Waiting is the hardest part

No official timetable has been set for when the pilot will begin filming, nor when they expect the pilot to be fully completed and ready to show to HBO. Let’s try to take a guess, though, shall we?

We know, based on what we’ve heard from Benioff and Weiss so far, that they are in early pre-production right now. From the looks of it, they haven’t even nailed down an exact shooting location yet, although the UK is the likely choice. So how long will this be in pre-production? That is a tough question to answer.

Let’s take a look at HBO’s Rome, a series many are comparing to Game of Thrones in scope, as a possible guideline for how long this process may take. According to IMDbPro, pre-production for that series began in March 2007 and principal filming did not take place until December 2007, a span of about 7 months. We could probably expect a similar time frame for Game of Thrones.

Also, taking a look at other projects currently in development by Benioff and Weiss, we see that the film Kashmir, is currently scheduled to began shooting in late spring. Benioff is listed as a producer on this film, as well as Guymon Casady, both of whom are executive producers on Thrones. It is unclear how much involvement in Kashmir Benioff or Casady may have. Will they need to be there on set? Will they be able to spend time on both projects together or will one have to be held off? I think it is safe to assume, at this point, that the development of Thrones may be put on hold while Kashmir is filming.

So where does that leave us? My guess is we are looking at 7-9 months before filming for the pilot would take place. That would mean around mid/late summer of ’09. Probably soon after filming on Kashmir wraps. Add another 2-3 months for post-production work and my guess is that the completed pilot would be presented to HBO around fall of next year.

• Published on 11/21/2008 at 2:15 PM CDT
• Last updated on 11/21/2008 at 2:15 PM CDT