S.J. Clarkson To Direct Game Of Thrones Prequel Pilot
by Erik Amaya
Jessica Jones veteran S.J. Clarkson will helm the pilot of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series.
Devised by Kick-Ass screenwriter Jane Goldman and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin, the potential series will chronicle the latter days of the Age of Heroes and the coming of the first Long Night some 10,000 years prior to Robert’s Rebellion and the events chronicled on Game of Thrones. As the cable outlet put it in an initial press release, “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 series, developed by Kick-Ass‘s Jane Goldman and Martin, was one of five potential series developed to keep the GoT flame alive after the flagship series ends later this year. Reportedly, two of the possible projects have been discarded with the remaining two still in some form of development; though it remains to be seen if HBO will want more than one Ice and Fire shows at the same time. Goldman will serve as showrunner with Martin, Vince Gerardis, Daniel Zelman and Jim Danger Gray also serving as executive producers. Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will not be involved as their next project will take them out of Westeros and into a galaxy far, far away.
While still untitled, Martin began referring to the show as The Long Night, but HBO was quick to say this is just a working title. Whatever it ends up being called, it will star Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse. Variety also reports actors Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, and Toby Regbo as series regulars should it pick up the series. Which, at this point, seems more than likely.
It is unclear when the series will air, but expect it to debut before the release of Winds of Winter, the long-promised sixth book in the Ice and Fire series.
