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The Competition


Ran

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[quote name='The Mance' post='1641856' date='Jan 9 2009, 04.52']The bottom line for assembling an all-star cast and crew can't be cheap. Hopefully it bites them in the ass.[/quote]

The problem is, it could end up biting [i]us[/i] in the ass if HBO make [i]Boardwalk Empire[/i] anyway and there's no money left over for AGoT :(.
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[quote]Steve Buscemi, Kelly MacDonald, and now, Michael Pitt. They are assembling quite a nice cast. I'm sure having Scorsese's name on the project helps. I really hope that Empire isn't in direct competition with Thrones. It is going to be hard for HBO to turn this one down.[/quote]

I think it's going through and I think it will certainly hurt GoT's chances. The one with Maria Bello in it doesn't sound like it would have any affect on whether GoT is given the go or not (and on a side note: it better have something more going for it than the abstract suggests because as it is, it sounds like the dumbass's version of Sopranos, and played alongside Boardwalk would make HBO That Mob Channel). Boardwalk though is an expensive period-piece. HBO has already tried doing expensive period pieces simultaneously with the consequence being that all of them were canceled prematurely. I'm not sure if they would be willing to dare it again.
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thing is, i've watched the making of Rome dvd and they seemed to go rediculously over board with expenses, like a money was no object to them. i really think they've learned there lesson there.

as for Boardwalk, aside from cars, i can't see the sets and costumes bringing the budget up that much, right now it looks like the names attached would be the price tag.
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Hopefully, if Boardwalk and AGoT are too expensive to start simultaneously, they'll start with whichever one is further along, and then make the other one once ratings and dvd sales make the first one profitable. No reason they have to only choose one of them period, right?
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[quote name='Atreides' post='1645311' date='Jan 11 2009, 21.18']Hopefully, if Boardwalk and AGoT are too expensive to start simultaneously, they'll start with whichever one is further along, and then make the other one once ratings and dvd sales make the first one profitable. No reason they have to only choose one of them period, right?[/quote]

Depends on the contract. Keeping an option (in the financial sense of the term) open longer may cost extra depending on how long the existing option is for. On that note, however, I certainly have a "if it ain't on HBO, I don't really want to see it" attitude about it, though.
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  • 3 weeks later...
HBO seems to be running up quite a tab now [url="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3if62038d8254ace27ded773854990e9ca"]Oscar nominee Michael Shannon is also headed for Boardwalk Empire.[/url]

With Scorsese directing, a writer for the Sopranos, Buscemi, MacDonald and Pitt already starring, the pilot seems to be just a formality. I'm guessing they're aiming for this to be their next flagship series.
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  • 3 weeks later...
For anyone that is interested, I posted [url="http://winter-is-coming.blogspot.com/2009/02/evaluating-competition.html"]an updated list of the projects[/url] over at HBO and their current status and how it affects [i]Thrones[/i].
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Everyone is assuming Game of Thrones has no competition because there aren't any other fantasy/speculative titles on offer. That's a bad way to judge things. We should be more worried by that fact, as it means HBO isn't keen on fantasy in general. Every other pilot is direct competition for that spot, irrespective of genre or format.

Things are looking bad for GoT.
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I really don't see Hung happening. They just released a series Eastbound and Down about a disgraced baseball player becoming a gym teacher. Less sex appeal but more potential for humor than Hung. I just don't think two shows with running sports themes are going to fly.
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HBO wouldn't have given Hung the season order it got if it had any issues with Eastbound & Down premiering this month. You have to assume they know their own programming, at least. :) Now, if Eastbound & Down turns into a huge ratings fiasco, I could see that giving them second thoughts about Hung.
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Showtime is reportedly doing a Camelot series after Tudors wraps up season 4 (made by the same creator). I'm wondering could this help or hurt this series on HBO? Would HBO figure it unwise to do a similarly themed series, figuring it would cause oversaturation? Or would they rise to the challenge and greenlight the show if only to put Showtime back in their place? Hopefully HBO's ego causes them to greenlight this series now.

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My understanding is that this is a modern-day retelling of the Camelot story, so it's not exactly direct competition. IT also may have been the project that GRRM reported HBO was considering instead of GoT. In that case, HBO obviously passed in favor of GoT, so nothing to worry about here I think.

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The pilot of Treme finished shooting on April 2nd.

Check out this article about it

FTA:

The pilot and scripts are due by the end of May, and a decision should follow in mid-June. "They don't wait as long as some others," says Tremé associate producer Laura Schweigman about HBO.

Thought this might provide some insight for the potential timeline of GoT.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Saw that. As someone who thinks Simon's last show, "The Wire," is the greatest TV show ever (and maybe better than any movie I've seen), I'm very happy about this and I don't think it affects AGoT at all. They are completely different shows, at completely different budget levels.

It's all good.

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