David Benioff, an American novelist, screenwriter and television producer, was sent the first four novels of the A Song of Ice and Fore series (consisting of A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows) by George R.R. Martin's agent. Benioff became a big fan of the books and invited D.B. Weiss to develop the project with him for a screen adaptation. They met with George R.R. Martin and spent several hours discussing the project. He agreed with them that the series was a good fit for the cable company HBO, which Martin was already a big fan of.
The series is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos at the end of a decade-long summer and deals with several interwoven plot lines. There's a civil war among several noble houses for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms; the attempts of the exiled last scion of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty to reclaim the throne; and the rising threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North.
In October 2008 HBO exercised its option to buy the rights to the series and ordered a pilot episode a few weeks later. The pilot episode was filmed in Northern Ireland and Morocco and HBO officially greenlit the series in March 2010, with filming beginning in July.
The first season aired on HBO from April - June 2011, gathering much acclaim and steadily rising ratings. HBO confirmed a second season had been commissioned. Production of Season 2 began in July 2011 and wrapped in December. The second season aired from April - June 2012. By the end of the second season, the show had become the third-most-successful series in HBO's history. Season 3 aired from March - June 2013. By the end of the season the show had passed True Blood to become the second-most successful HBO show in the United States and The Sopranos as its most successful series worldwide.
The series has won numerous awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series for its first four seasons, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Series, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in both Long Form and Short Form, and a Peabody Award.
Peter Dinklage has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance as Tyrion Lannister.
A Game of Thrones: