Hot on the heels of the news that HBO has greenlit a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel series, A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R. Martin has taken to his Not a Blog to reveal more details.
First up, Martin clarifies that the prequel (or “successor show,” as he prefers to call it), is only at the pilot stage. HBO has not ordered a full series yet, “[t]hough of course we are all hoping that will follow.”
We’re very early in the process, of course, with the pilot order just in, so we don’t have a director yet, or a cast, or a location, or even a title. (My vote would be THE LONG NIGHT, which says it all, but I’d be surprised if that’s where we end up. More likely HBO will want to work the phrase “game of thrones” in there somewhere. We’ll know sooner or later).
The Long Night sounds like a good title to us. We would avoid titles like Game of Thrones 2: The Before Time.
Martin emphasized that not only is The Show That May Or May Not Eventually Be Called The Long Night a prequel, but that it’s a prequel that reaches back to the near the beginning of his invented history, 10,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones. (“[A]ssuming the oral histories of the First Men are accurate,” Martin adds. “[T]here are maesters at the Citadel who insist it has only been half that long.”) That means no current cast members will appear in the show, although we wonder if HBO may not carve out cameos for Leaf or the Night King.
The pilot was written by Jane Goldman, the screenwriter behind movies like Stardust, Kick-Ass, and the Kingsman films. If the pilot is ordered to series, she’ll serve as showrunner. Martin had input into the script, but clarified that Goldman deserves the lion’s share of credit:
I’ve consulted with all of the writers on all of the successor shows, and several of them have visited me in Santa Fe for long days of discussion, and we’ve gone back and forth in email, text, and telephone, so I have definitely been involved… but really, the accolades here should go to Jane. She has been an absolute thrill to work with… and my god, what a talent.
We can work with that.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Writer Jane Goldman attends the ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ World Premiere held at Odeon Leicester Square on September 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
As you may remember, Goldman’s show was only one of several in development. Where does HBO’s pilot order leave the others?
As for the other successor shows… if you have been following along, you know that we started with four, and eventually went to five. One of those has been shelved, I am given to understand, and of course Jane’s pilot is now moving to film. But that does not mean the others are dead. Three more GAME OF THRONES prequels, set in different periods and featuring different characters and storylines, remain in active development. Everything I am told indicates that we could film at least one more pilot, and maybe more than one, in the years to come.
It sounds like HBO is really doubling down on this franchise. Could we be getting a Game of Thrones series from now until the end of time?
Finally, like all great Not a Blog posts, Martin gives fans an update on The Winds of Winter.
And yes, before you ask, work on WINDS OF WINTER continues, and remains my top priority. It is ridiculous to think otherwise. If I wasn’t busy with WINDS, don’t you think I’d be scripting one or more of these pilots myself? It’s not as if I’ve never written for TV…
So there you have it folks; the good work continues.
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