone at the Baltimore Comic-Con.
Visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets/ for more information and to purchase your advanced tickets!
In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
from Baltimore Comic-Con http://baltimorecomiccon.com/2017/03/new-baltimore-comic-con-weapons-policy-for-2017/
HBO just released a new promo for Game of Thrones season 7, featuring Cersei, Daenerys, and Jon Snow taking the Long Walk toward their new seats of power. Watch!
Game of Thrones season 7 comes out July 16. Can’t wait!
HBO has released a new GoT S7 teaser trailer entitled “Long Walk” that features Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister and the creepy blue-eyed King. A man shall say no more. Just go check it out…
People like tweeting about Game of Thrones. They like it a lot, actually — speaking to Vanity Fairthrough email, Twitter product manager Rishi Tembe said that #GameofThrones was one of the 10 most tweeted hashtags last year.
And that’s all well and good, but what happens when the wrong tweets reach the wrong ears? Live-tweeting TV shows is very popular, and live-tweeting new episodes of Game of Thrones more popular still. But if there’s a Twitter user who can’t see the episode immediately, they run the risk of getting spoiled, and that’s not fun for anyone.
How to avoid this problem? Well, those fans could stay off Twitter until they saw the episode. That would work. But if not, Tembe reminds people that they can take advantage of Twitter’s advanced muting features. Originally introduced last year to deal with online harassment, they’re also handy for fans who want to keep themselves in the dark about big plot twists. Tembe broke it down:
We always wanted to expand on the mute feature work we did in November, which lets you remove certain keywords, phrases, or entire conversations from your notifications. Now, you can mute from your home timeline, and you can decide how long this content is muted—one day, one week, one month, or indefinitely…Now, whether people are in a different time zone, or just can’t make it home in time for their favorite show, they’ll be able to better avoid spoilers on the platform.
So basically, come season 7, just mute “Game of Thrones,” “GoT,” and the corresponding hashtags for however long it takes for you to get to the TV, and you should be able to enjoy the show fresh as a daisy. Just click on your Twitter icon, choose “Privacy and Settings,” and then “Muted Words.”
This functionality wasn’t implemented by the time season 6 wrapped up, so there was no protecting fans from Twitter spoilers about, say, Hodor’s death (except Twitter abstinence, of course). But even looking forward, this isn’t a fool-proof system. After all, before The Winds of Winter aired, who knew that they would need to block #HolyCrapCerseiJustBlewUpFiveCityBlocks? Still, it’s good to have options.
The Emmy voters have been showering Game of Thrones with awards for the past two years now — 23 nominations for season 6 and 24 for season 5. All told, the show has earned 38 Emmys during its six years on the air, more than any other drama in history. Is there really room for complaint?
Yes there is. Somehow, despite turning out terrific music for six seasons now, composer Ramin Djawadi has yet to earn an Emmy for his work on the show…or at all. In addition to writing for Thrones, Djawadi has also worked on Prison Break on Fox, The Strain on FX, and Westworld on HBO. That last one may well earn him a nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series at the 69th Annual Emmy Awards this September, but for the guy who composed “Light of the Seven,” it may read as too little, too late.
Consider that Djawadi has been nominated for an Outstanding Music Composition Emmy only only, in 2014, for his work on season 4’s “The Mountain and the Viper.” And he wasn’t nominated at all in 2011, the year the show’s iconic main title track debuted. That year, the award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music went to Showtime’s The Borgias.
It’s true that the nominating process for Outstanding Music Composition is arcane — composers must nominate themselves rather than relying on public relations people, and the voting system is different — but there’s no reason Djawadi can’t break through. Because Game of Thrones season 7 won’t air until after the eligibility period for the 69th Emmys closes, neither he nor anyone else from the show will be up for awards this year. But they’ll be back for the 2018 and 2019 Emmys, and it’s there that the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience could give him a boost.
For the past month and change, Djawadi has been touring North American with a full orchestra and choir playing songs from Game of Thrones to sold-out venues. It’s a terrific show, and has raised Djawadi’s profile beyond that of the ordinary TV composer. What’s more, he’s contemplated “a sequel” to the show that will include music from season 7, which could keep that momentum going.
We hope Djawadi rides that momentum toward an Emmy win before long. Awards aren’t everything — Djawadi will certainly get along fine without them — but it would feel strange if he ended his trail-blazing run on Game of Thrones without at least a couple of gaudy golden statues to show for it.
Here are the few remaining dates for the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience:
Actor Aidan Gillen has been played Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish on Game of Thrones for six years. According to Entertainment Weekly, he’ll soon add a new TV credit to his resume: Peaky Blinders, a post-World War I Netflix drama that follows the exploits of a family of gangsters living in Birmingham, England. He’ll be joining the show’s fourth season in an unnamed role. Academy Award-winner Adrian Brody (The Pianist) is also coming aboard.
Filming for the fourth season of Peaky Blinders began in March, meaning Gillen was most likely finished with filming on Game of Thrones season 7 by the time he started. Also, we don’t know how big or small Gillen’s part in the Netflix drama will be, or for how long he will be attached to that show.
Still, we can’t help but be a little worried about what Gillen taking on a new TV role means for Littlefinger. We’re reminded of when Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell) was cast in the lead role of Marvel’s Iron Fist (also on Netflix). That announcement was made before season 6 debuted. And then Loras died in the season 6 finale. So we’re jumpy.
Will Littlefinger die in Game of Thrones season 7? While he’s an important character, the show doesn’t focus on him to the extent it does on the likes of Jon Snow, Daenerys, Bran, Arya, Sansa, Jaime and Cersei. With only 13 episodes of the show left, relevance is relative, although everyone’s in danger of getting the axe.
We can imagine scenarios where he meets his end. Most obviously, there are those White Walkers trying to get over the Wall — political maneuvering is lost on them. Closer to home, Littlefinger is now inside Winterfell, navigating an uneasy new alliance between the Northerners, the wildlings and the Knights of the Vale. Might he get caught in the crossfire? Might Sansa, his apprentice, take a cue from her master and try to remove from the board?
Or maybe he’ll be fine. After all, filming on Game of Thrones season 8 won’t begin until September, probably long after filming on Peaky Blinders season 4 is over. So we’ll try and ignore the little alarm bells in our heads.
Game of Thrones season 7 premieres on July 16. According to Digital Spy, Peaky Blinders season 4 will most likely air late 2017.
If you’ve ever had a chance to read The World of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson, you’ll remember the book’s wonderful artwork. It includes some stunning depictions of iconic locales from A Song of Ice and Fire, including the below picture of the Eyrie. Scroll through to see even more.
It’s easy to see from this painting why — according to the book — the folks of the Vale often argue with the inhabitants of the Reach over which castle is more beautiful: the Eyrie or Highgarden.
The artist behind this work is Ted Nasmith, an illustrator best known for paintings based on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Nasmith was inspired by Tolkien’s work at a young age, but in recent years has turned his attention to Westeros. In addition to The World of Ice and Fire, his renderings also appeared in the 2011 Song of Ice and Fire calendar. George R.R. Martin even wrote that he considers Nasmith’s illustrations for the calendar to be “THE definitive depictions of thirteen of the great castles of Westeros.”
Martin certainly found the right artist to give life to imagination. It’s particularly fun to look at the buildings we haven’t yet seen on TV, like Eastwatch by the Sea.
As an avid collector of Game of Thrones fanart, I’m very intrigued by these.
Nasmith doesn’t just paint awe-inspiring pictures of castles; he’s also turned his hand to characters and scenes from the books too. Take a look at these sketches of some of our favorite characters, and see how they differ from their on-screen incarnations.
The beastly-looking Tyrion is certainly a departure from the Tyrion we see on screen, which is no surprise. In the books, Tyrion’s ugliness is referenced frequently, while Peter Dinklage is a very handsome man. However, if these drawings more closely resemble what Martin had in mind when conceiving the characters, it looks like Sophie Turner’s casting as Sansa Stark was right on the nose.
How do Nasmith’s drawings compare to your mental images of people and places from the series?
(@ChefResha) 
