HBO’s top boss is sounding bullish on those Game of Thrones prequel scripts.
While appearing at the entertainment trade show Mipcom in Cannes, HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler was asked by Variety about the multiple new projects in development set within the universe of the network’s biggest hit of all time. While not all the scripts have yet been delivered for executive consideration, Plepler gave the most optimistic quote yet by a member of the network’s executive team based on what they’ve seen so far.
“… it’s a fantastic group of writers and talent, most of whom have lived inside the Thrones eco-system so are very, very familiar with its intricacies,” he said. “… I think we will find with this embarrassment of [writing] riches an exciting property for us to moves forward with. We are looking some things, I have read a couple of early bibles and I’m excited about what I’ve seen.”
HBO has five prequels in development based on George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones universe but has emphasized that it’s possible that none of them are guaranteed to make it to the pilot stage, and possibly only one of them will make it to air. Martin himself is closely involved with three of the five.
Plepler’s comment that most of the writers have “lived inside the Thrones eco-system” is a bit curious, however, as only one of the showrunners in contention has GoT experience (the show’s longtime writer Bryan Cogman) while the rest are newcomers to the world of Westeros. For more, check out our handy Game of Thrones prequel FAQ for all your burning questions about the final GoT season and the potential new shows.
