GAME OF THRONES Official Season Three Set Photo & Ireland Filming Details

Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, the hit Emmy®-winning fantasy series chronicles an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent fantasy kingdom and airs exclusively on HBO.

Game of Thrones is an HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire". Set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime, Game of Thrones chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the kingdom's seven noble families for control of the Iron Throne; as the series opens, additional threats from the snow and ice covered region north of Westeros and from the eastern continent across a narrow sea are simultaneously beginning to rise.

As Robb Stark and his northern army continue the war against the Lannisters, Tyrion arrives in King's Landing to counsel Joffrey and temper the young king's excesses. On the island of Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon plots an invasion to claim his late brother's throne, allying himself with the fiery Melisandre, a strange priestess of a stranger god. Across the sea, Daenerys, her three young dragons and khalasar trek through the Red Waste in search of allies, or water. In the North, Bran presides over a threadbare Winterfell, while beyond the Wall, Jon Snow and the Night's Watch must shelter with a devious wildling.

Via HBO's Game of Thrones Blog: The Season 3 Battles Have Begun in Northern Ireland

In the forests of Clandeboye, on a Wednesday afternoon in August, a man and his wife were walking their dog and heard the sound of a fight. It was an important rehearsal, and the two main protagonists are two of my season favorites: an unexpected pairing, whose war of words is almost as full-on as the fight. This struggle has been choreographed and rehearsed for weeks, with each move carefully placed to match the terrain. The fighters wore pads and fell on crash matts, though for the close-ups later in the week, during the first night shoot of the season, the landing would not be quite so comfortable. It will be a character-defining scene, for more than one who is involved, so it has to be done well.

More departments began to arrive for a full run-through. VFX was involved in creating the final moments of the scene, and special effects had a lot to do to make it all work. Armoury had designed a special weapon for this scene alone, and there was a nervous moment when it was first tested against the wood of a massive tree stump and the body of one of our brave stunt guys. The couple asked what was happening, and looked on for a while, but were gently guided toward the path. What happens next is too big a secret for anyone to know, and it certainly can’t be told by me.

The third season of Game of Thrones is currently filming in Belfast, Croatia, Iceland, Ireland and Morocco in preparation for it's return on March 31st, 2013.

Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, this hit Emmy®-winning fantasy series chronicles an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent fantasy kingdom. Among the returning members of the ensemble cast are Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Emmy® winner Peter Dinklage, Ciaran Hinds, Tobias Menzies, Michelle Fairley, Lena Headey, Kit Harington, Stephen Dillane, Carice van Houten, Liam Cunningham, Natalie Dormer, Gwendoline Christie, Tom Wlaschiha, Alfie Allen and Gemma Whelan. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss executive produce.