Sure, strictly speaking it's not a film, but we're still excited by the news that HBO's A Game Of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George R R Martin*, has been greenlit and will now be heading for a full series, after the pilot (made last year) was okayed by HBO bosses.
The story is a not-so-usual fantasy world, in that there's very little (arguably no) magic in it, astonishing levels of violence and lots and lots of political shenanigans. Sean Bean starred in the pilot as Eddard Stark, the noble head of a large household who gets called back to work for his friend the King (Mark Addy), much to the dismay of the King's in-laws, the Lannisters. Plotting, murder and the occasional defenestration follow.
The book series still isn't finished, with nearly 5 years having passed since Martin published the first half of the fourth book in the series. But perhaps a decent TV series will get the creative juices flowing again and encourage Martin to stop editing short story collections and get back to the series. Not that we're keen or anything.
Nine episodes have been commissioned by HBO, with screenwriter David Benioff and writer/producer DB Weiss overseeing the series' development. Shooting on the new episodes starts in Belfast in June.
*Mr Martin, if you're reading: love your work! Now GET BACK TO IT AND FINISH THE DARN SERIES.