Author Topic: Game of Thrones  (Read 20587 times)

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #25 on: July 19, 2011, 04:08:16 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=42189

Stannis Baratheon & Melisandre Cast In Game Of Thrones Season 2
The biggest new additions to the soon to film second season of HBO's awesome fantasy drama series have been cast. Click to see who will be playing the ruthless Stannis and his sorceress Melisandre..
Fans of the Song Of Ice And Fire books by George RR Martin have been anxiously waiting to see who would be cast as Stannis in the second season of HBO's tv adaptation. Well now we not only find out, but also who will be playing his right hand woman as it were, Melisandre..

From EW..

Melisandre will be played by Carice van Houten, a Dutch stage and film actress. She’s appeared in the movies Valkyrie and Repo Men. I think you’ll agree she looks just about perfect for Melisandre.

And Stannis will be played by…

British actor Stephen Dillane, best known to U.S. audiences by playing Thomas Jefferson in HBO’s John Adams.

Fans of the book will know the roles these two play but for those that haven't read on to A Clash Of Kings..

These two major roles are paired together in the story: Melisandre is powerful woman who counsels the late King Robert’s older brother, Stannis Baratheon, in his quest to claim the Iron Throne. She’s described as a seductive force possessing prophetic powers who’s willing to impose her religion on the world by any means necessary. While Stannis believes himself to be the Iron Throne’s rightful heir. He’s described as humorless and authoritative, with a strict moral code, but is gradually succumbing to the power of his newfound religion.



Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #26 on: July 20, 2011, 01:24:17 AM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=42237

EW have another casting scoop for the second season of HBO's Game Of Thrones. Irish actor Liam Cunningham(Clash Of The Titans, Camelot) will play fan favorite Davos, the "Onion Knight"..
Following on from the earlier news that Stannis and Melisandre have been cast in season two of Game Of Thrones was have word that Liam Cunningham will be playing Stannis's most trusted adviser, Davos Seaworth..

 From EW..

The final major new role on HBO’s Game of Thrones has been filled: Irish actor Liam Cunningham has landed the part of Davos for the show’s second season.
Cunningham has appeared in many productions over the years, including Starz’ now defunct Camelot, the recent Clash of the Titans remake and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Davos is a very popular character among fans of George RR Martin's books because he is one of the few moral, good hearted men left in the story. He is also very loyal to the somewhat ruthless Stannis however, and this gets him into some sticky situations. A former smuggler, Davos was landed the nicname "The Onion Knight" because he managed to smuggle food into Stannis's castle in wartime. Stannis rewarded him with a Knighthood, but took two of his fingers for the crime of smuggling. Davos wears the finger bones around his neck for luck.


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Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #27 on: July 28, 2011, 11:51:34 PM »

First Set Pics From Game Of Thrones Season 2, More Info Revealed
Nothing too revealing, but a blogger has captured a couple of nice snaps of the 7 New Gods Of Westeros in their statue form from the Northern Ireland set of HBO's fantasy drama series. We also have some info on how many eps season 2 will be..
 
The statues represent the "New Gods" or simply The 7. They are made up of the Father, the Mother, the Warrior, the Crone, the Smith, the Maid, and the Stranger. These Gods replaced what re known as "The Old Gods", mainly worshiped in the North by the Starks and their kin. But when the Red God Rhllor begins to amass a vast number of believers, even the New Gods are discarded among many. In some cases forcibly as you will see in season 2 as Melisandre and her like begin to burn the effigies. Expect that to happen to the wooden props you see above.

In other news, HBO execs have revealed that the next season will also be 10 episodes and that to do any more than that could "dilute the quality". They also say that they are willing to keep going with the show as long as author George RR martin is willing to keep writing! Great news, lets just hope they commit to that.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=43163

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #28 on: August 29, 2011, 08:07:33 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=45429



Game Of Thrones Season 2 Recasts Rorge!
We glimpsed this vicious bastard in the final ep of season 1 for about 5 seconds, but he has been recast for season 2 and will be played by Brit character actor Andy Beckwith (Snatch, Pirates Of The Caribbean)..
Fans of the first season of HBO's epic fantasy series will probably recall a scene towards the end of the last episode-"Fire And Blood", in which Arya has a gander into a cage containing 3 prisoners. One was this handsome chap..

 

He was supposed to be Rorge. In a story full of nasty characters this guy has to be one of the worst. I won't even get into some of the atrocities he commits over the course of George R.R Martin's books but providing the show doesn't shy away from some of them you will most likely get to see for yourselves. Anyway, the character has been recast for season 2 and will be played by Andy Beckwith who is known for playing some particularly tough, no nonsense types in movies like Snatch and Jet Li actioner Unleashed. In the books Rorge has no nose. it will be interesting to see if the series follows suit.

Oh and by way of a little extra, check out this hilarious vid from Vulture. Bronn and Tyrion are: One And A Half-Man


Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #29 on: September 13, 2011, 10:57:01 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fantasy_comic_book_movies/news/?a=46245



Blown Away with The Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones food marquee blows away injuring cast and crew and sends costumes flying as the tail end of Hurricane Katia sweeps across the Atlantic.
 


Winter fell today as at least one person has been taken to Hospital after strong winds collapsed the film set marquee on the north coast of Ireland. Stark eyewitness accounts say at least 200 people had gathered in the tent for lunch as the strong winds battered the surrounding area. In less than 1 second the the building was completely flattened. Many people ran for the hills in fear of being whisked away to Oz as others hid underneath tables, fearing for their lives, waiting to be rescued.

Film footage of the collapse taken at the time and shown on BBC News N.Ireland clearly shows what appears to be costumes flying off into the great beyond. It is too early to tell how this will affect the filming schedule


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-14889802

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #30 on: September 19, 2011, 10:41:04 PM »
Interesting....MTV's Josh Horowitz brought up Jason Momoa, stating that we will see him again in Season 2 and the shows creators respond "Jason's got a big mouth", rather than state that it was false. If you read the books and watched Season 1 you know that it would be a big deviation from the books to have Khal Drogo return in Season 2. Are you ok with HBO [possibly]making such important changes to the source material? Sound off in the comments section below. Oh,and here's what George R.R. Martin himself things about changes being made to his thousand page tomes.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=46684

DK II

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #31 on: September 20, 2011, 04:15:07 AM »
reading the book at the moment!

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #32 on: October 03, 2011, 09:37:36 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Lucaxmen/news/?a=47507



Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner And Rory McCann In New Set Pictures From Game of Thrones Season 2!
Nothing too revealing, but we have now the first set pictures from Game of Thrones Season 2 in Dubrovnik..
 
Thanks to Westeros we now have the first pictures from the set of Game of Thrones Season 2 in Dubrovnik in Croatia. Here we can see Peter Dinklage, Jack Gleeson, Rory McCann And Sophie Turner:

 

 

 


Army of One

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #33 on: October 04, 2011, 09:07:53 AM »
Great show, Id rail the dragon Queen til I was dry as the Sahara  :P

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #34 on: October 04, 2011, 06:14:39 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=47568



Game of Thrones Casting News For A Likely Full Frontal Offender
Tony Way (Finding Neverland​) will play Ser Dontos Hollard. Get ready to see Tony Way up close and personal...
 
Tony Way (Finding Neverland​) will play Ser Dontos Hollard in Season 2 of Game of Thrones. Winter-is-coming reports:

Dontos Hollard is a bumbling knight that befriends Sansa Stark, who remains at court in King’s Landing. Tony Way is an English actor, comedian, and writer, who is best known for playing various characters, in the hit BBC sketch comedy TV series Tittybangbang and playing the character Dave in the movie, Ali G Indahouse.

If you follow the books then you know Tony Way could be offending our male sensibilities with some full frontal nudity at a certain knight tourney. Hopefully that's not the case but who can forget that eye-cringing moment from Season 1.


dr.chimps

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #35 on: October 07, 2011, 12:39:03 PM »
Finally received my copy of Dance with Dragons. Only took 2.5 months to come from the UK. Thing's a door stopper. Oh well, no plans to read it.    8)

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #36 on: October 10, 2011, 08:00:33 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=47879



Ygritte Finally Cast In Game Of Thrones Season 2
Fans have been wondering who would play Jon Snow's Wildling love interest in season 2 of HBO's fantasy drama series. Now thanks to EW we know..
 

Ygritte, the red headed Wildling girl who falls in love with Jon Snow, plays a pretty big role in the second book in George R.R Martin's Song Of Ice And Fire series so it's likely that the character will also feature prominently in the show too. She had been the last major character to be cast (I think?) but now EW reveal that Rose Leslie will bring her to life..


Downton Abbey actress Rose Leslie has landed the key role of a Wildling woman that Jon Snow meets during during his adventures beyond the Wall. Ygritte is described as “strong-willed, witty, skilled in battle and survival in the wilderness. An unconventional beauty, skinny but strong with red hair (which the Wildlings consider ‘kissed by fire’).”


Ygritte is a ferocious warrior but has a soft spot for Jon Snow. She is best known for her catchphrase: "You know nothing Jon Snow" which is frequently referenced by GOT fans. Scottish actress Leslie is a relative newcomer with Gwen in Downtown Abbey being her only significant role.


Fury

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #37 on: October 11, 2011, 03:18:06 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=47879



Ygritte Finally Cast In Game Of Thrones Season 2
Fans have been wondering who would play Jon Snow's Wildling love interest in season 2 of HBO's fantasy drama series. Now thanks to EW we know..
 

Ygritte, the red headed Wildling girl who falls in love with Jon Snow, plays a pretty big role in the second book in George R.R Martin's Song Of Ice And Fire series so it's likely that the character will also feature prominently in the show too. She had been the last major character to be cast (I think?) but now EW reveal that Rose Leslie will bring her to life..


Downton Abbey actress Rose Leslie has landed the key role of a Wildling woman that Jon Snow meets during during his adventures beyond the Wall. Ygritte is described as “strong-willed, witty, skilled in battle and survival in the wilderness. An unconventional beauty, skinny but strong with red hair (which the Wildlings consider ‘kissed by fire’).”


Ygritte is a ferocious warrior but has a soft spot for Jon Snow. She is best known for her catchphrase: "You know nothing Jon Snow" which is frequently referenced by GOT fans. Scottish actress Leslie is a relative newcomer with Gwen in Downtown Abbey being her only significant role.



That's almost exactly how I pictured Ygritte looking. Maybe a little more homely but it's good enough. Good casting.

OzmO

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #38 on: October 12, 2011, 05:04:25 PM »
I think perfect.

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #39 on: October 13, 2011, 11:18:25 AM »
John Stahl Joins Cast Of Game Of Thrones Season 2, Rose Leslie Discusses Her Role
After some hints posted by George R.R Martin suggested that Scottish actor John Stahl was up for a role, it has been confirmed that he will be joining season 2 of HBO's fantasy series. We also have a video interview with Rose Leslie (Ygritte)
Game Of Thrones author George R.R Martin is fond of posting clues leading up to casting announcements for the show. And the guys at Westeros.org figured out that his latest batch led to actor John Stahl joining season 2 and that has now been confirmed. The character he will be playing remains a mystery. There really aren't that many important charters left but the clues point to Lord Rickard Karstark. There are also those that think he could be Quorin Halfhand, who does play a big role in the events of the second book in the series. Anyway, we will update as soon as we know for sure.

UPDATE: Martin has now confirmed that Stahl is indeed playing Rickard Karstark. The character doesn't have too big a role in the second book but apparently he will in the show. Martin also revealed that all of the major roles have now been cast.

Another recent cast addition has recorded a video interview with Leicestersquaretv in which she discusses her casting and character in some detail. She talks about her training and what fans can expect from season 2. She also says that she has signed on for not only season 2 but a third season aswell. Now third season has officially been announced just yet however. The GOT stuff comes in around 1.05.


Stahl has appeared in the 1996 movie Loch Ness as well as the brutal 1979 Jimmy Boyle biopic A Sense Of Freedom.
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=48072

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #40 on: October 14, 2011, 10:07:30 PM »

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #41 on: October 14, 2011, 10:38:43 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=48135



The Final Major Character In Game Of Thrones Season 2 Has Been Cast
And it's another fan favorite; Night's Watch hardcase Qhorin Halfhand. George R.R Martin made the announcement via his blog..

Following up the announcement that Rose Leslie has been cast as Ygritte Martin posted the following on his blog..


And seeing as how we've added a wildling to the cast, it's only fair that we add a man of Night's Watch too.

Playing Qhorin Halfhand will be SIMON ARMSTRONG.

Simon is a veteran of stage and screen, and another great addition to our cast. Whether or not he is willing to have half his hand chopped off to better portray Qhorin remains to be seen...


Armstrong has appeared most recently in Killer Elite and the little seen but excellent Made In Dagenham. Martin has said that Qhorin would be the last major character cast in season 2 of the HBO series with just a handful of minor parts still to be filled. Qhorin Halfhand is a veteran of the Night's Watch who teams up with Jon Snow for a very dangerous mission at the beginning of the second book in the series. Expect the show to follow suit there. He is well known to The Wildlings because of the vast number of them he has killed, a reminder of which he carries on his shortened hand


Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #42 on: October 18, 2011, 02:33:19 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ComicMovieBuzz/news/?a=48418



Sean Bean Teases Possible Return To Game Of Thrones
Sean Bean to has spoken to MTV Movies Blog about a potential return in season two of Game of Thrones. Potential SPOILERS within...
 

Thanks to the guys over at MTV Movie Blogs for this video.

Beware if you haven't got around to watching the critically acclaimed first season of Game of Thrones then don't watch this video...

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN

Sean Bean's Ned Stark met with a rather 'choppy' end towards the end of season one of Game of Thrones, but this doesn't mean the door is closed for a possible return.


"I think there is in the books," said Bean of the possibility of flashbacks. "There are apparently some flashbacks, and it would be great to see everybody again and be involved."

"They sort of got rid of me. I had my head chopped off. But if you can come back from that, you can come back from everything, can't you," Bean joked.


OzmO

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #43 on: October 18, 2011, 03:48:18 PM »
I hadn't read any of the books yet when that happened.

After reading the #2 and #3 and half of #4 i have come to see that Martin has an uncanny way of doing what you don't expect.  I would have never bet Ned was going to die.

Fury

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #44 on: October 18, 2011, 05:27:38 PM »
I hadn't read any of the books yet when that happened.

After reading the #2 and #3 and half of #4 i have come to see that Martin has an uncanny way of doing what you don't expect.  I would have never bet Ned was going to die.

Hahah, he's good at that. I like it.

I didn't see Ned's death coming at all. I'm halfway through 3 right now. 2 and 3 are both better than 1, though, so I can't wait for the next seasons.

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #45 on: November 13, 2011, 04:13:29 PM »
Hodor!



http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=49740



EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn
CBM’s own Mark Julian interviews actor Kristian Nairn, who portrays Hodor on HBO's Game of Thrones. He's currently shooting Season 2 of the smash HBO drama but took time out of his busy schedule for a friendly chat. Hit the jump to listen.
Kristian Nairn is a prolific DJ and music producer of electronic music and is a local legend in his native Ireland. However, TV enthusiast here in the US will probably recognize Kristian from his role as the towering giant Hodor in HBO's Game of Thrones. Kristian was kind enough to discuss a number of Game of Thrones related topics in the interview below. He also fielded a number of comic book movie related questions as well, which I will post at a later date. He's a big fan of comic book movies and revealed to me that he frequents the site regularly, especially for Thor-related news. The second part is chock-full of humorous and funny tidbits from Kristian and myself about the CBM genre but first things first,we discuss all things Westeros and HBO.



Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #46 on: November 18, 2011, 08:59:37 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=50012



Game Of Thrones' Kit Harrington Tapped For The Role Of King Arthur In Arthur And Lancelot
It seems WB have signed up Jon Snow himself to swing a sword once again in their take on the Arthurian Legend. Variety broke the story, details past the jump..
"You know nothing Jon Snow". Well he knows he will be playing one of the most famous heroes in fantasy literature. And thanks to the lads at Variety we do too. Apparently Kit Harrington, who impressed as Eddard Stark's bastard in HBO's Game Of Thrones is Warner Bros' choice to armor up as King Arthur in Arthur And Lancelot.





From Showblitz..


Joel Kinniman is already in place to play Lancelot with David Dobkin on board to write and direct. Kinniman and Harrington were said to be the early front-runners for both roles, and while Kinniman’s test was good enough to get an early offer, Harrington had to re-test, eventually beating out the likes of Sam Claflin and his GAME OF THRONES co-star Richard Maddon.


WB acquired the Script for the movie for $2 million dollars after a bidding war with several other studios. The story is said to focus on how the legend of the Knights of the Round Table began, and centers on Arthur and Lancelot's friendship and the creation of the concept of Democracy by Arthur. The movie is being fast-tracked by Warners, which has shelved two other similar projects also in development: Bryan Singer's remake of John Boorman's 1981 movie Excalibur; and Guy Ritchie's reinvention of the myth alongside Warren Ellis, also titled Excalibur.

Arthur And Lancelot is set for release March 15, 2013.

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #47 on: November 20, 2011, 07:08:25 PM »

Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #48 on: November 28, 2011, 07:33:35 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=50395

EW's Game Of Thrones Season 2 Set Pics
The mag has posted 3 unrevealing, but interesting set images from the second season of HBO's fantasy drama series. No dragons, but you can see where they are being kept!..
Here we have 3 set pics from Entertainment Weekly's visit to the set of Game Of Thrones season 2 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The first pic was snapped at Fort Lovrijenac which will double for King's Landing and no doubt some epic battle scenes come season's end. Then we have what I think are supposed to be Danaerys Targarean's "Unsullied". Fierce Eunuch warrior slaves loyal to whoever purchases them. I'm not sure though, EW don't mention em so they could just as easily be Dornish warriors based on their appearance. The last pic is apparently how Danaerys will transport her 3 young dragons. Yes, that horse will carry ickle Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal. Rather him than me!..

EW say they will have much more in depth coverage of the second season of Game Of Thrones in the coming weeks so keep an eye out.


Gregzs

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Re: Game of Thrones
« Reply #49 on: November 28, 2011, 07:36:33 PM »
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=50415



EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Conan Stevens - Pt 1
You've seen Conan Stevens as Sir Gregor Clegane in HBO's Game of Thrones and you'll see him again in numerous projects, most notably Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit. He's über busy but I was able to snatch a moment to pick his brain.
 
Interview Conducted By: Mark Julian


Right now, Conan Stevens is reaping the benefits of his many years of hard work and persistence. After putting in dues overseas in Asian cinema, Stevens now finds himself popping up on Hollywood's radar and will likely be landing increasingly bigger roles in the near future. Already, he's generated buzz with his scene-stealing performance as Sir Gregor Clegane in HBO's Game of Thrones, specifically during an epic Season 1 scene where Clegane decides to "discipline" his horse. Following his stint on Game of Thrones, Conan can next be seen in Season 2 of STARZ's Spartacus: Vengeance, in Epic Pictures' upcoming release Vikingdom and of course in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I was able to capture some interesting tidbits from Conan on all of these roles plus get his interesting perspective on some comic book movie topics; truly captivating stuff from Conan (He's not just muscle and brawn, he was a high school chess champion and has also performed in a dance theatre company). I'll be posting The Hobbit related tidbits at a later date (Studio's orders, interview has some mild spoilers). Everything else was fair game though, so without further ado, here's part 1 of my interview with 7'-1", 320 lbs. actor Conan Stevens.



Mark Julian: You played The Mountain in Game of Thrones and I must say as an avid reader of the books, you nailed that character! Was it hard to walk away from that role to do The Hobbit?

I walked away from GoT? Somebody with no clue, no idea and no authority wrote that on the winter-is-coming.com comments section and that has somehow taken a foothold amongst others with a negative mindset.


Conan is referring to this post on Winteriscoming.net where fans were distraught over the news that he wouldn't be returning for Season 2. One popular theory is that the "Mountain that Rides" will not be shown in Season 2 without full armor, leaving the door open for Conan to return in Season 3. At this point, this is all speculation and nothing has been officially announced.

Mark Julian:I read that you received your medieval fighting skills from the Society of Creative Anachronisms? What can you tell me about that?

Conan Stevens: The SCA? That was a lot of fun. Officially they are there to recreate medieval dance, cuisine and authentic fight tactics. Basically, at least in Newcastle Australia, it was just a bunch of big hairy blokes beating the crap out of each other and having a beer or 10 afterwards and laughing about the immense [sic] bruisings that had landed on those unfortunate/unskillful enough to be wearing them.

I remember being given a sheet of steel and roll of high tensile steel fencing wire [and] asking what to do with it? I was to the beat the steel into shape with a hammer, and I was also told that the fencing wire was to be 'knit' into chainmail after I made individual links from the wire. Time consuming would best describe this.

But the SCA gave me a good hand-to-hand weapons base, it went well with my Professional Wrestling career afterwards which was more about choreography and improv theatre.


Mark Julian: Let's talk about your latest project, Vikingdom. You described it as being akin to 300. Is that in a figurative or visual sense?

Conan Stevens: I would be guessing here, but from what I have had described to me, I would say 'in the visual sense' as it is an action movie [which] is planned to have a great deal of CGI added in post production to the fights. Though taking historical events and fantasizing them somewhat would also be a noticeable link.

Also like '300', a lot of the work will be greenscreen backgrounds, after all tropical Malaysia is not well known for its icy fjords.


Mark Julian: You'll also be featured in an upcoming episode of Spartacus, what can you say about that role?

Conan Stevens: I can say that I'll be appearing in Season 02 Episode 07, which should air in the US on STARZ around the first week of March 2012. One person described the role as a "Guest Starring" role, [but] I'll go on record saying you definitely won't miss me in that episode. Being that Spartacus is very action orientated and so are my major skill sets you an guess I won't be playing a shopkeeper.

The best thing about that role was that it fit in perfectly with a break in filming "The Hobbit" and it was a series that I had been watching for about 12 months for an opening as I really wanted "Spartacus" on my resume alongside "Game of Thrones" and "the Hobbit" - I was sure that those three mentioned together would open the audition door to almost any movie that I will be interested in working on.


Mark Julian: Looking at your most notable roles, they definitely share a "medieval, sword & sorcery" element. Are you content to remain within this niche-genre or are you looking to expand your roles?

Conan Stevens: One of my business mentors teaches to create a market niche then dominate it, to diversify into too many areas [causes] you to lose focus and the consumer won't know what your name stands for, which is partly the reason I chose the name I use. That is the way I see my acting career, it is a market niche not a stereotype. Getting known as a particular style of character means you will get the call whenever a movie has a character like that, it is the best way into an overcrowded marketplace - make a name for yourself.

Later on an actor could start taking other roles to challenge himself, for the fun of it, or to prove that they are "real actors" with ability. I have watched several actors start to make a name for themselves then switch to a totally inappropriate genre with no fanbase cross over and lose respect from his previous fans.

I prefer my approach, I have seen too many "real actors" rolling about on the floor for free at community theatre doing it for the art, and have had too many arguments with agents and acting coaches to be bothered anymore.
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Mark Julian: Your name has come up for a character named Jack Reacher, the lead character in Lee Child best-selling novels. Specifically fans are outraged that a character described as being 6'-5" and huge is being played by Tom Cruise. Many fans of the novels are stating you would be the perfect Jack Reacher. Are you familiar with that character and how does it feel to start hearing your name pop-up when fans start debating what actor should play certain characters?

Conan Stevens: When I first heard my name was being debated seriously online vs Tom Cruise I was rather surprised, I mean Tom is one of the big names in Hollywood and I am a virtual unknown.

I have not read the books as I tend not to read fiction but having read up a little on the character I was under the impression that his strength and hand to hand combat ability were important to the character, I know as a person my physical strength and years of dangerous security guard work have given me a massive day to day confidence and personality traits that many find intimidating. Having a disagreement with [sic] a(nother) rather well known agent the other week I stated flatly "No one can teach me to be a bigger badder big bad guy than I already am.". Life teaches things that acting schools cannot.

Having said that, movies are about taking a gamble and hopefully making money. Having Tom attached to the film makes investors less nervous about their returns, he has a massive fan base so even if he was in an average movie it would still do well enough.

Secondly, Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise because he is smart. He will take the character and mold it into something that he can play and play well. Fans debating which actor should play which character brought the HBO "Game of Thrones" series to my attention back when it was first proposed. But yes, having fans put name forward over Tom Cruise is a huge compliment.



Great stuff from Conan. Stay tuned to CBM as I'll be posting part-2, where we discuss his wrestling career, who he'd wish to play in a comic book movie (Fun Fact: He portrayed Man-Thing in 2005) and his pick for next year's showdown between The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. The Hobbit portion of our interview will most-likely be posted sometime in early 2012.