‘Thrones’ prequel canceled by HBO
A highly anticipated and ferociously hyped “Game of Thrones” prequel has been scrapped by HBO.
The untitled series, from showrunner Jane Goldman, was to have starred Naomi Watts and take place thousands of years before the original series. A full pilot episode was shot in Northern Ireland this summer, but HBO apparently wasn’t pleased with how it turned out and chose not to go forward with the series.
The news was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.
The show was said to focus on the “Age of Heroes” and the first battle between man and White Walkers. According to THR sources, Goldman e-mailed the cast to share the news.
HBO, as it typically does on projects in development, declined to comment. The decision comes as somewhat of a surprise. During a summer panel session with TV critics, HBO programming chief Casey Bloys was asked for an update on the project and said, “It looks really good. The cast is amazing.”
Still, HBO is not yet done with the “Game of Thrones” universe. Work continues on a second prequel project focusing on the Targaryen Civil War. The project hasn’t officially received a pilot order, but with this news an order seems more likely.
This is obviously highstakes stuff for HBO. “Game of Thrones” was the cable network’s biggest, most popular series ever and there’s a strong desire to continue the franchise inspired by the books of George R.R. Martin.
According to THR, the other series is said to focus on the reign of Targaryen kings in the leadup to the events of “Game of Thrones,” aligning the project more closely to the days of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) than the jettisoned prequel — though still quite a bit earlier than the events of “Game of Thrones.”
“I think (the prequel) really encapsulates the reason why we love ‘Game of Thrones’ in the first place, which is about the beauty of the words and the dynamics of power and all of that,” cast member Naomi Ackie recently told Entertainment Weekly when asked about the pilot. “But it’s with a completely different setting. ... I wish I could say more about it. I’m so excited.”