The Nerd web

Movies, Tech, Crypto and Games

George R.R. Martin Talks About The Cancelled Game Of Thrones Prequel

Bloodmoon

It has been a weird week for all the Game of Thrones fans out there. With Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘Bloodmoon’ cancelled, fans were in need of some good news. And that’s exactly what they got.

Hours after ‘Bloodmoon’ was cancelled, news of a new show about the Targaryens, The House of Dragon came to light. The god of ASOIF universe, George R.R. Martin talked about this new project as well as the cancelled prequel on his blog.

The dragons are coming… back, wrote Martin on his blog. The new series will be helmed by a couple of great showrunners: RYAN CONDAL and MIGUEL SAPOCHNIK.

Miguel’s name will be well known to every GAME OF THRONES fan.   One of the hottest directors in television today, he directed five episodes for GOT, and won an Emmy and a DGA Award for his work on “Battle of the Bastards.”  Sapochnik will be directing the pilot… well, maybe it is more precise to call it “the first episode”… of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, and doubtless a number of other episodes as well.   There’s no one better.

The House of Dragons

Martin assured the fans that his first priority is completing The Winds of Winter, and that he has no plans to take on any more projects.

let me make this perfectly clear… I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered WINDS OF WINTER.  Winter is still coming, and WINDS remains my priority, as much as I’d love to write an episodes of HOUSE.

Lastly, Martin talked about the prequel Bloodmoon and gave his good wishes to the team who were behind Bloodmoon.

 HBO also announced that it has decided not to proceed with the other successor show we had in development, the one I kept calling THE LONG NIGHT (though it was, and remains, officially untitled), the pilot for which was shot in Northern Ireland last spring and summer.  Set thousands of years before either GAME OF THRONES or HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, and centered on the Starks and the White Walkers, the untitled pilot was written by Jane Goldman, directed by S.J. Clarkson, and starred Naomi Watts, Miranda Richardson, and a splendid cast.   It goes without saying that I was saddened to hear the show would not be going to series.   Jane Goldman is a terrific screenwriter, and I enjoyed brainstorming with her.   I do not know why HBO decided not to go to series on this one, but I do not think it had  to do with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON.  This was never an either/or situation.  If television has room enough for multiple CSIs and CHICAGO shows… well, Westeros and Essos are a lot bigger, with thousands of years of history and enough tales and legends and characters  for a dozen shows.   Heartbreaking as it is to work for years on a pilot, to pour your blood and sweat and tears into it, and  have it come to nought, it’s not at all uncommon.   I’ve been there myself, more than once.   I know Jane and her team are feeling the disappointment just now, and they have all my sympathy… with my thanks for all their hard work, and my good wishes for whatever they do next.