Gregor Clegane recast

[mormont]

i guess people are ignoring the fact that this is just a rumor...

Except if this comment is genuinely from Conan - and I don't see any reason to think it's not.

[Ser Tom]

Argh! Conan Stevens was perfect for gregor. If he's left for the hobbit then well done conan, if I was in the same situation I'd probably do the same. Not that impressed with the new guy. He might be the right height but he looks too skinny.

[The hairy bear]

Except if this comment is genuinely from Conan - and I don't see any reason to think it's not.

It seems genuine. The wording is strange, though. It's not clear to me whether the decision is HBO's (as the first sentence suggests) or he has opted out (as the later part of the post seems to indicate).

Truth be told, there is not much to do for Gregor in the secon season if we stand by the book. Arya sees him from afar, and she interacts directly only with his subordinates. Perhaps HBO just has chosen to use Whyte as an extra for Gregor and show him always with full armor and helm, and then cast Conan again for the third season.

But anyway, if there has to be recasts, we're lucky it's Gregor and not any of the main characters.

[Padraig]

Perhaps HBO just have chosen to use Whyte as an extra for Gregor and show him always with full armor and helm, and the cast Conan again for the third season.

Doesn't really sound like that to me. Conan Stevens has got some better offers and GoT has recast. I'd be surprised if they got him back later on. No hint of that in his mail. As you say, its not really that significant for the production.

The new guy might be thin but we probably wouldn't see him out of his uniform anyhow.

[julandro]

This can not be true. I did not like anything the abandonment of the actor. Luckily it was a minor character

[Mattyp]

To be fair Gregor is more of a 'presence' in the second book than a character. All they need for his roll is a huge man in armour. His true 'horror' is mainly told through stories by others, a lot of it is off screen. It may have more relevance for the 3rd series. For people saying the new guy is too skinny are forgetting that he'll be dressed head to toe in armour so it would be hard to tell anyway. Besides he may beef up a bit!

[Greywolf2375]

Not too heartbroken over it - while it would be nice for consistency, it's not much loss in characterization. If the biggest issue is his size, he can train up so that he can hold the armor up better like he did for his role in AvP.

[Galen M]

Except if this comment is genuinely from Conan - and I don't see any reason to think it's not.

Ah, but that comment was posted 10 minutes after my post, so it was still a rumor at that point. :cool4:

[RottenAppleFossoway]

If this is true, I for one, am disappointed. Stevens, to me, was perfectly cast as the Mountain.

Fortunately, Gregor has little "screen time" in CoK, so as was aforementioned, he could only be shot from afar, in armor and all.

It's the third book where he would be making his biggest splash on the screen when he duels the Red Viper. Perhaps Conan can return for that at least.

[mr. peasant]

I think characters being recast is something people need to learn to accept - or at least prepare themselves for. Game of Thrones is a very high profile show featuring lots of fresh talent, which naturally attracts the attention of others in the business. Meanwhile, if all things go to plan, the show will be an extremely long-running series, with lots and lots of characters (many of whom come and go only to return into focus later down the line). Such a situation makes it ideal for other companies to poach marketable/promising talents - offering them better deals and/or meatier roles. Case in point: Richard Madden, who plays Robb Stark (easily one of the show's leads/main characters), is pulling double duty by appearing in two shows at once - namely Game of Thrones and a British series called Sirens (not to mention at least a couple more projects). Indeed, even characters like Bran and Sandor - never mind minor recurring characters like Rakharo and Robin - might end up getting recast if they remain peripheral characters and their actors getting better offers.

[The Lost Lord]

Case in point: Richard Madden, who plays Robb Stark (easily one of the show's leads/main characters), is pulling double duty by appearing in two shows at once - namely Game of Thrones and a British series called Sirens (not to mention at least a couple more projects). Indeed, even characters like Bran and Sandor - never mind minor recurring characters like Rakharo and Robin - might end up getting recast if they remain peripheral characters and their actors getting better offers.

You're right about non-main cast members, but according to W-I-C, Carice van Houten gave an interview saying her contract obligates her for "five seasons" if the show continues So, though every actor's deal could be different, that's one indication that they are designing main cast contracts with an eye toward retaining the actors for a while (and Bran and Sandor were main cast in S1).

[Padraig]

Case in point: Richard Madden, who plays Robb Stark (easily one of the show's leads/main characters), is pulling double duty by appearing in two shows at once - namely Game of Thrones and a British series called Sirens (not to mention at least a couple more projects).

I agree that there will always be a danger of further recasting. At the same time, the show is set up nicely to allow cast members to do other things. It films for only 5 months of the year and the cast is so big that the production doesn't need to monopolise people's time even when it is filming. I know the guy playing Sam was filming another series at the same time as he was filming S1 of GoT. I'm sure there was others.

Conor Stevens had such a small role that i'm not surprised to see him move on but I am hopeful that we wouldn't see a lot of recasting of bigger characters in future seasons.

You're right about non-main cast members, but according to W-I-C, Carice van Houten gave an interview saying her contract obligates her for "five seasons" if the show continues

True, they will have some of the bigger cast members on contract.

[mr. peasant]

You're right about non-main cast members, but according to W-I-C, Carice van Houten gave an interview saying her contract obligates her for "five seasons" if the show continues So, though every actor's deal could be different, that's one indication that they are designing main cast contracts with an eye toward retaining the actors for a while (and Bran and Sandor were main cast in S1).

True. Of course, bearing in mind that five seasons is still less than the show's intended total. I'd be hard pressed to imagine anyone willing to commit to anything longer than that instead of insisting on having the option to renegotiate.

I agree that there will always be a danger of further recasting. At the same time, the show is set up nicely to allow cast members to do other things. It films for only 5 months of the year and the cast is so big that the production doesn't need to monopolise people's time even when it is filming. I know the guy playing Sam was filming another series at the same time as he was filming S1 of GoT. I'm sure there was others.

However, it's the 'doing other things' that is the danger as it creates scheduling conflicts. It might work for the first year when they organise the new project around their existing ones. However, the schedule will not be identical the following year - necessitating everyone involved to have to juggle things around. In contrast, a smaller cast who film continuously over a longer period of time (as is the format in the majority of scripted dramas) would be easier since all cast members are unlikely to have other ongoing projects to conflict with the show's filming.

Bear in mind, there is a reason why Games of Throne is being seen as an extremely ambitious project. It's not simply because of it's high production values or because it is trying to faithfully adapt a tightly-plotted novel series. It's also because doing so successfully involves a large and consistent cast over a period of many years. As such, if it manages to complete successfully, it would be the Harry Potter of television shows.

[Werthead]

It's worth noting that British TV series are usually very short - 6 episodes or less - and filmed pretty quickly, so the actors can fit in quite a few other projects in the 6-7 months each year they're not working on Thrones. The entire first season of Sirens was filmed in about six weeks, about the length of time it took to film 2-3 episodes of Thrones. So it's not quite the same problem.

[Padraig]

As such, if it manages to complete successfully, it would be the Harry Potter of television shows.

Well yes, nobody would argue that getting to something like 7 seasons is immensely challenging.

I'm not sure whether having a smaller cast but filming for longer is better than a larger cast but filming for shorter. Depends on the material. It been HBO helps.

[Which Tyler]

I love that people like me were told that we were being silly in worrying that Brienne's actor is too skinny, because she'll spend all her time in armour.

Yet Gregor (who spends FAR more time in armour) being too skinny is a cause for serious concern

[mr. peasant]

Well yes, nobody would argue that getting to something like 7 seasons is immensely challenging.

It's not just lasting 7 seasons but having 7+ seasons where the main characters are continuously played by the same actors without needing to be recast and with a storyline that's already set in stone (e.g. if Emilia Clarke left the show, they would need to recast her character just like if Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) left Harry Potter, they would have needed to recast his character vs how William Peterson (Gil Grissom) chose to leave CSI, leading the show to write his character out and introduce a new character to replace him instead of needing to recast him).

I'm not sure whether having a smaller cast but filming for longer is better than a larger cast but filming for shorter. Depends on the material. It been HBO helps.

My rationale is that a smaller cast who film for the entirety of the five month filming period would know that they would be busy during that time period and be less inclined (or able) to take on side projects during that time each year. In contrast, someone who only has to be present periodically during the five month period would be more likely to look for - and take on - other projects during that period since they would be paid less on an individual basis than someone who was working every day of time period since they are working fewer hours/days. Otherwise, the cost for cast salaries alone would be through the roof. And if multiple people do that (each with their own filming schedules), then organising a time where all the characters necessary for a scene are available would be more difficult.

[Wood of the Morning]

I love that people like me were told that we were being silly in worrying that Brienne's actor is too skinny, because she'll spend all her time in armour.

Yet Gregor (who spends FAR more time in armour) being too skinny is a cause for serious concern

There are a lot of burly, tall, semi-important male characters running around in aGoT. A man named The Mountain has to overshadow these types.

Not so much on the female side. And in the scenes where the Beauty must fight men they'll almost certainly have her armored up. I'd say your worries (if thats what they are) would be unfounded.

durka durka

[Damar]

I will assume the Mountain won't get any speaking parts, and keep the helmet on 24/7 to hide the change. Too bad for Conan, he seemed really enthuastic about the role.

[Tyrionthebest]

There are a lot of burly, tall, semi-important male characters running around in aGoT. A man named The Mountain has to overshadow these types.

Not so much on the female side. And in the scenes where the Beauty must fight men they'll almost certainly have her armored up. I'd say your worries (if thats what they are) would be unfounded.

durka durka

Why do you keep saying durka durka ? Is it a meme or something ?