HBO has officially canceled the Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts. The Long Night was moving forward with Jane Goldman as the creator of the project but the cast and crew of the pilot were recently informed that HBO has canceled the much-awaited TV show. A prequel idea that followed the Age of Heroes and focused on the Long Night, thousands of the years before the events of Game of Thrones took place, filmed its pilot episode earlier this year. During that time, HBO did not order an entire season of the project.
As per confirmation from multiple reports, the studio has opted not to move forward with the series. As of now, there is no confirmation from HBO as to why they decided to cancel the Game of Thrones prequel but according to a report by Deadline, the pilot episode had lengthy post-production that included re-editing of the initial cut after it was not well received. In addition to that, there were several rumors about having issues during filming the pilot episode of Long Night in Northern Ireland.
The reports of Game of Thrones prequel came right after season eight aired on HBO. The most-awaited final season of this epic fantasy series was heavily panned by the critics and fans for its poor writing and unresolved theories. Fans even urged HBO to reshoot the entire Game of Thrones season 8 with prolific writers, which did not happen. Everyone had high hopes with Game of Thrones prequel series that would have shown some amazing stories about the Night King and his life.
That being said, this does not mean that Game of Thrones' prequels are over. Initially, HBO ordered multiple prequel shows based on George RR Martin's works. Back in September, HBO confirmed that a separate series was underway with writer Ryan Condal. The second prequel will take place only hundreds of years before the Game of Thrones events and will show the rise and fall of the House Targaryen.
On his personal blog, George RR Martin talked about his excitement for both Ryan Condal and Jane Goldman's prequels. The 71-year-old author talked about the magnitude of the story and how they had enough content for two different shows that could set in Westeros.
