A Game Of Thrones Spin-off Has Been Canceled

HBO has officially passed on one of the Game of Thrones prequel shows it was exploring. One of the show's writers and producers, Bryan Cogman, had been working on the concept with George R.R. Martin, but he's now revealed that HBO is going in a different direction.

"My prequel show is not happening and will not happen. HBO decided to go a different way," he told The Hollywood Reporter. Cogman is now working at Amazon on their own shows.

"I am done with Westeros. It's wonderfully bittersweet. I'll certainly miss it, but I'm excited to go out on my own and try to be in the captain's chair of my own projects, armed with everything I've learned," Cogman said. "I've learned more than I could possibly imagine from eight seasons of this thing. I'm eager to start the next chapter, but a part of my heart will always live with Game of Thrones."

Cogman wrote many episodes of Game of Thrones over the years, including Season 8 Episode 2, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," which was much-loved by fans. He's also an executive producer of Game of Thrones overall.

Regarding the prequel show he was working on, George R.R. Martin said it was set in a "very exciting" period of Westerosi history. "Bryan's series will be an adaptation, and one that will thrill most fans of the books, I think, set during a very exciting period of Westerosi history," he said. "And I'll be working with him every step of the way; we're going to be co-creating the show."

Things can change, and they did, it seems. It's not immediately clear why HBO decided to pass on Cogman's Game of Thrones prequel idea, but HBO programming boss Casey Bloys previously talked about why the network was commissioning so many--as many as five were reportedly considered.

"The idea was, if we're going to try it, let's take a couple of shots and see," he said. "My hope is at least one lives up to the level of quality [showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss] have set."

HBO is producing at least one Game of Thrones prequel, from Kingsman and Kick-Ass writer Jane Goldman. The spinoff will follow the progression from the Age of Heroes into the Long Night, which takes place roughly ten thousand years before the events in the original show. None of the characters or actors from the main Game of Thrones will appear in the new show.

HBO has ordered a pilot for the new show, but not a full series. Naomi Watts is reportedly going to play the lead actress role in the show. Following Watts, HBO has added another person to the Game of Thrones prequel cast.

Meanwhile, Game of Thrones just aired its longest episode ever; you can check out our Episode 3 review for our thoughts. We also have a breakdown about Ghost.