A Game of Thrones prequel series ended this week before it could even make its small screen debut.
HBO decided to axe the provisionally titled Bloodmoon, which had cast the likes of Naomi Watts, Miranda Richardson and John Simm in the leading roles, just months after its pilot episode was filmed in Northern Ireland.
George RR Martin subsequently expressed his disappointment with the cancellation, telling fans in his personal blog that he didn’t know why HBO had chosen to scrap the show.
A source apparently close to HBO has now claimed that the US network were afraid that the prequel series might ‘alienate’ fans of the original show, which ended earlier this year.
‘HBO were terrified the first prequel would scare hardcore fans,’ the source told The Sun. ‘It was very different to the original series, but was very brave and bold.
‘Plainly it was too ambitious for bosses who thought it might alienate viewers.’
The source added that HBO had ‘missed an open goal to do something different’, and that the axing of Bloodmoon had created a ‘lot of angry people’ over the ‘monumental waste of time and money’.
While one prequel series has bitten the dust, another GoT show has been green-lit this week: get ready for House of the Dragon, which will ‘tell the story of House Targaryen and the early days of Westeros’.
Got a showbiz story?
If you’ve got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: Naomi Watts brushes off Game of Thrones prequel axe by ‘screaming it out’
MORE: The Witcher trailer promises to fill Game Of Thrones void as Henry Cavill transforms into Geralt
