It's been a few weeks since the divisive final season of HBO's GAME OF THRONES came to a close, leaving many fans of the swords and sorcery series wanting for their weekly dose of dragons, debauchery, and damn good drama. For many, the eighth and final season of George R.R. Martin's pop culture touchstone landed like a lead balloon, prompting some to hope that HBO's planned prequel series will restore the GAME OF THRONES property to its original, shining luster.
Today Entertainment Weekly has shared that filming has begun on the untitled follow-up, with plans to wrap an enticing pilot episode that will hopefully result in a series order. As you might have guessed, filming for the pilot is taking place in Northern Ireland, the same location where GOT was shot throughout all eight of its successful seasons.
The long-gestating project for the untitled prequel is said to take place thousands of years before the battle for the Iron Throne, as chronicled by HBO's award-winning swords and sorcery drama, GAME OF THRONES. The newest story from Goldman and Martin is said to highlight the departure from the Golden Age of Heroes, when an looming darkness consumed some of the world's greatest warriors. Make no mistake that when the new series arrives, only one thing is certain: 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… it’s not the story we think we know.
Holding the banner as showrunner for the untitled GOT project is KINGSMAN franchise and KICK-ASS scribe Jane Goldman. Joining her on the high-profile project are Game of Thrones author and TV series co-executive producer George R.R. Martin and JESSICA JONES contributing director S.J. Clarkson.
“Westeros is a very different place,” Martin previously explained to Entertainment Weekly. “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.”
Because the new series takes place thousands of years before the events of GAME OF THRONES, fans shouldn't expect to see any familiar faces among the new cast. Speaking of which, Naomi Watts is leading the charge, with Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Miranda Richardson, Josh Whitehouse, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Alex Sharp and Toby Regbo also set to star.
In the past, Martin has suggested that the show will be called THE LONG NIGHT, though this has yet to be confirmed by HBO, Goldman, or anyone else involved in the making of the new series. For now, the show is likely to air sometime in late 2020, though a 2021 start to the series is also a possibility.