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[backflip10019]

Is anyone else getting really excited? I know that a bunch of you have read Ken Follett's monumental epic and its sequel, World Without End. The mini-series, starring Ian McShane as Bishop Waleran and Matthew Mcfayden as Prior Philip is set to be released sometime this year. Also, apparently yesterday the series was picked up by Starz, so expect it to see it on that channel.

More info and behind the scenes footage here.

Personally, I think that the casting is perfect. I finished the book a couple of months ago and in my mind I actually imagined Ian McShane as Bishop Waleran. Pillars of the Earth is probably one of my favorite recent novels, and I can't wait for the mini-series!

I am also very interested in how they will address the passage of time, since the novel seems to skip around a decade or so for each section. I can't wait!!

Update: The series is scheduled to start July 23rd on Starz! with a two hour premiere and will most likely be added to Netflix the day after each episode airs. I can make an official thread or turn this into an official thread once the date approaches.

 

[Costanza]

Ian Mcshane? will watch

 

[ElectricBlue187]

The book was great. The characters were amazing, I don't know how sucessful this will be because the book described basically two whole generations from youth to death, I'm not sure how that can work outside a really long book

 

[Cohsae]

I am really psyched, the cast looks pretty promising, and I thought the book was just fantastic. It had one of the most satisfying endings of anything I've ever read.
Also having the visuals of Kingsbridge growing and changing along with the cathedral should be awesome.

 

[WowBaby]

The mini series will air world wide in July. I will finally order the Starz channels just for this. It seems like the movie was kept true to the book which is something I'm extremely happy about. This book was the best book I ever read.

 

[backflip10019]

FYI for everyone interested: The series is planning to air on July 23rd on Starz! with a special two hour premiere on the 23rd and then a one hour segment to air each subsequent week.

I'm so excited! I just hope that it stays somewhat true to the book.

 

[Rapstah]

Wowza, never even heard of this and I loved the books.

 

[Cornballer]

Nice cast on this. I hope they throw it up on Netflix.

 

[gdt]

Looking forward to this.

 

[gofreak]

Loved the book! Hadn't see the behind-the-scenes footage in the OP before...it's looking good.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Nice cast on this. I hope they throw it up on Netflix.

Doesn't Starz have a deal with Netflix where their series go up a day after they premiere on Starz?

 

[backflip10019]

Doesn't Starz have a deal with Netflix where their series go up a day after they premiere on Starz?

I'm fairly certain that they do, at least with movies. Actually, now that I think about it I think I saw Party Down on Netflix the last time I looked. So, yeah, I would expect this to go up on Netflix pretty quickly.

 

[jiien]

Ah, nice. Awesome book. Didn't realize there was a sequel though O.O Have to get on that.

I don't know how this mini-series is going to possibly do such an epic and time-spanning story justice though.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I'm excited, I thought it was a good book. Extremely depressing at times though, I wonder how much of that they're going to cut out

 

[Krowley]

one of my favorite books. I had no idea they were making a mini-series.

 

[Cornballer]

It's on this Friday. Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune doesn't like it at all.

If you read "The Pillars of the Earth," don't expect a masterpiece, but you will get a reasonably decent yarn and you'll learn how and why these towering monuments to faith came to be built. If you watch the miniseries, you'll see precious raw materials wasted and shoddy construction everywhere you look. The fact that good scenes and character moments from the book are poorly executed or changed beyond recognition in the miniseries just adds insult to injury.

I'd hoped that "Pillars" would be a decent stopgap until the arrival of "Game of Thrones," HBO's upcoming saga of knights, battles and courtly intrigue. Alas, your time would be much better spent reading "Thrones" or "Pillars" -- and hoping that McShane's next TV gig is worthy of his spectacular talents.

 

[squicken]

Did anyone else watch this? It's on Netflix. Not so good, unfortunately. About on par with last few seasons of The Tudors

 

[Dresden]

I thought the book was above-average... might watch.

 

[Timan]

I thought it was pretty good. Hopefully it gets better, I love anything that takes place in this time period.

 

[jagowar]

I'm watching it on netflix and its not bad. Some of the storytelling seems disjointed but after the first episode I have a pretty good idea of who is who in the overall story now. For summer programming its worth watching each week.

Still crazy to think starz has both this and Spartacus right now.... starz original programming is killing it right now (I'd say even better than HBO)

 

[Maklershed]

Just finished watching the first episode. This is now my favorite show on TV.

New episode tonight. Can't wait.

 

[Kraftwerk]

The book was great. The characters were amazing, I don't know how sucessful this will be because the book described basically two whole generations from youth to death, I'm not sure how that can work outside a really long book

Im hopeful for the series but this is the kind of stuff that scares me.Much like the Foundation series movie they are making,cant just fathom how it is even possible.'crosses fingers while i go watch'

 

[Evolved1]

Just finished watching the first episode. This is now my favorite show on TV.

New episode tonight. Can't wait.

I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Not better than Spartacus but moves along at a similar pace and I really like the cast so far... loving the pace of these new shows on Stars. Hope they keep it up with Pillars.

There's some rough acting here and there... but there's some really compelling performances (I think) too.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Got caught up on the first 2 eps and will watch the third tomorrow. Really diggin it, thought from the previews it would be a bit bland but so far its been great visually. Well worth watching

 

[gofreak]

I wish they'd hurry up and formalise plans for UK/Ireland broadcasting. I think I read Channel4 is picking it up.

 

[Evolved1]

The DVR cut off the final ten minutes of the ep for me last night... growl. Fortunately they show these things over and over on Stars so I'll get to watch it later. Up to that wonderfully anticlimactic conclusion, the ep had been kind of bland. Seemed like it was building toward something though, so I'll reserve final judgement until I've seen the last 10 mins.

The one girl is pretty hot...

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

The table part was cool........ i was like "no way is she going to do that, no damn way!............... oh she did THAT!, i thought she was going to do the other thing, thank gawd."

Actings alright by the whole cast Ian McShane <3

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Watched ep 3, diggin it!

 

[Cohsae]

It's been pretty decent, but I'm not happy with some of the changes.
Why change the way it starts, with the hanging?
The image of the body swinging with a headless chicken running around underneath it was pretty crazy.
Seriously:

The girl turned her hypnotic golden eyes on the three strangers, the knight, the monk and the priest; and then she pronounced her curse, calling out the terrible words in ringing tones: 'I curse you with sickness and sorrow, with hunger and pain; your house shall be consumed by fire, and your children shall die in the gallows; your enemies shall prosper, and you shall grow old in sadness and regret, and die in foulness and agony…' As she spoke the last words the girl reached into a sack on the ground beside her and pulled out a live cockerel. A knife appeared in her hand from nowhere, and with one slice she cut off the head of the cock.

While the blood was still spurting from the severed head she threw the beheaded cock at the priest with the black hair. It fell short, but the blood sprayed over him, and over the monk and the knight on either side of him. The three men twisted away in loathing, but blood landed on each of them, spattering their faces and staining their garments.

The girl turned and ran.

The crowd opened in front of her and closed behind her. For a few moments there was pandemonium. At last the sheriff caught the attention of his men-at-arms and angrily told them to chase her. They began to struggle through the crowd, roughly pushing men and women and children out of the way, but the girl was out of sight in a twinkling and though the sheriff would search for her, he knew he would not find her.

He turned away in disgust. The knight the monk and the priest had not watched the flight of the girl. They were still staring at the gallows. The sheriff followed their gaze. The dead thief hung at the end of the rope, his pale young face already turning bluish, while beneath his gently swinging corpse the cock, headless but not quite dead, ran around in a ragged circle on the bloodstained snow.

So much better than what was in the show. Why change it?

 

[Evolved1]

Watched ep 3, diggin it!

Yeah, I like this show.

 

[squicken]

It's not awful, but it's got lots of problems. I'm still watching. Hopefully there will be more watersports and incest!

 

[Arment]

I went in not even knowing what it was about. I ventured a guess at it being a fantasy setting with Ian McShane playing a wise cracking good guy or something.

Wrong as I was, I still really like it. Decent show so far.

 

[squicken]

The actor playing the builder's son just bugs the crap out of me. The whole red-head/Jesus thing is also dumb.

 

[Blackace]

Liked the first book well enough didn't read the second one... But would like to check this out

 

[ElectricBlue187]

This has to be the longest running one page thread on NeoGAF :lol

 

[Stinkles]

This has to be the longest running one page thread on NeoGAF :lol

Then I guess I am not Lttp, enjoyed first five although it's patchy. Goes from convincing to cheesy to abrupt. Probably a taster of what to expect the weak bits of Game of Thrones to be like.

 

[Evolved1]

Still enjoying this quite a bit... but it's definitely spotty. Still, the pace is quick and I look forward to each episode.

Stars is now 2/2 imo.

 

[vazel]

Got caught up on Netflix. An awesome show. One of the top tv/movie historical fiction. More of GAF needs to watch this and at least bring this thread to two pages haha.

The whole near death experience for Jack was really weird though. From what I've read on Wiki all the violent exaggerations/insertions in the show that weren't in the book have been for the worse.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I watched the first episode and they really breeze right through events without dwelling on anything at all. It's pretty hard to watch if you've read the book. I like the casting though, all the characters look pretty much like I imagined them in my head

the first death is almost glossed over and it was absolutely heartbreaking in the book

 

[xbhaskarx]

I too am watching this, it's decent enough to keep me coming back.
Wow this thread is sparsely populated. :lol

 

[squicken]

The actor playing Alfred is so terrible. I know he's supposed to be unlikable and menacing, but his whole evil stare is unintentional comedy every single time.

Incest mother and son scenes are creepy as fuck. "And what would you do to me" *shudder*

 

[vazel]

I'm loving this show I'm already eyeing the blu-ray. With this, Spartacus, and Party Down, if starz keeps this up they may one day equal HBO and AMC in awesome.

I'm glad I'm stupid to all the history, all the historical stuff is new to me. I hope Maud comes back and kicks ass(No one tell me how that ends up!).

 

[Chris R]

Such a great series. Pacing is a tad quick but there is a ton of stuff in the miniseries. Would have made a better "single season" show IMO but I still love it.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

I got both books but I never started them... I also the first Ice and Fire... Should I read those before watching these series(and when Ice and Fire comes to TV?)

 

[Brian Fellows]

This show is good fun but I don't think it's anywhere near the quality of HBO's best shows. Its like a very poor mans version of what I hope A Game of Thrones will be.

 

[vazel]

They're still not up to HBO's or even AMC's quality. Which is why I said 'if they keep this up they may one day...'.

The miniseries isn't so poor, it cost $5million an episode to make which is slightly more than the episode cost for A Game of Thrones($4.5million).

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Haven't read the book. Is there only two in the series, this and World Without End?

 

[backflip10019]

Haven't read the book. Is there only two in the series, this and World Without End?

As of right now, yes, though I'm pretty sure Ken Follet is working on another entry in the series right now.

 

[Stinkles]

I am watching on netflix and it ended abruptly at five episodes there. A what am I missing schedule wise?

 

[backflip10019]

I am watching on netflix and it ended abruptly at five episodes there. A what am I missing schedule wise?

They must not have put the sixth episode up yet. It aired on Friday night.