Franchise Of Thrones: Possible Spin Offs Speculation, News and Spoilers

[YaddaYadda]

Will anyone want to see a show titled the Long Night if this Long Night for season 8 turns out to be a complete dud?

I think the good thing about it is that it might delve more into these heroes like the Last Hero and Azor Ahai/Nissa Nissa and perhaps separate legend from what actually happened. I mean did AA really stab Nissa Nissa in the heart to make himself a magic sword? Did he wake dragons from stones? 

[Meredith Quill]

Game of Thrones: War for the Dawn

Sounds alright but I doubt they'd wanna go with 'war' in the title, I think it'd put a lot of potential viewers off, so...maybe something like...

Game of Thrones: Legends - which would sound more intriguing to the casual audience.

[Happy Harpy]

1 hour ago, YaddaYadda said:

I think the good thing about it is that it might delve more into these heroes like the Last Hero and Azor Ahai/Nissa Nissa and perhaps separate legend from what actually happened. I mean did AA really stab Nissa Nissa in the heart to make himself a magic sword? Did he wake dragons from stones? 

The last two years of speculation of the Kill My Unfaves nature have turned me off Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa so much, I'd rather watch a spinoff centered around Captain Finger In the Dumb Bum than their story. Well, OK, one scene with him, without rolling my eyes.

1 hour ago, SilverStormm said:

Game of Thrones: War for the Dawn

Sounds alright but I doubt they'd wanna go with 'war' in the title, I think it'd put a lot of potential viewers off, so...maybe something like...

Game of Thrones: Legends - which would sound more intriguing to the casual audience.

It sounds very fantasy-like and I wonder if it's something they might want to avoid or something they'll embrace, depending on the nature of the show.

Maybe an adaptation of the current name? Game of Castles? Games of Dawn?

Winter Games (not the Atari one!)?

White Walkers and Tiaras? (Sowwy.)

[Pindrop]

I am slightly imagining a cross between The Hobbit and TWD. An unlikely MC must travel across a foreign world whilst avoiding zombies and meeting a plethora of colourful characters, who set him on his classical hero’s journey to save the kingdom.

It will be slightly light-weight, comedic (in that anything serious will be undercut with a moment of gratuitous slapstick), and it will feel more Pratchett than GRR, or perhaps it will feel GRR Tolkien.

Game of Thrones: The Desolation of Martin 

Edited June 12, 2018 by Pindrop

[glowbug]

I think Robert's Rebellion, starting before the war happens, could be an interesting miniseries because there are so many things we don't know yet, and I doubt season 8 will answer them. The books might if Martin ever finishes them but I think the chances of that are close to zero. The problem with The Long Night is that I don't really have any unanswered questions about it. The show and the books combined have answered what happened during The Long Night. We know how the WW were created and why (generally) and we know how they were defeated the first time (generally). The unknown would come from secondary political/personal drama (I'm guessing) that doesn't build on existing interest in characters and plots from Game of Thrones. Something like the Doom of Valyria might work well because although we know the ending (Valyria is destroyed and the Targs escape) we don't know much else. The problem is that the world would be very different than Westeros and may not appeal to the same viewers. And, of course, since we don't know what happened it could be rather uninteresting. I'll probably check out the sequel out of curiosity but I'm not super excited about it. 

[nikma]

14 hours ago, Eyes High said:

"Age of Heroes" sounds like a video game

well, Game of Thrones also sounds like a video game. 

[ElizaD]

2 hours ago, glowbug said:

I think Robert's Rebellion, starting before the war happens, could be an interesting miniseries because there are so many things we don't know yet, and I doubt season 8 will answer them. The books might if Martin ever finishes them but I think the chances of that are close to zero.

I never liked the Rebellion prequel idea, both because I feel that we do know so many things about it, certainly everything that is important, and because that canon would have to be smashed in order for a series to work. One of ASOIAF's problems is the number of storylines; even though GOT combined several of them it still felt too rambling at times, even more so to non-readers. The Rebellion is worse: canonically the options for intrigue and interactions are minimal because the characters are isolated into three distinct camps, rebels, loyalists, and ditherers, with no one changing sides at any point before the Sack and the major characters scattered all over the map. Ned, Robert and Jon Arryn are off fighting, but Catelyn and Lysa sit and wait. Jaime sits and waits while the Mad King rants. Lyanna and Rhaegar are alone in the Tower of Joy. Cersei and Tywin have retreated to the Rock. Stannis and little Renly are under siege. The Tyrells feast. The Dornish brood. The Greyjoys do nothing. It couldn't be stretched out beyond a single season miniseries (6-10 episodes) and even then it would be an expensive one-time investment that would simply cover the same ground as GOT flashbacks/exposition without being able to use the same popular actors.

Whether this Long Night prequel or something Targaryen-related ends up being the final choice, either would have many advantages over the Rebellion. Book/TV canon and familiarity wouldn't be major hindrances. The prequel could go on for multiple seasons. I expect that the hype of seeing upwardly mobile Lann the Clever (more GOT intrigue!) or a brutal Stark king of the past (gasp, what happened to honor?!) would be much bigger than the chance to see some young nobodies as iconic characters like Ned, Jaime and Cersei who were last onscreen only a couple of years ago. To me, the Rebellion would be the Han Solo prequel of GOT.

[nikma]

Robert's Rebellion was created by GRRM as a set-up, background for ASOIAF. Robert's Rebellion is not a a real story, it's just something that was created to give better context to the actual story. I don't think that could work, not as multi-season show for sure. And it would be just pure nostalgia and fan service. I think Han Solo prequel is a good comparison. 

Edited June 12, 2018 by nikma

[Cujoy]

WinterIsComing is reporting that filming for this pilot will begin in Oct.  That likely means that they've already cast the parts or are well on their way.  This is so much sooner than I was expecting to hear about filming!

Linky

[nikma]

I think they want new show to be ready for 2020. GRRM said that on his blog. 

[Eyes High]

2 hours ago, Cujoy said:

WinterIsComing is reporting that filming for this pilot will begin in Oct.  That likely means that they've already cast the parts or are well on their way.  This is so much sooner than I was expecting to hear about filming!

Linky

Quick work! Hopefully casting information is forthcoming.

[Cujoy]

43 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

Quick work! Hopefully casting information is forthcoming.

I hope so!  I wonder if there will be any big name actors involved as Sean Bean was at the beginning of GOT.   My fingers are crossed for some casting leaks.

[WindyNights]

Watchers on the Wall is reporting on the next spinoff. It's called Empire of Ash and it's about the Downfall of Valyria. It's still only rumored but the the rumor comes from the Dragon demands and he's reliable.

 

The gist of it is this: the multi-season series, Empire of Ash, would be set during the decline and fall of Valyria, recording “the social, economic, and political crises which tore apart the empire from within”, and the Doom. It would include expected elements such as dragons and House Targaryen, a minor family of dragon-lords at the time.

The dragon-lords wouldn’t be the only focus, however: supposedly, much of the prequel takes place on a major melting pot port city in the continent of Sothoryos, which in this series would be relatively analogous to Roman North Africa. Consequently, diversity is more emphasized than in Game of Thrones—not only of race, but of gender and sexual orientation as well. Two main characters are described in this mold: a “platinum blonde black female dragon-rider”, daughter of a white Valyrian father and a foreigner mother, who faces discrimination because of this; and a self-made former slave, described as “a deceptively matronly-looking Asian woman in her 50s, that’s now not only one of the richest citizens but also a major political leader and government intrigue-player.”

Here's the whole leak from the Dragon Demands:

 

Big Picture:

The title of this prequel series is "Empire of Ash".

It is about the events leading up to the Doom of Valyria: the massive volcanic super-eruption which destroyed the Valyrian Freehold in a single day.

It is also the story of the origins of House Targaryen, a minor family of dragon-lords in old Valyria who rose to prominence by fleeing to Westeros just before the Doom - leaving them with the world's only living dragons.

This story centers on the decline and fall of Valyria, a colonial empire which ruled half of the known world at its height.

It reveals the social, economic, and political crises which tore apart the empire from within - these themes rang eerily familiar to me in today's climate.

Scope:
 

"Empire of Ash" seems to be planned out to last five seasons or more. It's not just a short one-shot special or something. It's another full TV series.

Tone:
 

Similar to Game of Thrones and the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Different political factions intriguing against each other - with a larger magical threat looming for the endgame.

Themes:
 

George R.R. Martin has said that Valyria was "like the Roman Republic, with dragons". A major focus of this prequel is on diversity, as it deals with issues of immigration, naturalization, and cultural identity - all within a multi-ethnic democratic state. The central conflict that kicks off the series is, "what does it mean to be 'Valyrian', and who gets to share in that power and prestige?"

According to its summary documents, this story addresses themes of a free republic in decline, the fallout of military and cultural imperialism, colonialism, immigration, and racial diversity (sound familiar?)

Did I mention there are dragons? Lots of dragons. Hundreds of dragons.

Diversity:
 

Multiple members of the primary cast are to be played by actors of color. As a result, something like a third to a half of the cast isn't white. It explicitly instructs this in their casting sheets.

This also extends to diversity of female and LGBT characters, several of whom are also core cast members.

Something like a third to a half of this prequel series is actually set in Sothoryos, George R.R. Martin's fantasy version of Africa, mentioned in ASOIAF and The World of Ice and Fire. Sothoryos and Valyria are the two big axises around which the show revolves: the tension between the capital city and its provinces.

The capital of Sothoryos, one of the major settings of the action, is conceptually supposed to be "Roman North Africa", a mix of Carthage and Constantinople, a major port city with a multi-racial society. Looking at a map, I would guess pre-Doom Zamettar.

Thus, most of the characters there are "non-white": according to the casting calls, they're looking for variously African, Asian, other groups (it's a very mixed, "melting pot" port city).

One of the main characters, a POV core cast member, is a platinum blonde black female dragon-rider - one of her parents was a white Valyrian, the other a foreigner, leading some to deny that she's a "real" Valyrian.

One of the other main characters is a self-made former slave, a deceptively matronly-looking Asian woman in her 50s, that's now not only one of the richest citizens but also a major political leader and government intrigue-player.

House Targaryen:
 

Concept art already exists for three rival political factions in Valyria: the Sphinxes, the Young Dragons, and the Free Holders.

The Targaryens may be a minor family of the Young Dragons, but I cannot confirm.

I only got a brief and blurry look at artwork of their war banner. It's a dragon of some kind.

Aenar Targaryen and his daughter Daenys the Dreamer are also characters but I don't know if they're introduced in Season 1.

World-Building:
 

This prequel puts a massive amount of work into worldbuilding, fleshing out the lost Atantis-like civilization that was Valyria.

I'm told religious scholar Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, was brought in - whether as a consultant or a writer I can't say but I hope it was to impact the religion-building of the world.

Gender and Sexuality have also received a lot of worldbuilding. Apparently, in this series Valyrians don't take issue with homosexuality - one of the leaders of the conservative "Sphinx" faction is publicly in a homosexual relationship and no one thinks it's particularly unusual.

Series Bibles:
 

While I don't have access to these documents on an ongoing basis, I was shown two documents amounting to extensive series bibles. Yes, "Bibles" plural.

The first of these is the Season 1 script outline. 10 episodes. Over 200 pages in length. These are not finished teleplays with dialogue, but they are more than just generalized notes. It's basically a scene-by-scene guide to the entire season!

But that isn't even "the" series bible, that's the Season 1 outline (the "script bible"). As for the series bible...well, we tend to use the term "jaw dropping" too casually. But when I glimpsed this document mine did: it looked like a second volume of The World of Ice and Fire. I mean that literally, like you could walk into a book store and find it ready for sale on the shelf. The entire thing is fully illustrated. Professional quality illustrations. Some of them were maps I recognized from wikis, others, particularly the character and location artwork...it looks like they must have secretly hired major artists who did the World book and annual ASOIAF calendars to do new concept art without telling the public about it. Apparently "about 100 copies currently exist", which, if true, makes it even more insane that this was kept secret for so long.

There was even a new map in it of pre-Doom Valyria, in the style of The Lands of Ice and Fire. I don't know if they photoshopped it from the original or outright hired the original "Lands" artist, but it looked good enough I couldn't tell the difference. A lot of work and money went into this.

And of course, you know, I'm one of the people who writes up encyclopedia info for the wiki here. So when I saw this secret, unreleased internal series bible...not as an abstraction or "ideas we tossed around the office" but a true "Series Bible" of the kind we dream of...just wow. Stunned.

My first reaction? "It looks like these people locked themselves in a room for 2 years with a copy of The World of Ice and Fire, and wrote a TV show based on it." Heavily researched, but also including stuff never in the books. It's very clear world-building matters to them, as does staying true to Martin's work. And if the Reza Aslan rumor is true, they clearly care about history as well.

Development Process:
 

According to the source I spoke with, while several potential prequels are in development at HBO, the two front-runner projects are Jane Goldman's "The Long Night" and Max Borenstein's "Empire of Ash". That isn't to say that HBO will discard the other pitches. They're starting to see this as their Star Wars scale franchise and are planning it out in advance. Consider how many years in advance we heard about anthology movies like "Rogue One" or "Solo", even before the Sequel Trilogy movies were released.

Moreover, based on what I've heard, Borenstein's prequel is surprisingly close to beginning production. Apparently, veteran Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik is attached to make the pilot episode for Empire of Ashes (consider his experience filming the extensive dragon battle sequences during the Second Siege of Meereen in Season 6).

I'm unsure why or how a prequel could get this far in development without HBO spreading any news about it, or why the Long Night prequel was announced first - especially when that storyline, set so long before the events of ASOIAF has garnered only limited enthusiasm from fans: consider the reaction video that Elio & Linda made at Westeros.org last month - I share a lot of their concerns.

So if these are the two front runners, why did they only announce the Long Night? While giving no word about the only other prequel project that is actually very deep into production? I can only assume it is some sort of legal or budgetary wrangling: based on what I saw of "Empire of Ash", the only reason they haven't gone forward with a pilot order yet seems to be ink on paper, they already have a director in place and everything.

My takeaway:
 

By the Smith's hammer...the series bible exists. It is astonishing. I hope you all get to see it someday. It's our Holy Grail - our Ark of the Covenant, containing the holy texts of knowledge handed down from the Creator.

They know what they're doing.

I look forward to this prequel getting a full pickup.

 

 

[Cujoy]

Wow.  They are upping the ante big time.  I want both series because I'm greedy and because it is possible due to AT&T's apparent desire for HBO to greatly increase their volume of content to become Netflix 2.0.

[nikma]

4 minutes ago, Cujoy said:

because it is possible due to AT&T's apparent desire for HBO to greatly increase their volume of content to become Netflix 2.0

This is why I think we will get a lot of new shows in GoT world in the years to come. 

[scrb]

If they air more than one spinoff at a time, they're just going to burn out viewers.

Last couple of season of GoT, we've been getting like 6 or 7 episodes every 18 months or so?

Now they're going to inundate with what, 2 different series each being 10 episodes a season during the year?  Or maybe even more spinoffs.

I like a lot of the other shows on HBO which have nothing to do with GoT.

[nikma]

15 hours ago, scrb said:

If they air more than one spinoff at a time, they're just going to burn out viewers.

Maybe, but even with 50% of what GoT now has this new show will have far more than any other show on HBO. 

[Katsullivan]

Why didn't they go for the Blackfyre Rebellions? Or make a show out of Dunk & Egg where they have material to start with and could span Egg's entire life from squire to King to Summerhall? 

I guess a show about the Dance of Dragons would be expensive and CGI-heavy but I'm quite certain that it would have made its money back. 

Don't get me wrong ---- everything in @WindyNights' post sounds amazing. I just don't believe that the audience is interested in this. They want more Targaryens and dragons --- in Westeros. They want the fantasy grounded in reality - Western reality. 

This show reminds me of BBC's Sinbad, something I found awesome to watch but apparently, no one else wanted to watch it. 

[nikma]

1 hour ago, Katsullivan said:

make a show out of Dunk & Egg where they have material to start with and could span Egg's entire life from squire to King to Summerhall?

Because they don't want to finish the story for GRRM. Again.

[Katsullivan]

6 hours ago, nikma said:

Because they don't want to finish the story for GRRM. Again.

Only the Dunk & Egg story is finished. It ends in Summerhall, and it's like that ASOIAF will reveal the mystery behind the deaths in Summerhall. The main events of the Blackfyre Rebellions can also be found in AWOIAF. All D & D are doing are filling the blanks. 

[Cujoy]

I don't think that filling in the blanks of a story that's been told, such as the Dunk & Egg stories, or Robert's Rebellion would be enough to sustain a TV series.  A TV movie for sure, or a Mini-Series, but not a long form show.  And I think that a lot of the Targaryen back story, and especially the Dance with Dragons could be done very cinematically in some format.

Both the premises we've been given, The Long Night and the Doom of Valeryia could sustain an eight season TV show because they provide ample opportunity for original world building which can be filled with interesting heroes and villains.  If the producers can pull it off.  

[Katsullivan]

On 13/07/2018 at 7:12 AM, Cujoy said:

I don't think that filling in the blanks of a story that's been told, such as the Dunk & Egg stories, or Robert's Rebellion would be enough to sustain a TV series.  A TV movie for sure, or a Mini-Series, but not a long form show.  And I think that a lot of the Targaryen back story, and especially the Dance with Dragons could be done very cinematically in some format.

I don't understand this. Game of Thrones is a mini-series. It's not like most network TV that is of indefinite length where seasons are expected to last as long as they are renewed, and the episode count means the seasons are padded with storylines. It has a definite start and end, and a short number of episodes per season. 

Dunk & Egg stories are perfect for this type of format. A few number of seasons and using the Crown's method of changing the actor that plays Egg, with each season focusing on a different book. Don't forget that as much as we have Dunk/Egg adventures, we also have the larger intrigue of the Blackfyre rebellion and Bloodraven and the general politics of Westeros that bleed into their own story. 

 

On 13/07/2018 at 7:12 AM, Cujoy said:

The Long Night and the Doom of Valeryia could sustain an eight season TV show because they provide ample opportunity for original world building which can be filled with interesting heroes and villains.  If the producers can pull it off.  

I don't believe they can. Season 7 proved that when left on their own, the producers fall back to the same tired tropes and Disneyfied story-telling that Game of Thrones was supposed to subvert. Jon/Dany's meeting was supposed to be the climatic event of the series and the show let that down badly. The "Seven Samurai" pointless completely pointless Wight hunt that ended with zero casualties (sorry, Beric doesn't count) and Dany apparently taking the Dragon Concord from King's Landing to North of the Wall in one night. To say nothing of the atrocities that came before like Sansa's Rape "Education". People might watch the first season out of some sense of nostalgia but after that ---- it's going to tank. 

[Cujoy]

8 hours ago, Katsullivan said:

I don't understand this. Game of Thrones is a mini-series. It's not like most network TV that is of indefinite length where seasons are expected to last as long as they are renewed, and the episode count means the seasons are padded with storylines. It has a definite start and end, and a short number of episodes per season. 

Dunk & Egg stories are perfect for this type of format. A few number of seasons and using the Crown's method of changing the actor that plays Egg, with each season focusing on a different book. Don't forget that as much as we have Dunk/Egg adventures, we also have the larger intrigue of the Blackfyre rebellion and Bloodraven and the general politics of Westeros that bleed into their own story. 

 

I don't believe they can. Season 7 proved that when left on their own, the producers fall back to the same tired tropes and Disneyfied story-telling that Game of Thrones was supposed to subvert. Jon/Dany's meeting was supposed to be the climatic event of the series and the show let that down badly. The "Seven Samurai" pointless completely pointless Wight hunt that ended with zero casualties (sorry, Beric doesn't count) and Dany apparently taking the Dragon Concord from King's Landing to North of the Wall in one night. To say nothing of the atrocities that came before like Sansa's Rape "Education". People might watch the first season out of some sense of nostalgia but after that ---- it's going to tank. 

Dunk and Egg do not have the scope for a story covering multiple seasons.  Where is the epic?  Where is the potential for creating a story full of interesting  characters spanning two continents?  What is the gripping, overarching threat hanging over the story and over the heads of all the characters whether the characters know or not?  Where is the cool, hook, like the dragons?  

It's too small.

Same with Robert's Rebellion.  They are rehash.  

But. yes, I agree they would make potential stand-alone miniseries or TV movies.

I think the premises of Both Long Night and Empire of Ash can sustain seven or eight seasons, and have the potential for the continent spanning, epic that Game of Thrones has.  As to the obvious shortcuts of season 7?  I agree with you that the writers tripped up on a lot of things as they speed the story along in the interest of reaching the conclusion.  If they were keeping the story at the same pace of the early season the show would need a couple more seasons.

[Katsullivan]

3 hours ago, Cujoy said:

What is the gripping, overarching threat hanging over the story and over the heads of all the characters whether the characters know or not?  Where is the cool, hook, like the dragons?  

The gripping overarching threat of Bittersteel and the Blackfyre rebellion on one hand, and Bloodraven and his dark magic on the other. The hook is basically exploring a non war-ridden Westeros and getting involved in a variety of intrigues from the different Kingdoms. We're talking about a story that spans the length of Egg's life from pre-teen to his old age. People love coming of age stories (Stranger Things, IT, Gotham in a sense - and the most popular characters on Game of Thrones are the ones who started out as children). Then there's the ultimate discovery of what happened in Summerhall. It's not a rehash because unlike Robert's Rebellion, we have no data on these events. The actors are all dead by the time of ASOIAF.

3 hours ago, Cujoy said:

Where is the potential for creating a story full of interesting  characters spanning two continents?

I don't think anyone who's read the Dunk and Egg books can genuinely question if it has interesting characters. 

As for the location - why does it have to span 2 continents? I mean, it's almost certain that their travels took them out of Westeros since Egg was a "low" Prince for a long time before he became even close to being King ---- but what difference does it make to have it in 2 continents? One of the biggest complaints about both GOT and ASOIAF was that Dany was in Essos for too long. So how is that supposed to be a plus or a draw? 

 

3 hours ago, Cujoy said:

I think the premises of Both Long Night and Empire of Ash can sustain seven or eight seasons, and have the potential for the continent spanning, epic that Game of Thrones has. 

Long Night - the zombies came, and a Stark killed them. The End.

Empire of Ash - Valyria was great. Until it wasn't. The End. 

 

Agree to disagree, and of course, all this is academic. Time will tell how wisely these decisions prove to be. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Katsullivan

[Cujoy]

51 minutes ago, Katsullivan said:

Agree to disagree, and of course, all this is academic. Time will tell how wisely these decisions prove to be. 

Absolutely agree to disagree.  It just comes down to how interesting and epic one thinks the written stories are compared to some equivalent relatively unknown story.     

As an aside, I think if Long Night is to be GOT worthy, all expectations about the Legends of Old have to be turned on their head.  Bran the Builder can't be a shiny noble hero, Lan the Clever can't be a mustache twirling villain, The Last Hero should be someone we don't see coming.

Empire of Ash sounds great, and ready to go as described, IF that leak is accurate.  It's got the political crisis, the epic scale and the impending doom in a sword and sandal setting and I think it has all the elements it needs.  IF it comes to pass.

I cannot wait to start hearing casting leaks for both or either.

PS - I actually would love to see Dunk & Egg and especially the Dance of Dragons produced in some form.

[Eyes High]

Prequel news via EW and HBO head of programming:

1. Production on Goldman’s prequel will start in early 2019.

2. The other four prequels are somewhere between dead and on hold. No plans for any other prequels at this point.

3. Belfast Telegraph report about prequel shooting starting this fall was bogus.

I saw chatter that the Empire of Ash thing is bogus, too, but I don’t know either way. (Frankly, the description sounds like something tailor made to fool The Dragon Demands, who is known to loathe the show.) Hardly matters if the other prequel ideas are dead in the water, anyway.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Eyes High

[scrb]

Interesting, either HBO is confident in the one project or the other projects didn't look promising.

[Eyes High]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

Interesting, either HBO is confident in the one project or the other projects didn't look promising.

We know from GRRM that at least one of the projects was killed full stop. Bloys said something to the effect that some of the projects were good, and others won’t go any further. I think the others are all dead unless Goldman’s show fails, and at least one and possibly more are dead, period.

[Cujoy]

I hope the fandom isn't too disappointed about Empire of Ash.   From Bloys' interviews I take it Long Night will film in Belfast this Winter, aka "first quarter".  If that is true, I think that the earliest it will air, if it is picked up, is Spring/Summer of 2020.    Assume the pilot is done by April 2019, they have to review it. evaluate how it works, and recast parts if need be. 

If they pick it up, then they have to write and produce nine more episodes, which could easily take the rest of 2019.  So, then they take five or six month for Post-Production, and it is possible to have it ready to go by 2020.  But I think this is a tight schedule.

[Eyes High]

It's been making the rounds that Bryan Cogman signed a development deal with Amazon, which means that Cogman's prequel proposal is completely dead.

[Eyes High]

From a fresh Variety interview with GRRM:

Quote

That doesn’t mean the “Game of Thrones” world will stop appearing on screen anytime soon, as Martin revealed he has “five other shows, five prequels in development that are based on other periods and the history of Westeros — some of them just 100 years before ‘Game of Thrones,’ some of them 5000 years before ‘Game of Thrones.'”

That's not how HBO made it sound. It sounded as if they'd decided to go with Jane Goldman's prequel, and the other proposals were dead in the water unless Goldman's project failed, but maybe GRRM's being optimistic since the other proposals haven't been officially killed yet (except for Cogman's, I guess, but it must have been axed a while ago given that the Amazon deal was just announced).

[nikma]

GRRM talking nonsense like always. 

[dairo]

All eta given for what happens in this series but according to the line that has led the series I think we will not like the end much

Edited October 8, 2018 by dairo

[Eyes High]

A "rumour" from Recapped.com (which has a pretty good track record for their "rumours" being proven accurate):

Quote

Rumor is Naomi Watts has been cast in the Game of Thrones prequel series. No idea who Naomi is playing and there are no plot details available. The only thing we know is they want British actors for all of the roles or actors with a perfect British accent. The pilot is set to shoot early next year so we should be getting some cast announcements soon.

[cambridgeguy]

Watts casting confirmed

I have to admit, charismatic socialite is not a term that comes to my mind when I think Game of Thrones. 

[Happy Harpy]

25 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Watts casting confirmed

I have to admit, charismatic socialite is not a term that comes to my mind when I think Game of Thrones. 

Maybe they used the term as a kind of code name to avoid giving anything away (like "queen" or "noble").

Otherwise...yep, if I wanted a "socialite" as a main female character, I'd rewatch Sex and the City instead.

[SimoneS]

I saw that Naomi Watts has been cast. My first thought was wow, her movie career never really did take off. My second thought, GoT is so big that name actors are being cast.  I remember when HBO was reluctant to be known as the dragon and magic network.

[scrb]

She's had lead roles but probably didn't have big box office so never got to lead in bigger films?

She's also probably reaching an age which is too old to lead films?

[Happy Harpy]

Ironically, her big break in movies was supposed to be a TV show (Mulholland Drive).

She has critical acclaim for sure (two Oscar nom  and one GG nom) but aside from The Ring, she didn't have big hits indeed. King Kong is technically her biggest commercial success yet IIRC it did largely below expectations at the box office.

[Eyes High]

Blonde, pretty, "charismatic," who starts the series "hiding a dark secret"...So, Cersei, basically.

It would be hilarious if the prequel just had characters who were ripoffs of the main series. Any minute now we're going to find out Naomi's character's name is Guernsey Canister, and that actors are in negotiations to play the character's brothers, Blamey and Tyrone.

[Minneapple]

Quote

Jane Goldman(X-Men: First Class) penned the pilot and will serve as an EP alongside author/GOTco-EP George R.R. Martin. 

Yeah, we're never going to get Winds of Winter. 

[GraceK]

5 hours ago, Eyes High said:

t would be hilarious if the prequel just had characters who were ripoffs of the main series. Any minute now we're going to find out Naomi's character's name is Guernsey Canister, and that actors are in negotiations to play the character's brothers, Blamey and Tyrone.

Sounds like a parody porn ?????

[Eyes High]

More news! Josh Whitehouse, aka Hugh Armitage from Poldark, has been cast as a prequel lead according to Deadline. Way to go, casting people! I was hoping for some Richard Madden-level eye candy, and you delivered. He is gorgeous.

The casting director for the prequel is Lucinda Syson, and if she operates at all like Nina Gold, it's possible that we might see actors from films Syson worked on popping up in the show. She also worked on Stardust, X-Men: First Class, and Kick Ass, all movies Jane Goldman wrote or co-wrote.

I wonder if Mark Strong will pop up. He's been in at least three Goldman-penned films that I can think of. It would be funny if he wound up in the prequel, since he was such a popular fancast for Stannis.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Eyes High

[Happy Harpy]

31 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

I wonder if Mark Strong will pop up. He's been in at least three Goldman-penned films that I can think of. It would be funny if he wound up in the prequel, since he was such a popular fancast for Stannis.

 

I guess it will depend on his filming schedule? He was starring on Deep State with Joe Dempsie -which I didn't have time to watch yet, so I don't know if both or either of them is returning- and last I heard the show was renewed for a second season.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Happy Harpy

[Eyes High]

Given that Recapped was right about Naomi Watts, they're probably also right about the casting folks wanting British actors or at least actors who can do perfect British accents for everyone cast. (If they had had that rule for GOT, there are multiple actors who wouldn't have made the cut, and I'm not just talking about the Americans.) So far with Watts and Whitehouse they're two for two.

I honestly thought they'd be casting a bunch of unknowns, so I'm pleased to see that I've heard of the two actors cast so far. I've only seen Whitehouse in Poldark, but I quite liked him in that role, and of course Naomi Watts can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Eyes High

[ElizaD]

The Watts casting really disappointed me because even though she's not AAA+ list, she's still a big enough movie star that she'll only ever be Naomi Watts to me and not her character. Sean Bean was way more B-list villain/C-list actor than Oscar nominee, lead actress and critical darling Watts. I was hoping for what we had back in season 1 with the sort of-exception of Bean: unknown or promising newcomers and character actors with lots of experience and some memorable roles but no lasting personal fame. The casting of a minor Poldark actor is exactly the kind of thing I wanted.

For Watts and Whitehouse, the obvious first thoughts are Lannister and Stark.

[MrsR]

I'm thinking were going to Essos this time. Naomi Watts says blonde, blonde, blonde.  Socialite says well established ritzy society. British (accented cast).

I'm thinking Valeryia.  More of an homage to I Claudius. 

Nobody could plot and back stab like the folks on I Claudius. 

[scrb]

They have to cast a couple of young, relatively unknown actresses who are willing to do some nudity, for the chance to get a key role on this series.

If they're using GoT as a template, they have to also hire some young actors as well, to play precocious fighting and politicians.

[Eyes High]

14 hours ago, ElizaD said:

The Watts casting really disappointed me because even though she's not AAA+ list, she's still a big enough movie star that she'll only ever be Naomi Watts to me and not her character. Sean Bean was way more B-list villain/C-list actor than Oscar nominee, lead actress and critical darling Watts. I was hoping for what we had back in season 1 with the sort of-exception of Bean: unknown or promising newcomers and character actors with lots of experience and some memorable roles but no lasting personal fame. The casting of a minor Poldark actor is exactly the kind of thing I wanted.

For Watts and Whitehouse, the obvious first thoughts are Lannister and Stark.

Well, they may pull a Sean Bean and kill her off in the first season, although Watts could have Nicole Kidman in mind, who filmed two seasons of Big Little Lies. I’d say many more Oscar-winning, leading actors and actresses are doing TV dramas than back when Sean Bean was cast in 2009, so we may not have seen the last of the big names cast for the prequel.

There are two series regular roles up for Germanic/Scandinavian/Eastern European actors, one in his 30s and one in his 50s. I was thinking one of the Skarsgards, but the only one I know in the right age range is Gustaf (Floki on Vikings).

[ElizaD]

21 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Well, they may pull a Sean Bean and kill her off in the first season, although Watts could have Nicole Kidman in mind, who filmed two seasons of Big Little Lies. I’d say many more Oscar-winning, leading actors and actresses are doing TV dramas than back when Sean Bean was cast in 2009, so we may not have seen the last of the big names cast for the prequel.

There are two series regular roles up for Germanic/Scandinavian/Eastern European actors, one in his 30s and one in his 50s. I was thinking one of the Skarsgards, but the only one I know in the right age range is Gustaf (Floki on Vikings).

They'll probably want to avoid Cersei comparisons so Watts won't be an evil blonde noblewoman, but for a movie star like her a Ned-ish arc would be my preference: a couple of seasons and then a big death that builds hype for a villain.

I'd heard about them wanting British accents, so it's really interesting if it's now been reported somewhere that Northern/Eastern European actors are wanted for two roles: why not just cast British blonds and avoid another accent situation? The Vikings show has done an amazing job casting lots of Nordic actors and representing various aspects of the culture. I'm not a fan of the Iron Islands take on the Vikings (dumb raiders with a squid theme and a one-dimensional, unsustainable way of life), so I'd be surprised but pleased if we got a better Nordic or Slavic-influenced region in prequel Westeros. If a Vikings actor was cast I'd be absolutely thrilled.