On the heels of the first teaser poster being released for Game of Thrones: Season 3, HBO aired a new teaser promo Sunday night.
Like the poster, this is the most tease-y of teasers - pretty much just giving you the date Game of Thrones returns, and a few bits of intriguing voice over dialogue, much like the earliest Season 2 ads. But hey, the campaign has begun, which means more is to come...
With The Walking Dead returning for the much-anticipated Season 3 this Sunday, I recently had the chance to sit down with executive producers Robert Kirkman and Glen Mazzara to discuss what fans can expect this year.
Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead, and Mazzara, who serves as showrunner, talked about the introduction of key comic book elements this season, how the characters are evolving and much more.
For those who are super spoiler-phobic, no big twists and turns are revealed, beyond previously and officially revealed story elements of Season 3, though some basic plot details – and one cool zombie-visual -- from the season premiere are discussed.
IGN TV: How did you decide to do the time jump? Robert, you’ve about how, if you think about it, the first two seasons were pretty compressed, time-wise. This is a pretty big leap to make just as far as how much we’ve seen these people to this point.
Robert Kirkman: I know that one of the vehicles that come from television that I really like is the gap between seasons. I really love it when shows do that. I think The Sopranos did it really well. They were off the air for 18 months, and when they came back 18 months had passed in the lives of the characters. I think that’s a really cool thing. To me, it’s always fun to come in a little late in the game and see the characters in a much different light, and then spend the first episode going, “Oh, that’s what this person is doing now,” and, “Oh, they have this opinion now,” and, “Oh, these behaviors are a little bit different.” You know, it casts the characters in a bit of a different light. It also helps you separate things from season to season, which I think is really cool.
Glen Mazzara: Yeah, and I think it was important to show the effects of Rick’s leadership on the group. They’ve come together, they’re a tight-knit group -- that’s interesting. It was kind of exciting for us to advance the story and let the audience catch up. I guarantee people are going to say, “Are we ever going to see a flashback episode of what happened during the winter?” I’m going to go on record and say, “No. You’re seeing the story we want you to see, and this is part of a new story.” So we really wanted to advance things, move things forward and let the audience catch up.
IGN: Going in, you’ve got two characters that you’re introducing, both from the comics and both with a lot of expectations and a lot of popularity. On a visual level, Michonne is obviously matching with the comics much more than the Governor. How much did you debate did you have about how much you wanted to stick to the comics with those two characters?
Mazzara: First of all, we went with the best actors, who came in and really got the roles and got the characters and we’re very, very happy with the work that David [Morrissey] and Danai [Gurira] are doing. And they’ve added so much throughout the season. The question came up about Michonne’s iconic look, with the dreads, and that was something that was important to Robert - that she match the look of the character in the comic books. So we worked on that. Originally, I wasn’t so sure. I was afraid a wig might look fake. But we had conversations and experimented with the wig until it was to everybody’s satisfaction. We went ahead with it. With the Governor, he’s a developing character, so what you see is just what you’re getting now. But that’s a character that will continue to evolve and change, and we’ll see what happens with him. But that character did change in the comic book. People tend to forget that.
IGN: Robert, I’m sure it’s been funny for you to see that there can be super fans of the comic who are more precious about things being changed than you are and want everything to stay exactly the same. How do you go about making those decisions on what’s really important to you to look or stay the same, both visually or in other ways?
Kirkman: Yeah, I think it’s very important to recognize that the television show and the comic book series are two different things. I think that there are really cool, really memorable, really important moments from the comic book series that have existed over the life of it. There are some of those that I absolutely feel need to be adapted into the show in order for it to be a Walking Dead show, and there are other things that I think can be changed and should be changed. This is an adaptation, and keeping things fresh and lively and changing things up actually makes it better. I think that those diehard fans that are saying, “Oh, it’s not exactly like the comic. I want the exact same stuff,” I think they would be bored with the show if they had gotten their wish. I think it’s very important to add new material to this and make it as exciting as possible, just because the comic book is exciting and new. That’s one of its charms.
IGN: The first two seasons have a lot about Shane versus Rick and their differing styles of leadership. Now we’re going into this new season and Shane is out of the picture, but Rick has changed himself. At the place he is now, how does his style of leadership match or not match the Governor?
Mazzara: That’s a great question. I think Rick is initially a lot more honest than the Governor. I think the Governor is playing a game and a long con. He has an ultimate agenda that’s very important to him. Rick’s face is sort of pressed right up against the glass, and he has very immediate needs of keeping this group alive, finding a safe place, preparing a safe place where his wife can have a baby so that when the baby’s born, everyone’s safe -- they’re not out on the open road and the crying baby isn’t summoning walkers -- this is what he’s thinking about, the problems at hand. The Governor’s looking down the road a little bit more.
IGN: Some fans weren’t in love with Lori last season. Can you talk a bit about Rick and Lori and what their dynamic is like this season? Can they get past all that’s happened at this point?
Mazzara: That’s something that will unfold this season, their relationship. That’s something that’s important to them. I don’t think there’s been any time while they’re out on the road where they could push in and spend time with each other and work out their problems. That’s what she’s saying when we meet her in the season premiere. So I think Rick’s job is to find a safe place for her to have the baby. Then he’s probably thinking they can deal with this problem. But, you know, it’s business first. So Rick’s using life on the road, in a way, as an excuse to avoid repairing his marriage. They’re in conflict, and I think both actors have done a great job of really making you feel like you’re watching a marriage in distress in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. This year, I really think you’ll really feel sympathetic for both characters.
Kirkman: I think one cool element of this season that we’re going to be exploring throughout is the fact that these are two people that are a married couple, who may just need to take a break. They have come at an impasse in their marriage, they have both definitely done things that the other is not very happy about, but they can’t really do the things that we would do in this world -- step back, try and figure out if we want to stay with this person and what our relationship is actually built on. These people are forced to live together in order to survive. They’re basically on top of each other at all times and not able to deal with their issues. That’s something we’ll be dealing with a lot moving forward.
Update 2: Bohemia has now clarified its previous comments, providing the following statement to IGN:
"Since last Sunday, when two Bohemia Interactive, a.s. employees, were arrested on the Greek island of Lemnos, much speculation about what happened has circulated online. It's been rumoured that they entered restricted military areas or gathered photographic references of military bases in order to improve the visual fidelity of Arma 3, a PC game currently under development by our company. Far in advance of any formal charges - only hours after they were detained by the local police - many media outlets immediately suggested spying and, only one day later, specifically referenced Arma 3.
Having travelled there, and after meeting personally with them both, as well as their lawyer who is fully acquainted with the Greek authority's investigation file in detail, we can assure you that these insinuations are completely false and without substance. These employees - our friends, Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar - visited the island as tourists. Their holiday was a product of their interest in the island, triggered by their work on Arma 3 over the past two years of development.
They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen. It's very likely that many tourists may have pictures similar to those taken by Ivan and Martin in their own family albums, without being aware that they put themselves or their families at risk.
We sincerely hope that the whole situation is no more than an unfortunate and deep misunderstanding. The in-game Limnos is close to completion, and it's far from an identical replication of the real place. It was heavily modified to fit the game's backstory, a purely fictional 2035 setting. It was rescaled to only 75% of the real island, and it does not attempt to display any real world military installations situated on the island of Lemnos.
To summarize the situation:
Martin and Ivan, currently being detained in Mytilene, relayed this message to their friends and family:
"The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained. We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon."
We apologize for any possible delay or lack of communication regarding this important matter. At present, all and every possible effort goes towards supporting Ivan and Martin, their families, and to getting the guys safely back home. Any form of support for our imprisoned colleagues and friends will be more than welcome."
Original story follows:
Update: Bohemia has provided IGN with the following statement from CEO Marek Spanel:
"We can confirm that two Bohemia Interactive employees, our colleagues and friends, were arrested during their holiday trip to Lemnos. They visited the island with the sole purpose of experiencing the island's beautiful surroundings.
Since its establishment in 1999, Bohemia Interactive has created games based only upon publicly available information. We always respect the law and we've never instructed anybody to violate the laws of any country. The same is true for Arma 3.
Currently, all our effort goes towards supporting the guys over there, as well as their friends and families affected by this difficult situation. We sincerely hope that this is an unfortunate misunderstanding of their passion as artists and creators of virtual worlds."
Original story follows:
The Greek government has accused two employees of ArmA developer Bohemia Interactive of espionage for taking photographs of a Greek air base during their research for ArmA 3.
Studio head Mark Spanel confirmed the news on the game's official forums, asking users not to discuss the matter for legal reasons and closing the relevant thread.
The first reports came from Greek outlet News237, which stated that the two Czech men had been found with photos and video of military facilities in Lemnos and Agios Efstratios, and were arrested in the act of photographing a base on Lemnos. They could be facing a lengthy prison sentence if charged and found guilty.
Eurogamer has since unearthed that the developer was warned against such actions by one of its Greek fans back at the beginning of August in a forum thread.
"On the island of Limnos is a military air base. It is illegal to take photographs of this base, yet the ArmA development team are creating a 3D model of the base, most likely based on photos which they took illegally (as well as the satellite photos which aren't illegal)," wrote Cyplon.
"Had this been an American base, or any other country with a large population of whom may purchase ARMa 3, it is likely that such an act would not have been performed due to the risk of the country banning the game from being sold there. [...] Of all locations in the World, Limnos - one of the only islands in the Aegean with a military air base, is being replicated, regardless of the tensions between Greece and Turkey which are ongoing (you don't hear it on the news unless you are from Greece or Turkey). Great choice for a first location! This is equivalent to creating an ArmA game replicating the Gaza strip, which would very likely anger Israel..."
We'll have more on this story as it comes in, but don't expect Bohemia Interactive to comment on an ongoing legal matter.
Filmmaker Tony Scott, brother of Ridley Scott and one of the most successful Hollywood directors of the last 25 years, committed suicide Sunday. He was 68 and reportedly suffering from inoperable brain cancer. In addition to being a prolific film and TV producer, Scott directed 16 films, several of which are now considered classics of the action genre. Let us know which of these Tony Scott movies is your favorite by voting in the poll below.
