Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones. It is filmed in a Belfast studio and on location elsewhere in Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Spain, Scotland, and the United States, and premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011. The series has been renewed for a sixth season, which will premiere on April 24, 2016.

The series is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and interweaves several plot lines with a large ensemble cast. The first narrative arc follows a civil war among several noble houses for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the second covers the attempts to reclaim the throne by the exiled last scion of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty; the third chronicles the rising threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.

D. B. Weiss

Daniel Brett Weiss (born April 23, 1971) is an American author, screenwriter, producer, and director. Along with his collaborator David Benioff, he is best known as screenwriter, executive producer, and sometimes director of Game of Thrones, the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin's series of books.

His 2003 debut novel, Lucky Wander Boy, is themed around video games.

Early life

Weiss was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. His family is Jewish. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and earned a Master of Philosophy in Irish literature from Trinity College, Dublin and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Career

Novels

In 2006, Weiss said he has a second novel finished that "needs a second draft".

Screenwriting

In 2003, Weiss and David Benioff, who had been friends since college, were hired to collaborate on a new script of Orson Scott Card's book Ender's Game in consultation with the then-designated director Wolfgang Petersen. It was not used.

David Benioff

David Benioff (born David Friedman; September 25, 1970) is an American novelist, screenwriter and television producer. He is the co-creator and showrunner of the widely acclaimed award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones.

Early life

Benioff was born David Friedman in New York City, to a Jewish family. He is the son of Barbara (Benioff) and Stephen Friedman, who is a former head of Goldman Sachs. He is a distant cousin of Marc Benioff. As an adult, he changed his last name to Benioff, his mother's maiden name, to avoid confusion with other writers named David Friedman. He is the youngest of three children. His family is of German Jewish and Russian Jewish descent.

He is an alumnus of The Collegiate School and a Dartmouth College alumnus. While at Dartmouth College, he was a member of Phi Delta Alpha Fraternity and the Sphinx Senior Society. At age 22, he worked as a club bouncer and then became a high school English teacher at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, New York City. Additionally, he attended the University of California Irvine and Trinity College Dublin, and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in the creative writing program.

Game

A game is structured form of play, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such as jigsaw puzzles or games involving an artistic layout such as Mahjong, solitaire, or some video games).

Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational, or psychological role.

Attested as early as 2600 BC, games are a universal part of human experience and present in all cultures. The Royal Game of Ur, Senet, and Mancala are some of the oldest known games.

Thrones

The Thrones (Ancient Greek: θρόνος, pl. θρόνοι; Latin: thronus, pl. throni) are a class of celestial beings mentioned by Paul the Apostle in Colossians 1:16. According to the New Testament, these high celestial beings are among those Orders at the Christ's service. They are the carriers of the Throne of God, hence the name.

According to Matthew Bunson, the corresponding order of angels in Judaism is called the abalim or "arelim/erelim, but this opinion is far from unrivaled. The Hebrew word erelim is usually not translated "Thrones", but rather "valiant ones", "heroes", "warriors". The function ascribed to erelim in Isaiah 33:7 and in Jewish folklore is not consonant with the lore surrounding the Thrones.

The Ophanim (Wheels or Galgallin) is a class of celestial beings, from Daniel 7:9, that are also equated with the "Thrones" occasionally. They are said to be great wheels covered in eyes.

Western Wisdom Teachings

Dionysius the Areopagite includes the Thrones as the third highest of 9 levels of angels.