The False Dragon

[SilverStuddedSquirre]

Well this happened.

"Winter Dragon" a supposed pilot for a Game of Thrones Quality Wheel of Time series: exept it's AWFUL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvNYIEN1vIg

And while it's only a rights grab written and filmed in literally 5 days and aired at 1 AM.......come on! I thought that "Legend of the Seeker" was the worst adaptation I would ever have inflicted on me but this takes the cake, and the stripper I paid to pop out of it!

Legend of the Seeker you can at least pretend is NOT the sword of Truth and just have fun with, (I'm only talking about faithfulness of adaptation so keep your Agiels down!!!) this is just pathetic. Looks like we will have to wait quite a while for a propper adaptation.....Blood and Bloody Ashes....

Well the depressing part of this garbage aside, in a perfect world how would you like to see teh property treated? And maybe cast two roles, big or small.

I would love to see a tone between LoTR and winter soldier: The One power needs to be exciting to watch.

casting choices...Thom Merrilin : Patric Stewart Al'Lan Mandragoran : Steven Segal

Captcha : none of the above XD F you too captcha!

 

[Eddie the head]

Yeah I heard something about that. I heard Robert Jordan's wife didn't even know that pilot was being made. I didn't watch it personally, but I heard it's depicting the events of the prologue of the first book, witch kind of confuses me. Because I remember that being one scene that was mostly just a speech that wasn't that long. I mean maybe you could do that well, but this wasn't.

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

 

[SilverStuddedSquirre]

Yeah I heard something about that. I heard Robert Jordan's wife didn't even know that pilot was being made. I didn't watch it personally, but I heard it's depicting the events of the prologue of the first book, witch kind of confuses me. Because I remember that being one scene that was mostly just a speech that wasn't that long. I mean maybe you could do that well, but this wasn't.

Edit. Also clever title.

I have read she is being sued by the company that made it for Slander, claiming that she DID know and that these statements potentially damage their reputation and ability to sell this product in the future. As if the thing itself isnt damning enough.

It is exactly just the prologue, and gives no context or explanations as to WHAT anything is. I knew EXACTLY what was going on and still found it boring and confusing - and the wrong place to start the series.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

Heh, yeah it is, I saw it on the list of threads and thought "Naw, it's not about WoT, it's about how someone doesn't like Peter Jackson's Smaug or something, but I'll click it anyway..." So well done getting me here.

I heard about it the morning after it aired, and I had to see it for myself. And yes, it is terrible. It seems like an amateur fan production in every way, which is ironic because it was made by people who clearly have NO respect for the material. But it's bad in a way that almost doesn't matter; we know this is not a real pilot intended to launch an actual adaptation, it's just a way to hold on to a property they have no idea what to do with. So yes, it's despicable that it was made at all, but at least it's not going anywhere.

As to your other question, your title got me thinking about who could play the False Dragons themselves. I think Mazrim Taim should be played by Idris Elba. He would knock it out of the park, he'd nail that attitude the character has of both assured superiority and aggressive nastiness. I'm not sure who would be best for Logain. He needs to be very large, middle aged, and able to play an understated but powerful man. All I can think of for some reason is Kevin Sorbo... And I really don't know who could play Rand. That is such a difficult role.

 

[SilverStuddedSquirre]

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

Heh, yeah it is, I saw it on the list of threads and thought "Naw, it's not about WoT, it's about how someone doesn't like Peter Jackson's Smaug or something, but I'll click it anyway..." So well done getting me here.

I heard about it the morning after it aired, and I had to see it for myself. And yes, it is terrible. It seems like an amateur fan production in every way, which is ironic because it was made by people who clearly have NO respect for the material. But it's bad in a way that almost doesn't matter; we know this is not a real pilot intended to launch an actual adaptation, it's just a way to hold on to a property they have no idea what to do with. So yes, it's despicable that it was made at all, but at least it's not going anywhere.

As to your other question, your title got me thinking about who could play the False Dragons themselves. I think Mazrim Taim should be played by Idris Elba. He would knock it out of the park, he'd nail that attitude the character has of both assured superiority and aggressive nastiness. I'm not sure who would be best for Logain. He needs to be very large, middle aged, and able to play an understated but powerful man. All I can think of for some reason is Kevin Sorbo... And I really don't know who could play Rand. That is such a difficult role.

Well played both picks! Idris WUOLD rock teh Mazrim Taim! I love it. Even sorbo I like as Logain....I had never been able to pick him.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

And I really don't know who could play Rand. That is such a difficult role.

This is going to sound crazy, but...

Rupert Grint.

Spoiler: No, seriously.

Someone suggested it in a thread on Reddit around the time the pilot actually aired, and damnit if they weren't right. He pretty much looked the part of Eye of the World!Rand back in the Harry Potter days, and with some time at the gym, could nail late series Rand, too.


Incidentally, if either of the false dragons is going to be black, it should be Logain. I love Idris Elba[footnote] and he would be an awesome fit for the series in his own right, but I'm thinking more a Seanchan noble or something, not Taim.[/footnote] but there's nothing in Taim's description that fits him being black. And that's kind of significant in a fantasy series where the author takes such pains to have some actual diversity in the cast (for example, many of the Seanchan are pretty explicitly black, including Tuon. The Domani are Italian at the whitest, probably middle eastern or something with all of those mentions of "coppery" skin. It's pretty subtle in that there don't seem to be any names that distinguish race from nationality in universe, but the descriptions make it pretty obvious that not everyone is white like the Andorans or the Aiel, the latter of which are basically a group of Irishmen who have become culturally Arab. Arab by way of Lawrence of Arabia, that is.)

 

[NeutralDrow]

If I didn't already avoid most television and movies, I'd probably avoid that in particular. Hell, I only came into this thread because I thought I was going to have to defend Raolin Darksbane's honor.

Sigh...still, kinda makes me wish I did watch more live tv and movies. I'd join in the casting call more easily. Could probably see Zachary Quinto as Mat, though.

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

And I really don't know who could play Rand. That is such a difficult role.

This is going to sound crazy, but...

Rupert Grint.

*ponders this*

...holy crap, you're right.

EDIT:

Incidentally, if either of the false dragons is going to be black, it should be Logain. I love Idris Elba[footnote] and he would be an awesome fit for the series in his own right, but I'm thinking more a Seanchan noble or something, not Taim.[/footnote] but there's nothing in Taim's description that fits him being black.

The impression I got is that Saldeans appear more East Asian (and the borderlanders as a whole more Asian in general). At the very least, they seem to have the angular, almond-shaped eyes (I almost thought the aquiline noses, too, but I can't remember if that's a common Saldean trait, or just part of Faile's family genetics...but wasn't Taim described that way, too?).

And that's kind of significant in a fantasy series where the author takes such pains to have some actual diversity in the cast (for example, many of the Seanchan are pretty explicitly black, including Tuon. The Domani are Italian at the whitest, probably middle eastern or something with all of those mentions of "coppery" skin. It's pretty subtle in that there don't seem to be any names that distinguish race from nationality in universe, but the descriptions make it pretty obvious that not everyone is white

I'm not sure why, but I keep picturing the Domani and Taraboners as Arabs and Persians. Definitely so in the case of the former (based mainly on the skintone descriptions, fashion sense, merchant culture, and naming conventions), not as much in the case of the latter...it just seems like it'd fit, thematically.

I also keep picturing the Sea Folk as black. It's not as obvious as with a lot of the Seanchan, but they seem to be described as darker-skinned than any other Randland group.

...not that I can't picture Idris Elba as Logain. That'd be pretty awesome (besides, who knows what Ghealdanin look like anyway?).

the Aiel, the latter of which are basically a group of Irishmen who have become culturally Arab. Arab by way of Lawrence of Arabia, that is.)

Well...culturally Japanese/Arab, at least. ^_^

 

[Fappy]

I haven't read the Wheel of Time series myself, but based on the success of the LoTR film and GoT tv series you'd think Hollywood would be all over fantasy. I mean, I guess they were for a time after LoTR was so successful, but all of those attempts were rather half-hearted if not simple cash-ins. The fantasy genre is such a vast thing, and general audiences have proven their love for quality fantasy stories.

Here's hoping the new Conan movie is worthy of being a direct sequel to the original.

 

[SilverStuddedSquirre]

Rupert Grint....would not have thought, but yeah, give him a shot. He looks right too, nice call.

EDIT: Irish Aiel XD I always thought more Scandanavian, but I suppose Celts and Norse are close enough.

 

[SilverStuddedSquirre]

Well this happened.

"Winter Dragon" a supposed pilot for a Game of Thrones Quality Wheel of Time series: exept it's AWFUL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvNYIEN1vIg

And while it's only a rights grab written and filmed in literally 5 days and aired at 1 AM.......come on! I thought that "Legend of the Seeker" was the worst adaptation I would ever have inflicted on me but this takes the cake, and the stripper I paid to pop out of it!

Legend of the Seeker you can at least pretend is NOT the sword of Truth and just have fun with, (I'm only talking about faithfulness of adaptation so keep your Agiels down!!!) this is just pathetic. Looks like we will have to wait quite a while for a propper adaptation.....Blood and Bloody Ashes....

Well the depressing part of this garbage aside, in a perfect world how would you like to see teh property treated? And maybe cast two roles, big or small.

I would love to see a tone between LoTR and winter soldier: The One power needs to be exciting to watch.

casting choices...Thom Merrilin : Patric Stewart Al'Lan Mandragoran : Steven Segal

Captcha : none of the above XD F you too captcha!

Oh... I came to this thread thinking, "WoT! Awesome!"... this is not what I hoped for. =(

EDIT: To be clear, I mean the shitty rights grab, not your suggestions which I like.

"Wot! Awesome!....this is not what I hoped for."

My reaction to a T!

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Well this happened.

"Winter Dragon" a supposed pilot for a Game of Thrones Quality Wheel of Time series: exept it's AWFUL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvNYIEN1vIg

And while it's only a rights grab written and filmed in literally 5 days and aired at 1 AM.......come on! I thought that "Legend of the Seeker" was the worst adaptation I would ever have inflicted on me but this takes the cake, and the stripper I paid to pop out of it!

Legend of the Seeker you can at least pretend is NOT the sword of Truth and just have fun with, (I'm only talking about faithfulness of adaptation so keep your Agiels down!!!) this is just pathetic. Looks like we will have to wait quite a while for a propper adaptation.....Blood and Bloody Ashes....

Well the depressing part of this garbage aside, in a perfect world how would you like to see teh property treated? And maybe cast two roles, big or small.

I would love to see a tone between LoTR and winter soldier: The One power needs to be exciting to watch.

casting choices...Thom Merrilin : Patric Stewart Al'Lan Mandragoran : Steven Segal

Captcha : none of the above XD F you too captcha!

Oh... I came to this thread thinking, "WoT! Awesome!"... this is not what I hoped for. =(

EDIT: To be clear, I mean the shitty rights grab, not your suggestions which I like.

"Wot! Awesome!....this is not what I hoped for."

My reaction to a T!

I just can't believe that with the path set by GoT, WoT isn't the next logical step. It can appeal to a broader audience, but it's still loaded with interpersonal intrigue and romance. It also has something of the "dystopian teen" element that is so popular these days, don't you think?

The "teen[footnote]Technically early 20's for the most part, there's probably more major characters who are 100+ years old than actual teens[/footnote]" part is a huge problem, logistically speaking. Game of Thrones is going to be, what, five books total when it's done? WoT is 14 plus a prequel, each of which could fill out a season of a TV show and then some, but it takes place over the course of around two years (aside from the prequel, which is set 20 years earlier). About the only way to realistically do it justice is to animate it, unfortunately.

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

Game of Thrones is going to be, what, five books total when it's done?

Seven. Five books are already out.

 

[Risingblade]

The sad thing is that I actually enjoyed the pilot just because it was WOT.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Incidentally, if either of the false dragons is going to be black, it should be Logain. I love Idris Elba[footnote] and he would be an awesome fit for the series in his own right, but I'm thinking more a Seanchan noble or something, not Taim.[/footnote] but there's nothing in Taim's description that fits him being black. And that's kind of significant in a fantasy series where the author takes such pains to have some actual diversity in the cast (for example, many of the Seanchan are pretty explicitly black, including Tuon. The Domani are Italian at the whitest, probably middle eastern or something with all of those mentions of "coppery" skin. It's pretty subtle in that there don't seem to be any names that distinguish race from nationality in universe, but the descriptions make it pretty obvious that not everyone is white like the Andorans or the Aiel, the latter of which are basically a group of Irishmen who have become culturally Arab. Arab by way of Lawrence of Arabia, that is.)

You may be right about that. I can't recall off the top of my head what the descriptions of Taim and Logain were exactly, but I got the impression that Taim is a tall, fairly slender olive-skinned man with black hair and a strong face. Not exactly Idris Elba, but I thought maybe close enough. As for Logain, I don't even remember exactly where his homeland is, so all I had in mind was a very tall, fair-skinned broad-shouldered middle-aged fellow with brown hair and intense eyes in a rather bland face. But, blah, this is all in my head, and not necessarily what anyone else thinks.

But if not Taim, then he should totally Furyk Karede, the grizzled Seanchan Deathwatch general and sentimental former bodyguard to Tuon. That would be perfect.

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

And I really don't know who could play Rand. That is such a difficult role.

This is going to sound crazy, but...

Rupert Grint.

Spoiler: No, seriously.

Someone suggested it in a thread on Reddit around the time the pilot actually aired, and damnit if they weren't right. He pretty much looked the part of Eye of the World!Rand back in the Harry Potter days, and with some time at the gym, could nail late series Rand, too.

That could work. I'm not sure about his chops as an actor though, I haven't even seen him in anything beyond Harry Potter. Rand has to go through some incredible changes over the course of the story, from a somewhat naïve but very brave boy, to a paranoid young man who thinks he has to do everything himself, to a cold, calculating ruler willing to do almost anything to consolidate his power, to a nearly psychotic man full of self-destructive rage, and then straight to a demigod with centuries of knowledge and complete self-assurance. I don't know if anyone could pull that off.

 

[Eddie the head]

Edit. Also clever title. Look on the bright side when a proper series is made you won't have to deal with the shitty ones anymore. =)

And I really don't know who could play Rand. That is such a difficult role.

This is going to sound crazy, but...

Rupert Grint.

Spoiler: No, seriously.

Someone suggested it in a thread on Reddit around the time the pilot actually aired, and damnit if they weren't right. He pretty much looked the part of Eye of the World!Rand back in the Harry Potter days, and with some time at the gym, could nail late series Rand, too.


Incidentally, if either of the false dragons is going to be black, it should be Logain. I love Idris Elba[footnote] and he would be an awesome fit for the series in his own right, but I'm thinking more a Seanchan noble or something, not Taim.[/footnote] but there's nothing in Taim's description that fits him being black. And that's kind of significant in a fantasy series where the author takes such pains to have some actual diversity in the cast (for example, many of the Seanchan are pretty explicitly black, including Tuon. The Domani are Italian at the whitest, probably middle eastern or something with all of those mentions of "coppery" skin. It's pretty subtle in that there don't seem to be any names that distinguish race from nationality in universe, but the descriptions make it pretty obvious that not everyone is white like the Andorans or the Aiel, the latter of which are basically a group of Irishmen who have become culturally Arab. Arab by way of Lawrence of Arabia, that is.)

Isn't Logain Saldean? I mean I don't want to be racist, but the common remark about Saldeans is they have slightly tilted eyes. And a thin build I think. Sounds Asian to me. I guess it doesn't really matter you can make concessions if the actor is good enough.

As to Rupert Grint as Rand. Yeah I could see that. Rand is described as tall so you might need to trick the camera a bit, but whatever.

Edit. Never mind it's Mazrim Taim that's Saldean.

 

[Darks63]

WOT just has no luck it seems Jordan dies before the series is done, the WOT game sucked, and now this. It is a pretty cool world and with female/inclusion issues trending its matriarchal style society could get some good traction in the media.

 

[croc3629]

Billy Zane's hamminess is about the only thing I was able to enjoy from this
accursed darkspawn.

Lews Therin's acting was more wooden than a stedding, and those special effects
were extra special.