Deadline is reporting that HBO has decided not to move forward with their untitled
Game of Thrones prequel series, which hailed from writer Jane Goldman and it was described as follows, "
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’ 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."
The pilot, which was headlined by 2x Academy Award-nominee Naomi Watts (
The Impossible), was filmed over the summer with much fanfare, but ultimately failed to make an impression on top HBO executives, who sent Goldman and the production team back into the editing room to make a number of changes. However, their efforts were for naught as the revised pilot proved to be equally unimpressive.
Multiple inside sources also claim the project was troubled from the get-go, as it experienced budget overruns, numerous personnel issues and a myriad of creative differences, amongst other things.
While this prequel may be dead, HBO is still developing their
Targaryen-centric prequel series from George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, which would take place 300 years before the events of
Game of Thrones and would follow the rise and fall of House Targaryen, using Martin's
Fire & Blood book as its template.
HBO issued a pilot green light for the potential series in September, so will likely commence production sometime next Spring.