How best to get Greenlit!

[BigFatCoward]

Bearing in mind that I presume we all want the first episode to be picked up. What things need to happen In the first episode to ensure this. I think the most important thing above all others is the end of the first episode has to be Jaime tossing bran off the window. It is one of the defining moments/comments and I think a ‘sit up and take notice moment’ for any HBO execs watching, and will also make anyone watching realize this isn’t any ‘average, run of the mill, ho hum fairy tale’

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

The pilot does end with bran getting thrown.

I think the biggest question will be how cost effective the hbo bigwigs think the show will be. That said, I'm confident they've already answered that question by the level of investment in the pilot. I can't see them scrapping it before at least one season.

[Brude]

The HBO execs won't be surprised by what happens in the pilot - they've all read the script and most have probably read at least the first novel, if not the whole series. Whether or not it gets greenlit has to do with cost and quality of the pilot. If it goes way over budget, is hard to shoot and there are problems they didn't forsee or it just comes out really, really bad, then it won't happen. If they surpass these hurdles, then it will.

[The Anti-Targ]

Well they didn't fail in the acting department, so they've committed to making a good run at the pilot. Only thing I can see is that in the end the book doesn't translate well to the screen, which will come down to the screenplay and directing. Possible deal breakers:

Takes itself too seriously

Doesn't take itself seriously enough

Comes off unintentionally cheesy

Comes off like a cheap knock off of the Tudors

Plays like derivative fantasy

The source material does not suffer from these things, but it doesn't mean the screen version won't. Wow triple negative.

[Dukayn]

So basically it's just gotta not suck balls.

I think (hope?) they'll manage that.

[Brude]

So basically it's just gotta not suck balls.

That's one of the three elements I can think of it needs to satisfy to get picked up:

1) It's gotta not suck balls

2) It's got to come in on or under budget (more or less)

3) Dave & Dan have got to show they can run a pretty organized production (which kind of goes hand-in-hand with #2 to a degree, and to a lesser extent maybe also #1).