HBO: 'Game of Thrones' dailies 'look fantastic'

TCA -- HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo says the dailies for highly anticipated fantasy series "Game of Thrones" look "fantastic" and the project looks very strong for a series pickup.

"Everything looks fantastic," said Lombardo, who's become a fan of the George R.R. Martin books upon which the project is based. "The director got great performances. Unlike a lot of projects like this, everything was shot on location. It has such a rich texture that it looks more expensive than it actually was."

The network spent $5 million-$10 million on the pilot to bring castle Winterfell to life. Lombardo says executives are "sitting on pins and needles" waiting for a rough cut in two weeks.

"The fantasy is so incidental, it has a very adult tone," Lombardo said. "You forget it's fantasy while you're watching it, and that's what I love about it."

The pilot will employ some CGI, for backgrounds, the story's "direwolves" (a mixture of real animals and CGI) and dragon eggs.

Also, like in the books, each family in the story will have its own color pallet for clothing and armor.

If all goes well, Lombardo said, "Game of Thrones" will be on HBO in spring 2011 -- "March or April."

"I would be surprised if it doesn't [get greenlit]," Lombardo said. "It has everything going for it."

Image: © Fantasy Flight Games