Game of Thronesis officially over — but luckily, a follow-up is coming.
HBO confirmed last year that a prequel to the fantasy epic was in the works. Here’s everything we know so far.
What’s the title?
Unofficially, it’sThe Long Night. Last fall, George R.R. Martin, the author behind the beloved saga, seemingly revealed the title on Twitter.
“Casting is now underway for THE LONG NIGHT, the first of the GAME OF THRONES successor series to ordered to film,” hetweeted.
However, HBO has not even confirmed a working title for the project yet, so stay tuned. After all, if the original series took all of its cues from G.R.R.M, it would have been named the slightly more unwieldyA Song of Ice and Fire.
What’s it about?
Here’s the official description:
“Taking place thousands of years before the events ofGame of Thrones, the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s 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.”
When exactly does it take place?
It’s still unclear. PerEntertainment Weekly, originally the assumption was 10,000 years before the events inGoT, since Martin’s books say the Age of Heroes was around that time. Martin has since clarified that it’s more like 5,000 years ago.
What was Westeros like back then?
Martin pointed out toEWthat he’s written very little about this period, which admittedly doesn’t give the prequel much of a roadmap. On the flip side, it means the showrunners can get creative.
“Westeros is a very different place,” Martin said. “There’s no King’s Landing. There’s noIron Throne. There areno 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.”
Who’s starring?
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Naomi Ackie.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Denise Gough.Karwai Tang/WireImage
WillGoTcharacters be involved?
Officially, no. Since the new story is set thousands of years before the original series, presumably none of the characters we’ve come to know and love would be around back then. But it remains possible, through some kind of narrative twist, that some familiar faces might make an appearance somehow.
Who is behind it?
Martin and Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class,Kingsman: The Secret Service,Kick-Ass) are the creators of this new series, with Goldman serving as the showrunner. Both will executive produce, alongside SJ Clarkson, James Farrell, Jim Danger Gray, Vince Gerardis, Daniel Zelman and co-executive producer Chris Symes.
Clarkson has also been tapped as director for the show’s pilot. She most recently directed and produced the BBC/Netflix productionCollateraland she has also directed episodes ofOrange Is the New Black,Dexter,Bates Motel,and the pilot forJessica Jones. Clarkson has also been announced as directing the next big-screenStar Trekfilm.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners of the original series, will not be involved. The Emmy-winners have opted to step aside from the franchise andwork on newStar Warsfilms.
When will it air?
HBO announced in February that the project will begin production in early summer 2019. So … soon.
According toEW, HBO programming president Casey Bloys has previously said that a prequel will not air until at least a year afterGoTconcludes. If greenlit to series, the project theoretically could be on the air in 2020 or 2021.
EWreports that a writers room is already up and running working on additional scripts should HBO decide to order more episodes.
source: people.com
