The “Game of Thrones” prequel pilot starring Naomi Watts has been scrapped by HBO, TheWrap has learned.
Ordered to pilot in June 2018, the untitled project from George R.R. Martin and “Kingsman” screenwriter Jane Goldman is set thousands of years before the events of the original “Game of Thrones” series, which wrapped its eight-season run earlier this year, in the era known as the Age of Heroes.
HBO declined TheWrap’s request for comment on the news that the project had been scrapped.
Along with Watts, the now-dead show’s cast includes “Harry Potter” alum Miranda Richardson, Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”), Denise Gough (“Guerrilla,” “Angels in America”), Jamie Campbell Bower (“Twilight,” “Mortal Instruments”), Sheila Atim (“Harlots”), Ivanno Jeremiah (“Black Mirror”), Georgie Henley (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), Alex Sharp (“To the Bone”), Toby Regbo (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”), Marquis Rodriguez, John Simm, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan and Dixie Egerickx.
According to HBO, the drama “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’ 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.”
Goldman wrote the pilot from a story she developed with Martin. She was set as showrunner and executive producing alongside Martin, James Farrell, Jim Danger Gray, Vince Gerardis, Sara Lee Hess and Daniel Zelman. S.J. Clarkson directed the pilot and also executive produced. Chris Symes was co-executive producer.
Production on the pilot wrapped over the summer, HBO programming president Casey Bloys told reporters during the Television Critics Association press tour in July. Bloys told TheWrap the pay-TV channel has one or two more “GoT” spinoff scripts it is “possibly” considering ordering to pilot, “But we’re gonna see what happens with this one.”
A second prequel project, this one based on the Targaryen family, was close to a pilot order at HBO back in September. That show hails from Martin and “Colony” co-creator Ryan Condal. It would be set 300 years before the events of the now-ended original series. But there’s been no word on that show since.
Deadline first reported the news that the pilot had been scrapped, stating that Goldman was emailing the cast and crew to let them know.