In adaptation-related news this week, we learned that director Takashi Shimizu will be at the helm for a live-action feature of Kiki’s Delivery Service and that J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot was bidding on the TV rights to Stephen King’s time-traveling alt-history tome, 11/22/63.  Today’s installment of Hollywood! Adapt This features another revisionist history  that isn’t contained in just one volume, but rather spread out over twenty-some issues.  This sci-fi superhero anthology series dates back to 1987 and continues still today with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin acting as contributor and editor.  What’s it all about?  Hit the jump to find out.  Hollywood! Adapt this: Wild Cards. 

With Game of Thrones returning for Season 3 on March 31^st, the Academy of Television hosted an evening to celebrate the cast and creative team, and the huge success of the popular HBO drama series, while giving a glimpse into what fans can expect as the story continues.  Collider was there to cover and attend the event, and we’ve compiled the highlights of what the behind-the-scenes talent had to say during the Q&A.

During the discussion, executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss, along with author George R.R. Martin, talked about how this book series came to be a TV show at HBO, having to re-shoot 90% of the pilot, making sure that Martin gets his cameo this season, the biggest difficulties in shooting with different first units on different episodes in different countries on a daily basis, who the funniest actors on set are, whether the dire wolves are real or CG, the most technically difficult episode to shoot, whether getting to know the actors makes them feel guilty about killing characters off, the process for changing what is in the books, how there will be a few different people sitting on the Iron Throne before the series is done, and why Season 3 is the one they were most excited about doing.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

It’s still nearly two months away from the debut of season three of HBO’s Game of Thrones, but these new character images should help pass the time.  Featuring new looks at old characters and first looks at new cast additions, these images showcase the outstanding costume design that’s been a hallmark of the series.  Fan-favorite Peter Dinklage returns with a whole new look while we get our first introductions to such new players as Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes) as Catelyn Stark’s dutiful uncle, Bryndon Tully (“The Blackfish”) and Paul Kaye (Match Point) as Thoros of Myr, a red priest of the same order as Stannis’ go-to sorceress Melisandre, plus a lot more.  Hit the jump to check them out.  Game of Thrones returns to HBO starting March 31st.

Although HBO’s third season of Game of Thrones won’t kick-off until March 31st, their regular video blogs have given fans some insight into the daily workings of the production. A new behind-the-scenes featurette is no different as it shows off a good deal of footage of both fan-favorite characters we’ve come to know and love so far, plus new additions to the cast.  The cast and crew also provide commentary on the production of the season and what they’re excited for viewers to see.  Hopefully it won’t be too long before we finally get a real trailer.  Hit the jump to watch the new featurette for season three of Game of Thrones. 

If the latest teaser for season three of HBO’s Game of Thrones left you hungry for a little more substance, the latest behind-the-scenes production vlog aims to satisfy.  With plenty of looks at our favorite characters in costume and footage of major plot points from the George R.R. Martin books, the video features executive story writer and editor Bryan Cogman, who explains the process of keeping the various plot lines, settings and characters straight.  Hit the jump to check it out.  Game of Thrones returns to HBO starting March 31st.

Fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones will still get a ten-episode run of season three, but each of those episodes will pack in a few extra minutes of blood, sex and treachery. As a special bonus, the season three finale will exceed one hour, something that must be done by special permission from the network. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are in the process of adapting roughly the first half of author George R.R. Martin’s third novel in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, “A Storm of Swords.” Hit the jump for more on season three’s episode expansion from Benioff and Weiss, plus a new production blog focusing on art direction.  Game of Thrones returns on March 31, 2013.

HBO has just released a graphic tease for its third season of Game of Thrones, which will be returning slightly earlier than prior seasons: March 31st, 2013 (It is known).  Based on roughly the first half of George R. R. Martin‘s third A Song of Ice and Fire series novel A Storm of Swords, the only hint of new material for the upcoming season is a cryptic riddle said by a strange woman.  Hit the jump for some possible ideas as to whom, and what it all could mean (Warning: potential book spoilers!)

While we anxiously await the return of the third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the incredibly involved production process that’s necessary for bringing the George R.R. Martin bestselling series adaptation to life.  HBO has a new companion book available that features concept art and final production photos from the series so far.  To publicize this book, they’ve put together a concise video for it.  Be sure to get caught up on the new locations and cast members for the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, then hit the jump to check out the behind-the-scenes video.

At last year’s Comic-Con, we couldn’t fathom why the programmers would stuff Game of Thrones into Ballroom 20, especially when there were so many sparsely-attended panels in Hall H.  This year, even though Hall H has plenty of good stuff, Game of Thrones is in the line-up and rightly so.  It’s easily one of the most popular geek properties currently on TV, and the show only got better in its second season.  While filming on Season 3 hasn’t begun, Season 2 is still fresh in the minds of fans, and Hall H was packed to see author George R.R. Martin and some of the cast to talk about the popular HBO series.

Hit the jump for the recap of the Game of Thrones panel, and click here for all of our Comic-Con coverage.

Here are some Game of Thrones updates that don’t include George W. Bush’s head – HBO has released a list of the writers, directors and shooting locations for the show’s third season.

Sadly, Alan Taylor will be out of the mix for directing the upcoming season (which will be based on the first half of the third and potentially best book so far of the novel series, A Storm of Swords). Taylor, who directed some of the most memorable episodes of Thrones so far (including the final two episodes of the first season and a slew of great episodes this past season) will be busy shooting Thor 2 (bless him), which means that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will take the helm directing in his absence. For more on who is returning to Westeros next year, hit the jump.

Game of Thrones is more than half-way through its excellent second season, and the show has seen more than its fair share of ugly characters.  However, the Stark family provides the relief of watching honorable people, and Richard Madden and Kit Harington play two of the show’s most admirable characters.  Madden plays Robb Stark who is leading a war to rescue his sisters from King’s Landing, and gain independence for the North.  Harington plays Ned Stark’s bastard son Jon Snow and we’ve seen the character try to retain his father’s steadfast morality in the face of the Night Watch’s cold-hearted pragmatism.  Our partners at Omelete got to sit down with the two actors and talk with them about a variety of topics including the series’ popularity, the controversial amount of sex scenes, the show’s production values, the influence of author George R.R. Martin, and more.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  Game of Thrones airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on HBO.

HBO’s Game of Thrones comes at an interesting time in geekdom, and its success speaks to the barriers that have been broken. Though fantasy and science fiction have often been popular cinematically, on television it’s been stuck in a Stargate-esque ghetto. But now we’ve got one of the most thoughtful shows currently on air on one of the most prestigious networks that also happens to be about dragons and swordplay. Perhaps the better arbiter of what crosses over to the mainstream and what doesn’t is quality, and Game of Thrones is definitely an engrossing show even for those who’ve never picked up a twenty sided die. Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Mark Addy and Peter Dinklage lead a mostly British cast in a tale about warring families in a fantastical middle age. Our review of Game of Thrones on DVD follows after the jump.

The cast and crew of the second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones are inviting you to join them as they return to the set of Westeros. The cast talks about what it’s like to be back for season two, while the crew gives insight on how they’ve made the sophomore run bigger and better than the original. You can also check out the previous videos, posters and image galleries we’ve posted to get caught up.  Fans of the show who can’t wait until the April 1^st debut of the second season will want to hit the jump to check out the video. New converts should check out all of our previous coverage, watch the video and then head over to this handy show guide for the uninitiated. The second season of Game of Thrones, adapted from George R.R. Martin’s best-selling books debuts April 1^st on HBO. Hit the jump to check out the video.

Fans of George R.R. Martin and HBO’s Game of Thrones are in for a little holiday treat. No, you still have to wait until April for season two to start, but those of you looking for some new material from Martin are in luck. Earlier today, THR reported that the author posted a sample chapter from the upcoming sixth novel in his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. The “Winds of Winter” chapter, titled “Theon,” will be found towards the beginning of the new book, featuring events that occurred before those at the end of book five, “A Dance with Dragons.” Hit the jump to check out the sample chapter and the season two trailer for Game of Thrones.

Coming off the wild success of HBO’s series adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy book series Game of Thrones, another of the author’s works is getting the Hollywood treatment. Heat Vision reports that Syfy Films (a joint venture between Syfy and Universal) has acquired the screen rights to the superhero anthology Wild Cards. Martin co-created, co-wrote, and edited the anthology which centers on an alien virus being unleashed over New York City, turning its inhabitants into two classes of mutant: deformed creatures called Jokers or special power-enhanced beings called Aces. Melinda Snodgrass, a co-creator and co-writer of the series, is set to write the screenplay.

The first book in the series was published in 1987, and the series has seen a slew of writers contribute over the years including Doctor Who’s Paul Cornell and Carrie Vaughn. No plot details are known at the moment, but Martin revealed that the character of The Sleeper would definitely appear and the film will be set in contemporary times. This certainly sounds like an ambitious undertaking, and it’ll be interesting to see how the first film in the potential franchise will look like in terms of scope and tone.