There’s just two Game of Thrones episodes left, but the end is not nigh for the worlds of Westeros, Essos, and Sothoryos.
According to series author George R.R. Martin, five different spinoff shows have been worked on to varying degrees. Of these, one begins shooting later this year while two more are still in the scriptwriting stage.
It’s Totally Not Called The Long Night…
Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Martin alluded to the furthest along of the spinoffs as “the one I am not supposed to call The Long Night” in a recent blog post.
The rumored title is in reference to the generation-long winter that took place a thousand years before the events in Game of Thrones.
Martin didn’t spill any further details, but did suggest that fans could devise their own theories by picking up a copy of his new book, Fire & Blood, a prequel and historical guide to the series’ Targaryen family.
In an earlier blog post, Martin also said that each spinoff concept under discussion was a prequel in nature.
The Prequel in Production
Even though we don’t know much of what the newest series will be about, we somewhat know who is involved.
The script is based off a story that was written by Martin and showrunner Jane Goldman, the latter of who wrote the scripts for Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, among other major productions.
So far, actress Naomi Watts of Mulholland Drive and Birdman fame is the biggest name tied to the new series. Other talents involved include Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia), and John Simm (Life on Mars, Doctor Who).
Finding A Worthy Successor
HBO hasn’t said much more than Martin about what’s next in regards to the other series. However, programming president, Casey Bloys did caution two years ago that just because four shows were in the works (at the time), that didn’t mean one new show would be released per quarter, or that even more than one would see the light of day.
He did say that each concept examined a different part of the GoT universe’s history, increasing the likelihood of one being worthy of the primetime throne.
