Game Of Thrones: Naomi Watts Prequel Series Officially Killed At HBO

Update: HBO released a statement on the cancellation of the untitled Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin Game of Thrones prequel. On October 29, reports surfaced that show, which would star Naomi Watts, was dead. HBO confirmed this on November 1. "After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward to series with the Untitled Game of Thrones prequel," HBO said in a statement. "We thank Jane Goldman, S.J. Clarkson, and the talented cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication."

However, there is still a Game of Thrones prequel coming to HBO. During the WarnerMedia investor call on October 30, HBO announced that a new series called House of the Dragon has been ordered for the network. Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones, House) will direct the pilot and additional episodes and serve alongside Ryan Condal (Rampage) as showrunner.

Original story below...

As HBO continues to figure out the future of the Game of Thrones franchise, a new and significant development has been revealed. The prequel series, believed to be titled Bloodmoon and set thousands of years before Game of Thrones, will not be going to series according to a new report. HBO had previously ordered a pilot for the show.

The news comes from Deadline, which reports that showrunner Jane Goldman has been reaching out to the cast and crew that worked on the project, informing them it will not be moving forward. When GameSpot reached out to HBO, they could not confirm the report.

While details of the prequel were kept largely secretive, A Song of Ice and Fire author George RR Martin previously revealed some interesting tidbits about what would be showcased. According to Martin, the show would have been set in a time when Westeros was made up of 100 kingdoms. "If you go back further then there are nine kingdoms, and 12 kingdoms, and eventually you get back to where there are a hundred kingdoms--petty kingdoms--and that's the era we're talking about here," he said at the time.

Among the announced cast for the series were Naomi Watts, Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Jamie Bower (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), and Toby Regbo (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

As for what happens with Game of Thrones next, there are no officially announced plans in the works. However, it was reported in September that a second prequel series was being developed, with HBO considering ordering a pilot. This series would be set only 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and would focus on House Targaryen.

Game of Thrones wrapped up its eight-season run back in May. Since then, showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have left HBO for a production deal at Netflix. They then also stepped down from the proposed trilogy of Star Wars movies they were attached to write and direct.