GAME OF THRONES: HBO Greenlights First Spin-off Pilot Episode Set in Westeros’ Past

Game of Thrones Spin-off Pilot Episode Greenlit by HBO

The first Game of Thrones spin-off pilot episode has been officially greenlit by HBO. Since its inception in May 2017, fans have been wondering what would come out of the writers room, by whom, or where it would be set. We now have the answers to those questions.

Jane Goldman (co-writer of: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass) and the story she created with George R.R. Martin was the first story chosen out of Game of Thrones spin-off writers room that currently also contains: Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Brian Helgeland (Legend), Carly Wray (Westworld), and Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones).

The title for the Game of Thrones spin-off has not been revealed but the plot synopsis has been:

Set thousands of years before the events of Thrones, the project chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. A logline from the network teased the plot without divulging any specifics. “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.”

That should be very interesting to see and will be fed by fans of Game of Thrones‘ interest in Westeros’ lore, the last two seasons of Game of Thrones, everything that those season’s hinted at in the past, and spurred on by the current presence of White Walkers.

The Age of Heroes was initiated 10,000 years ago in Westeros’ past when The Pact was signed between The Children of the Forest and The First Men at the end of the Dawn Age. The Long Night, spoken of in the first episode of Game of Thrones, happened during that time period.

If the pilot episode for the Game of Thrones spin-off is moved to a full series, I can’t imagine that they would skip this event. Also occurring during this time period was the founding of many great Houses, including those of House Stark and House Lannister by Bran the Builder and Lann the Clever respectively.

George R.R. Martin, Jane Goldman, Vince Gerardis, and Daniel Zelman will serve as executive producers on the pilot episode. Goldman will be the show’s showrunner.

Any pilot episode to come out of the writer’s room, regardless of where or when they are set, is described by George R.R. Martin as a “successor” series.

Whether the pilot episode spurs a full season order or not, the successor series will not air until a full year after Season 8 airs its final episode. That is at the earliest. The pilot episode now has to be budgeted, cast, locations picked, shot, edited, and shown to the brass at HBO for their consideration.

If the pilot episode is not picked up to series, fans of Game of Thrones will most-likely never see the pilot episode set during the Age of Heroes.

Game of Thrones: Season 7 starred Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Jim Broadbent, Tom Hopper, Megan Parkinson, Ed Sheeran, Pilou Asbaek, Rory McCann, Hannah Murray, Aidan Gillen, Sophie Turner, Richard Dormer, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Ben Crompton, Diana Rigg, Liam Cunningham, Carice van Houten, Indira Varma, and John Bradley.

Additions for Game of Thrones‘ cast during Season 8 included Megan Parkinson, Harry Grasby, and Seamus O’Hara.

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