Game of Thrones is one of the most popular TV shows in the world and has become a pop cultural icon since its debut back in 2011. While some enjoy it for its violent fantasy setting, others are drawn to Game of Thrones for the political intrigue it provides or to get lost in the dense world author George R.R. Martin has created. With the series returning for its seventh season this summer, now is as good a time as any to dig a little into some behind-the-scenes trivia and maybe learn something about the show you didn’t know previously.
Here are 21 Game of Thrones facts you may not have been aware of!
21. There’s An Unaired Pilot
Unlike a fair number of other television series, Game of Thrones was hot out of the gate, delivering a memorable pilot episode that did a great job introducing viewers to Westeros and its many deeply-flawed denizens. As it turns out, the pilot came together so well partly because the first one was such a trainwreck. Directed by Spotlight writer-director Tom McCarthy, the original pilot was reportedly so terrible that the whole thing was scrapped and reshot. “We got everything wrong on a very basic level with the writing of it,” co-creator David Benioff told Variety.
Changes were made not only to the plot and pacing — according to Benioff, the original pilot barely illustrated that Cersei and Jaime were brother and sister, which is a pretty significant detail — but to personnel as well. Both Catelyn Stark and Daenerys Targareyen were played by different actresses — Jennifer Ehle and Tamzin Merchant, respectively — in the pilot and were replaced by Michelle Fairley and Emilia Clarke for the reshoot.
Interesting bit of trivia: George R. R. Martin himself had a cameo in the original pilot as a nobleman attending Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding.
http://hellogiggles.com/heres-supposed-play-daenerys-targaryen-game-thrones/ Source: HelloGiggles