HBO has greenlit a pilot for the first of its planned Game of Thrones spinoffs, a prequel written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and executive produced by George R.R. Martin.
Based on an idea by Goldman and Martin, the untitled series is set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, during “the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour.” The project promises to reveal the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history and the true origin of the white walkers, and explore the mysteries of the East and the Starks of legend. “It’s not the story we think we know,” the cable network teased.
RELATED: Sean Bean Reveals Ned Starks’ Final Words on Game of Thrones
Goldman will serve as showrunner and executive produce alongside Martin, Game of Thrones veteran Vince Gerardis, and Damages co-creator Daniel Zelman. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss aren’t involved in the prequel or any of the other planned spinoffs.
Goldman and Martin’s series is one of five potential spinoffs under consideration by HBO to fill the void when Game of Thrones, a ratings blockbuster, completes its final season next year. Martin has confirmed all of those are prequels; none of the projects would air until at least 2020.
RELATED: Game of Thrones Fan Theory Is So Good It May Spoil All of Season 8
“I’ve seen some exciting material. We have really great writers working on these; it’s very exciting,” Casey Bloys, HBO’s programming president, said during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. “But there’s no timetable. Not everybody is on the same schedule, so I’ve seen different versions of different things that are potentially exciting. But there’s no timetable about when a decision would be made about any of them.”
(via Deadline)