HBO ruthlessly whittles down Game of Thrones prequels
We're still rooting for dragons.
We may find out the true origin of the White Walkers.
Some of the Game of Thrones prequel shows seem to be heading for the same fate as Ned Stark.
HBO was originally exploring up to five spin-offs of the dragons-and-swords fantasy hit, but has now narrowed its focus down to a single series that author George R.R. Martin is heavily involved in.
Casey Bloys, HBO's president of programming, broke the news about the prequels during a session at the Television Critics Association press tour on Wednesday.
HBO already ordered a pilot for the as-yet-unnamed surviving series, which was written by Jane Goldman of Kick-Ass and Kingsman fame based on a concept developed by her and Martin.
Bloys told Deadline the new series will feature an ensemble cast with "a lot of very complicated leads."
Not much is known about the prequel beyond what HBO has already spilled. "The series chronicles the world's descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros's history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend … it's not the story we think we know," HBO said in June.
Martin noted in a June blog post that none of the characters or actors from Game of Thrones will appear in the new show and that it will be set 10,000 years before the time the current series takes place.
The Age of Heroes story is definitely moving forward, but HBO has not ruled out adding more Game of Thrones spin-offs into the mix eventually.
