What Is the ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel About?
UPDATED (7/9/2019):
New details about the secretive Game of Thrones prequel have emerged thanks to author George R. R. Martin.
The writer recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming HBO series currently filming in Northern Ireland. Martin opened up about the show, which is set thousands of years before the stories depicted in Thrones.
The still-untitled project will culminate in an epic confrontation with the White Walkers, known as The Long Night. Martin also divulged which families will be present in the storylines, along with a few other details.
Westeros will be even more divided than it was with the Seven Kingdoms in Game of Thrones. “If you go back further, there are nine kingdoms, and 12 kingdoms, and eventually you get back to where there are a hundred kingdoms — petty kingdoms — and that’s the era we’re talking about here,” Martin said of Westeros’ history.
There will also be some familiar houses present, such as the Starks and their trusty direwolves. “The Starks will definitely be there,” Martin promised along with the presence of White Walkers. “There are things like direwolves and mammoths,” he added.
Don’t count on seeing any Lannisters, though, as this story takes place before the rise of the feisty family. “The Lannisters aren’t there yet, but Casterly Rock is certainly there… It’s actually occupied by the Casterlys — for whom it’s still named after in the time of Game of Thrones,” Martin said.
The writer also teased that they “don’t have leads so much as a large ensemble cast.” Some of the current working titles for the series are said to be The Long Night or The Longest Night.
ORIGINAL STORY (4/22/2019):
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is currently airing, which means we only have a few weeks left to enjoy our beloved HBO drama.
However, the good news is fans won’t have to wait too long to jump back into the Game of Thrones universe, as a prequel series pilot has already gotten the green light.
While we know Naomi Watts will be starring in this prequel, author George R.R. Martin and the creators behind Game of Thrones have kept most of the plot details under wraps.
Despite the lack of information, we do know the show will be taking place thousands of years before the Game of Thrones story line begins.
(Credit: HBO)
According to HBO, “The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one thing is for sure: It’s not the story we think we know.”
And, according to Martin, the landscape is going to look very different than the one we’ve come to know in Game of Thrones.
“Westeros is a very different place. There’s no King’s Landing. There’s no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens — Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We’re dealing with a different and older world and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
“[Prequel showrunner Jane Goldman] is a tremendous talent. She flew into Santa Fe and we spent a week talking about her ideas. She’s going into territory that I haven’t explored very much in the books. I’ve hinted about them. But she’s a major writer, I love her work.”
(Credit: HBO)
Along with Watts, who has been cast as a “charismatic socialite with a dark secret,” other people joining the cast include John Simm, Jamie Campbell-Bower, Miranda Richardson, Toby Regbo, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley and more.
The series will also reportedly start production later in 2019, but HBO has not shared a release date just yet.
