HBO has picked up Game of Thrones for a full season and ordered 9 additional episodes on top of the already shot pilot.  Based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, the plan is for each season to cover one book in the series.  There are currently four books with more on the way.  Game of Thrones will start shooting this June in Belfast and the season will air in spring 2011. The cast includes Mark Addy, Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Harry Lloyd, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jennifer Ehle and Peter Dinklage.  Here's how THR describes the series:

The sprawling tale set in the mythical land of Westeros tells the story of the noble Stark family who become caught up in high court intrigue when patriarch Eddard (played by Sean Bean) becomes the king's new right-hand man.

The buzz on the series is extremely high.  Hit the jump for more:

One of the things I'm learning about the series after writing this article is people love the realism in the books.  Apparently people die all the time and the characters are well rounded.  The more I read, the better this series sounds.

Here's what Amazon has on the first book:

In a world where the approaching winter will last four decades, kings and queens, knights and renegades struggle for control of a throne. Some fight with sword and mace, others with magic and poison. Beyond the Wall to the north, meanwhile, the Others are preparing their army of the dead to march south as the warmth of summer drains from the land. After more than a decade devoted primarily to TV and screen work, Martin (The Armageddon Rag, 1983) makes a triumphant return to high fantasy with this extraordinarily rich new novel, the first of a trilogy. Although conventional in form, the book stands out from similar work by Eddings, Brooks and others by virtue of its superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness. Although the romance of chivalry is central to the culture of the Seven Kingdoms, and tournaments, derring-do and handsome knights abound, these trappings merely give cover to dangerous men and women who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. When Lord Stark of Winterfell, an honest man, comes south to act as the King's chief councilor, no amount of heroism or good intentions can keep the realm under control. It is fascinating to watch Martin's characters mature and grow, particularly Stark's children, who stand at the center of the book. Martin's trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes, including Hugos, Nebulas, Locus Awards and a Bram Stoker. He's probably going to have to add another shelf, at least.

Also,1,168 out of 1,617 reviews gave it 5 stars.  Again, if you're into fantasy books and movies like Lord of the Rings, you'd better be ready to pay for HBO soon.

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