The Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon starts production and principal filming with the first (socially-distanced) table read.

by Thinus Ferreira

Production and principal photography has officially started on the first Game of Thrones prequel TV series, House of the Dragon, with HBO that revealed behind-the-scenes photos of the cast that gathered for the first, socially-distanced, table-read.

House of the Dragon is set 300 years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones and is based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel, chronicling the story of the rise and fall of the House of Targaryen in a time before dragons became "extinct" and passed into myth.

While House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones spinoff series out of the running blocks, HBO is planning several other spinoff series. 

Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are serving as the House of the Dragon showrunners with Ramin Djawadi who returns from Game of Thrones as the composer to score the series.

Paddy Considine has been cast as King Viserys Targaryen who is the successor to the Westeros throne, with Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) who is the Hand of the King.

Matt Smith will play Prince Daemon Targaryen (King Viserys' younger brother) who Otto believes is a threat to the new King Viserys' reign. Emma D'Arcy is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, a dragonrider.

Also part of the characters and cast are Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), the lord of the House of Valaryon and a seafarer-adventurer; Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best) who is also a dragonrider; Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno); and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) who is the son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven.

House of the Dragon, primarily filmed in the United Kingdom, will start its broadcast in 2022 and the first season will have 10 episodes. House of the Dragon will very likely be on M-Net (DStv 101).

ALSO READ: HBO scraps one of the Game of Thrones prequel pilots but gives the prequel series House of the Dragon a straight-to-series order.

DStv without Disney? Asia shows what could be coming for Africa after Disney Plus.

by Thinus Ferreira

DStv without Disney ... or FOX? It's suddenly not that inconceivable an idea anymore and could be an indicator of what is to come for South African pay-TV subscribers after Disney announced that it's removing almost all of its Disney-owned TV channels in Asia to keep the content for its Disney Plus video streaming service.

The Walt Disney Company will shut down over a dozen and a half of its linear TV channels on the platforms of pay-TV operators in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong from 1 October with only National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD that will remain, along with a few Fox movie channels.

Over 18 TV channels - from FOX and FOX Life to FOX Crime, the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, along with many more - will go dark as Disney says shutting down its linear pay-TV channels is part of its "global effort to pivot towards a direct-to-consumer first model and further grow our streaming services".

Disney has also already removed channels in the United Kingdom from pay-TV platforms like SKY there. 

Disney has not launched its Disney Plus video streaming service in South Africa or anywhere else in the sub-Saharan African market and has been silent in its projected rollout plans about the continent.

However, since Disney is now saying that taking away its linear TV channels from traditional pay-TVoperators is part of a "global effort" to consolidate content under its own subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) plan, it could signal what could be happening with the Mouse House channels in South Africa if Disney Plus were to launch in the country at some point in the future.

"As part of The Walt Disney Company's global effort to pivot towards a direct-to-consumer first model and further grow our streaming services, the company is consolidating its Media Networks business primarily in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. These efforts will help us align our resources more efficiently and effectively to current and future business needs," Disney said in a statement about shutting down its linear TV channels.

If Disney were to do the same, if Disney Plus were to launch in South Africa and across Africa, the loss of channels like Disney Channel and FOX would have a disruptive influence on pay-TV operators like MultiChoice's DStv and StarTimes' StarSat with both currently carrying several Disney Media Networks TV channels as part of multi-year deals. 

Existing, multiyear content contracts between MultiChoice and M-Net, with respectively The Walt Disney Company and WarnerMedia, are likely the main reason why Disney+ and HBO Max have not been launched or earmarked with rollout dates in Africa and why South African consumers can't access these video streaming services.

About Disney+'s delayed launch in Africa, and if the company is worried about consumers pirate viewing its streamer's content, Walt Disney Africa says that "at this stage we have no news to share regarding Disney+, including its release in South Africa and the continent".

CNN International adds the new One World with Zain Asher on weekdays that will cover international news including showcasing stories from Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

CNN International (DStv 401) has added a new weekday show, One World, with Zain Asher that will cover world news with a focus on showcasing stories from the African continent.

One World with Zain Asher started on Monday 26 April on CNN International and is broadcast live on weekdays from 18:00 (South African time). 

The new programme block addition comes as CNN is slowly rebuilding the CNN International schedule after it changed during the run-up to last year's American presidential election and removed international shows to largely simulcast election programming from its domestic CNN feed.

One World at 18:00 will now compete with South Africa Tonight on eNCA (DStv 403), Full View on SABC News (DStv 404) and News @ Prime with Cathy Mohlahlana on Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405).

In addition to One World, Zain Asher who often substitutes for Quest Means Business, will continue to be the presenter of the long-running weekly business program Marketplace Africa on CNN International that explores the various macro-trends impacting the African region together with profile interviews of the African continent's key industries and corporations.

CNN International says that One World will follow the conversation beyond the news headlines in the United States, Asia and Europe and showcase stories from across Africa.

"The show will feature a roster of regular contributors and analysts with expertise across global affairs as well as an inside knowledge of the African continent to complement CNN's newsgathering on the ground."

"One World will offer viewers an approachable, inclusive space where diverse voices dissect not only the day’s top stories but more importantly the challenges and successes in Africa and beyond. Everyone watching this show will have a stake in the global conversation."

Zain Asher says "I'm Nigerian by blood, British by birth and American by residence, which gives me a unique perspective on the connective tissue that transcends cultures and continents".

Mike McCarthy, CNN International executive vice president and general manager, says "At CNN International we are always looking for new ways to offer our viewers a greater understanding of the world around us, which is why we are thrilled to announce the launch of One World with Zain Asher".

"Combining Zain’s unique background with the best of CNN’s enterprise reporting, One World will showcase diverse voices and vibrant cultures across all continents while covering the day's most important stories. It will be a bridge for viewers looking to engage on issues that connect us all, no matter where you’re watching."

Caron’s cautionary tale: This is what happened when a woman didn’t return her Sabrina the Teenage Witch VHS video cassette rental for 21 years.

Still have an old VHS cassette or DVD from the video rental store you never returned? Better take it back quickly unless you end up like an American woman who discovered that the police are looking for her with a warrant for her arrest 21 years after she failed to return a tape.

America's KOKH 25 local TV station reported the weird and hilarious case of Caron McBride who discovered in a shocking way that not taking your rental VHS back comes with consequences even if it's 21 years later - she's a wanted woman and had been facing felony embezzlement charges over watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch two decades ago.

Caron McBride (52) discovered that the police are looking for her with an outstanding warrant for her arrest for a video she rented in 1999 and never returned. 

She only discovered it after she went to have her driver's licence changed after she got married.

"I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I went to change my driver's license, during this Covid-thing you had to make an appointment, and so, I sent them an email and they sent me an email and they told me  that I had an issue in Oklahoma and this was the reference number for me to call this number and I did."

According to The New York Times the video store where Caron rented the VHS cassette from, Movie Place, finally closed in 2008 over 13 years ago, so there isn't even a place for her to return the tape to.

The motor vehicle officials referred her to the district attorney's office for Cleveland County where a woman explained the charge against her.

"She told me it was over the VHS tape and I had to make her repeat it because I thought, 'This is insane'. This girl is kidding me, right? She wasn’t kidding."

Prosecutors have now dropped the charge against Caron in consideration of the "best interest of justice".

Caron says she never even watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

"I had lived with a young man, this was over 20 years ago. He had two kids - daughters that were 8, 10, or 11 years old - and I'm thinking he went and got it and didn't take it back or something. I have never watched that show in my entire life, just not my cup of tea. Meanwhile, I'm a wanted felon for a VHS tape."

M-Net’s first season of Love Island South Africa was filmed in Franschhoek at the private vineyards of the Maison Wine Estate – this is why and what it took to rig the reality TV production there.

by Thinus Ferreira

I can reveal that South Africa's first season of Love Island South Africa was filmed on the edge of Franschhoek in the Western Cape with the villa for the South African Islanders that was located on the private Maison Wine Estate and its vineyards close to the world-class Chefs Warehouse.

While many guessed at the possible location, the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that the Islanders taking part in the reality series had so sign before joining the series, have been so airtight that even after their exit none have been able to, or been willing to, divulge where they've really been staying.

M-Net and Rapid Blue kept the exact location secret ahead of and during production and broadcast in order to try and minimise the possibility of onlookers or curious visitors who might disrupt or negatively impact the show with their physical presence if they went to the Maison wine estate to see if they can see anything of the making of Love Island SA.

It was a big departure of the producers to make use of the picturesque Franschhoek, 80km outside of Cape Town, for the localised South African adaptation of the ITV Studios format.

The production company Rapid Blue previously used The Midden Cottage, a 3-storey gated house in Eagles Nest Cape Town for ITV's 2020 Winter Love Island UK season and that has sweeping views over the vineyards of the Constantia valley.

Love Island France that was broadcast in early-2020 Rapid Blue used the spectacular Lothian House mansion on the Lothian Vineyards wine estate in the Western Cape's Elgin Valley in Grabouw.

Located on the banks of the Palmiet River, this sumptuous mansion comes complete with its own private lake.

For South Africa's version on M-Net (DStv 101), the production reviewed over 70 options and decided that the Maison farmhouse - originally a barn built in 1796 that had been converted over the years and that is now rented out as holiday accommodation and comes complete with a pool deck - would be the ideal fit for Love Island South Africa.

According to the production, the Franschhoek setting and farmhouse just off of the R45 road, "ticked all of the boxes" required to produce Love Island South Africa.

Love Island SA needed a bedroom space big enough space to fit 7 double beds; a pool; a garden area to accommodate the firepit, as well as a gym area. 

The patio needed to be big enough to accommodate an outside kitchen for the Islanders, a stove, a sink and a fridge, an area for 2 beach huts; an area for the Hideaway where Islander couples could spend time alone, as well as space close enough to the villa for the Challenge deck.

The show also wanted a stunning pool with a powerful visual backdrop, and in addition the production required space to set up a technical base camp close by so that the gallery and post-production departments could be linked through fiber-optics cabling.

Rapid Blue found the accommodation and contracted the villa through a location agency. It boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms; 1 guest toilet; 2 living spaces, wrap-around verandas, 3 kitchens, a private splash pool and a large entrance with koi ponds.

So why did M-Net and Rapid Blue not use The Midden Cottage again? 

Well, this time the show was looking for a villa in an area that would allow most of the production team to be accommodated within a 10-minutes drive because of the show's shorter rig and build time - and also had to be on a property that would not have urban noise restrictions.

The construction team that was brought in to transform the farmhouse into a Love Island SA villa had to work fast and installed technical lighting, microphones and various cameras that were rigged to capture all of the Islanders' antics.

Over 20 interior walls were constructed on-location to form a Love Island South Africa layout, complete with 10 neon phrase lights placed throughout the villa. Over 250 meters of festoons with over 16 structural poles were used.

Love Island SA had 2 medics living inside the production bubble of the show to look after any medical concerns, and to monitor the Covid-19 free integrity of the entire bubble production.

ALSO READ: Sexy, young Islanders enter quarantine in preparation of M-Net's Love Island SA in Cape Town for a Covid-free show - with condoms.

South Africa's My Octopus Teacher on Netflix wins the Oscar for best documentary film at the 93rd Academy Awards.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African film, My Octopus Teacher that was in the running for an Oscar statuette at the 93rd Academy Awards made history on Sunday night when it won its category of Best Documentary Feature on Sunday night and became the first-ever South African documentary film to win an Oscar.

My Octopus Teacher had already won 20 international awards, including Best Documentary at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) and Producers Guild of America Awards.

Pippa Ehrlich, co-director said that she was "utterly overwhelmed" with "an honour we never dreamed possible".

"I know there are many South Africans awake watching right now. In many ways this really is a tiny, personal story that played out in a sea forest at the very tip of Africa but on a more universal level I hope that it provided a glimpse of a different type of relationship between human beings and the natural world."

Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, in a personal letter sent before this year's Oscars, congratulated the production team of My Octopus Teacher, saying it was "documentary storytelling at its best, with a deeply resonant conservation message".

"The team should be justifiably proud, as are we, that My Octopus Teacher, has been nominated in the Best Documentary category for this year's Academy Awards - a first-ever for a South African documentary".

Filmmaker Craig foster who appears in the film and is seen building a relationship with a common octopus while diving near his home in False Bay, said that "the Academy Award elevates the great African Seaforest and surrounding ocean of South Africa into global iconic status".

"This is excellent news for us because it underlines what we have been aiming for: to show the world that we are sitting on a biodiversity treasure trove that is deeply worthy of protection."

"What has been most exciting for us as an organisation has been the feedback. We have received thousands of messages from people around the world."

"Many have started diving, studying marine sciences or using My Octopus Teacher as a tool in mental health workshops, and in discussions around emotional ecology and deep nature connection. We wanted to showcase this wonderful ecosystem, the great African Seaforest, to the world, and we have succeeded."

ALSO READ: South Africa's My Little Octopus on Netflix wins Best Documentary at the Bafta Film Awards 2021: 'Thank you to the very special little octopus who has opened hearts all over the world,' says co-director Pippa Ehrlich.

ALSO READ: South Africa's My Octopus Teacher makes final shortlist for 2021's Oscars in Best Documentary Feature category. 

2021’s Oscars at a train station? 4 big ways in which the 93rd Academy Awards will be very different this year.

by Thinus Ferreira

Hollywood's 93rd Academy Awards taking place Sunday night in Los Angeles and broadcast globally from Monday morning very early will be taking place from the train station in the City of Angels but that is not the only way that the Oscars will be done differently and look different from previous years.

1. Starting earlier and later

The 93rd Academy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on Monday morning as a simulcast event at 02:00 South African time on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) and not 03:00 - an hour earlier than usual. 

The live red carpet coverage on E! (DStv 124) will also start an hour earlier at 23:00 on Sunday night, instead of midnight as usual.

Blame it on the Oscars ceremony that is usually done and dusted by late-February but that was shifted to a later and later date due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year. Then America's daylight saving time kicked in during mid-March.

M-Net is also not broadcasting the Oscars during prime time for the first time in decades but doing so much later. 

Instead of 20:00 or 20:30 as in previous years, the recorded broadcast of the 93rd Academy Awards for DStv subscribers is only scheduled to start on M-Net (DStv 101) at 22:30 on Monday night, 26 April.

2. A more cinematic look

Action! Chase scenes! Explosions! Well, maybe not explosions and the only chasing happening will be nominees hoping to bag a golden statuette, however, the action thriller filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is one of the Oscar producers this year, alongside Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher.

Their plan is to bring a more cinematic look to the 93rd Academy Awards.

They want to make it look less like a TV show and more like a movie, filmed at a rate of 24 frames a second and widescreen with cinema shots and panoramic scenes that will include the train station's art deco architectural style.

"Our plan is that this year's Oscars will look like a movie, not a television show," the producers said in a press release. "In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we've assembled a truly stellar cast of stars. There's so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required."

2. A stop at the station

While some parts of the Oscars this year will be done and have been pre-recorded from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles where the awards ceremony has been done from since 2002, the Oscars is relocating to a train station ...Union Station in LA.

But why? Again blame Covid-19.

Since the Oscars is about film, it's another part of Steven Soderbergh's vision to try and bring a much more cinematic look to this year's Academy Awards. The old ticket-counter room at Union Station will house the main stage of the Oscars this year, with the jacaranda-filled north and south patios that will also be used for the official pre-show.

To include Europe and Britain, Sunday's awards show will include links to locations in those countries as well.

3. No host but it won't be virtual

The Oscars is going hostless again - only the third time in its history on Sunday night but the producers learnt from the Golden Globes and what didn't work.

This year's Oscars will have a rotating group of presenters as well as an "in-studio" audience of people physically present.

People have been invited and a nominee - who is allowed to bring along a guest - will be seated at little tables and alcove seating in so-called "pods" inside Union Station. Attendees will be wearing masks but won't be wearing masks on camera.

Some of the presenters include Brad Pitt, Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Halle Berry, Harrison Ford, Reese Witherspoon, Angela Bassett, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Zendaya and Viola Davis.

4. Best song nominees in the pre-show special

In another big change, all of this year's Best song nominees will have their songs performed in their entirety during the 90-minute pre-show that is entitled Oscars: Into the Spotlight - including one done from Iceland!

South African viewers will be able to see Oscars: Into the Spotlight on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) from 00:30 until 02:00.

Ariana DeBose and Lil Rel Howery are the two presenters of this official pre-show special that will "highlight the nominees' journey to Hollywood's biggest night to give fans around the world the ultimate insiders' sneak peek to the party, and, for the first time, bring Oscar music to the festivities" the Academy said.

Molly Sandén will sing the song "Husavik" from the film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga recorded in Húsavík, Iceland.

Celeste and Daniel Pemberton, Diane Warren and Laura Pausini, H.E.R. and Leslie Odom Jr. will all perform the other four nominated songs at Los Angeles' Dolby Family Terrace of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

These songs include "Hear My Voice" from the film The Trial of the Chicago 7, "Io Sì" from The Life Ahead, "Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah and the song "Speak Now" from the film One Night in Miami.

ALSO READ: As time runs out M-Net will now stop at Sunday’s 2021 Oscars train station to broadcast the 93rd Academy Awards on MultiChoice's DStv for Africa.

As time runs out M-Net will now stop at Sunday’s 2021 Oscars train station to broadcast the 93rd Academy Awards on MultiChoice's DStv for Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

For the first time in decades M-Net risked not having the Oscars televised on DStv this year but the pay-TV operator that struggled to conclude and sign a broadcasting rights agreement for the 93rd Academy Awards will likely announce on Friday that it will show the awards show and its pre-show, both done from the train station in Los Angeles, this year.

By Friday morning Sunday night's 93rd Academy Awards, taking place from both the Dolby Theatre but primarily from Los Angeles' Union Station train station this year, was still conspicuously absent from MultiChoice's DStv electronic programme guide (EPG).

There's also been no promotion or marketing of the Oscars on any M-Net channel or other platforms to help drive viewership on the last day of the working week to the weekend's award show, with South Africa's My Last Octopus that is a nominee in the Best Documentary Feature category. 

M-Net issued no press release like it did annually in previous years that it had acquired the Oscars, or broadcasting times, raising suspicions that M-Net failed to secure the Oscars for broadcast in South Africa and across the rest of the African continent for the first time in decades.

Neither MultiChoice nor M-Net offered any immediate official comment early on Friday morning in response to media enquiries but insiders told TVwithThinus that M-Net will have the Oscars but technically is still waiting for the broadcasting rights deal to be signed.

According to the contract, M-Net will only be able to do promos for the Oscars from Friday after around 11:00 with the DStv EPG that will only be adjusted later. 

With the official Oscars ceremony taking place on Sunday 25 April at 20:00 in the United States with Steven Soderbergh as Oscars producer, M-Net will show the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony live from America at 02:00 South African time on Monday morning 26 April on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) as a simulcast.

Steven Soderbergh is going to try and use Union Station to bring a cinematic experience to this year's Oscars, filming it like a movie and not a TV show, at 24 frames per second, with panoramic widescreen cinema shots.

Also included in M-Net's Oscars deal, according to sources, is this year's special 90-minute official pre-show, also done from the train station. 

This pre-show special, entitled Oscars: Into the Spotlight will have Ariana DeBose and the comedian Lil Rel Howery as the presenters and will start at 00:30 SAST on M-Net Movies as a live broadcast.

Oscars: Into the Spotlight will highlight the nominees' journey to this year's awards show, give viewers around the world an inside look at the upcoming awards.

It will also bring the Oscars' music to viewers for the first time ahead of the show with Celeste, H.E.R., Leslie Odom Jr., Laura Pausini, Daniel Pemberton, Molly Sandén and Diane Warren who will all be performing the 5 nominated original songs nominated this year in their entirety during this special.

M-Net plans to show the 93rd Academy Awards during primetime on Monday 26 April at around 22:30 on its M-Net (DStv 101) channel, with proper ad breaks.

E! (DStv 124) will also have 2021 Oscars red carpet coverage starting on Sunday 25 April at 23:00 with Giuliana Rancic and coverage continuing until 02:00 on Monday morning.

Official comment from M-Net and MultiChoice will be added here if received.

UPDATE Friday 23April 2021 15:29 - MultiChoice's PR company Atmosphere finally issued a statement to all media, confirming that M-Net will show the Oscars as I reported earlier today - however MultiChoice says it will be shown live at 03:00 on Monday morning.

The Oscars starts at 20:00 EST in the United States on Sunday night, which is 02:00 South African time on Monday morning. No word on how MultiChoice and M-Net derived at the time of 03:00 or whether it will be showing the Oscars one hour delayed.

UPDATE Friday 23April 2021 15:47 - MultiChoice's PR company Atmosphere is responding to a media enquiry about the time confusion and says the time has been corrected to 02:00 on Monday morning for the 93rd Academy Awards.

At this time the Oscars still don't appear on the schedules and MultiChoice's DStv EPG for either the M-Net (DStv 101) or the M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) channels. 

ALSO READ: 2021’s Oscars at a train station? 4 big ways in which the 93rd Academy Awards will be very different this year.

EXPLAINER. The ‘Grishaverse’ unpacked: Get to know the world of Netflix's new Shadow & Bone fantasy series and all of its main characters.

by Thinus Ferreira

Welcome to the "Grishaverse": With the TV adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's fantasy novel series, pop culture will now be introduced to a new fantasy setting and a new set of characters they might not have known but might very well come to love.

Just like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, The Twilight Saga or any such expansive modern-day myths, the new series Shadow & Bone on Netflix from 23 April, comes with its own peculiar world that functions within a pre-established universe, complete with rules of what is and isn't possible, and characters who function and interact within that world.

So is Shadow & Bone on Netflix worth your attention and time? Most definitely (read my TV review here.) Will it be difficult to understand or get into? 

A small little bit yes, but part of the fun and joy of excellent new legends are often suddenly just falling into them, as if into the middle chapter of a story, and learning about the world and the people as an immersive experience.

In the land of Ravka, which is stylistically inspired by Soviet-era Russia or some old East European countries, magic exists as well as people who can wield this magic in different ways. These witches and wizards are called "grisha".

Like the kids from Captain Planet and the Planeteers, each has special individual abilities and can harness things like fire, or wind, or heal people or "fix" things like broken bones. Kids in Ravka are tested at a young age to see if they have abilities and are sent to a special school like Harry Potter. 

Some people like the grisha, while some communities are witch hunters and hate and kill them.

The very normal (meaning no powers) king controls the grisha who is a magical division of the Ravka army, like how the Jedi in Star Wars fought alongside the Stormtroopers.

Like Star Wars we meet the civilization in Ravka decades after a fall of sorts - someone erected the "Fold" - imagine a Berlin wall or the wall in Game of Thrones, but it's magical and bad, and looks like dark, black thunder clouds stretching into the sky and all the way to the ground. 

There are flying creatures inside that kill people, so you can try to go through (and some have) but most perish.

Why do people try to go through? Because going around the Fold takes too long traveling between east and west, it's expensive and it's basically cut large parts of Ravka off from other parts. 

There is a legend that says one day the Chosen One will arrive to destroy the Fold - a mythical "Sun Summoner" who is a grisha who can actually summon and create light (so a little bit better than the fire ball grisha). 

We don't know when that might happen, but Ravka - although still one country, with other countries around it - is starting to fracture. Like Game of Thrones, various territories and leaders are looking out for their own interests and are scheming to break away from Ravka rule and the king and considering self-rule.

There are more characters you'll meet as the story unfolds, but these are the main characters you'll be introduced to in Shadow & Bone:

Alina Starkov (Jessie Lei Li)

Like a lot of great young heroes Alina also starts off oblivious to her powers, true nature or destiny. Viewers will meet her as an army cartographer working for the Ravka army as a young woman, who spent her childhood years as an orphan.

Malyen "Mal" Oretsev (Archie Renaux)

He is an orphan, was at the same orphanage as Alina, was her childhood best friend and is clearly now in love with her as a young man. He is also the best tracker in Ravka's army, and seems to have an uncanny ability to be able to find any person or animal he's looking for.

General Kirigan (Ben Barnes)

He has another name, which we can't tell you now since it will be a spoiler. He leads Ravka's army and yes, he's actually a grisha as well. Is he good, is he evil? What we can tell you is that he has an interesting past that is filled with more stories than most people.

Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter)

Also known as Dirtyhands, he is a type of crime boss if you will, the leader of a crime gang in the city of Ketterdam. He makes a plan to get out of any situation.

Jesper Fahey (Kit Young)

He is a Zemeni sharpshooter with a gambling problem and a very smart mouth. He is part of Kaz's gang. He doesn't always do as he's told but in the end he comes through and fixes everthing somehow.

Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman)

A young Suli woman and considered as the best spy in Ketterdam. She is part of Kaz's gang ... and is there love between the two? Her preferred weapons are knives and she always carries her 6 favourite knives with her. She was kidnapped by slavers and forced to work in a brother called the Menagerie and has been looking for her parents ever since. She is also the most religious member of the gang.

Matthias Helvar (Calahan Skogman)

A Fjerdan witch hunter. But you know what they say. Under every rough, muscled exterior is just a guy who wants to share the animal hide blanket with you and love you after you both were saved from drowning in icy-cold water.

Nina Zenik (Danielle Galligan)

She is a grisha from Ravkan and her powerful power is that of a Heartrender. She's a soldier in the Ravka army until Matthias captures her, because, of course, she's a witch and he's a witch hunter.

Genya Safin (Daisy Head)

She's basically Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games. She welcomes Alina in her new world - not at the Capitol but at the Little Palace - and helps her and is her first friend she makes there. But beware Greeks bearing gifts. She is a grisha as well and her special power is being a Tailor - she can for instance magically "fix" someone's physical appearance.

Baghra (Zoë Wanamaker)

In Harry Potter she was Madame Hooch, Hogwart's flying instructor. Now she is Baghra, the Yoda-like teacher-instructor of  Alina. Like Yoda, she is very old, in fact, much older than what she looks. She is a grisha and again like Yoda, she isn't telling Alina the whole story of her past, her pivotal role in it, or what really happened to their world.

ALSO READ: TV REVIEW. Shadow & Bone on Netflix is a bulletproof, richly embroidered light vs dark fantasy series that you’ll love.