HBO’s Game of Thrones might be ending soon, but that doesn’t mean that its world is going with it. A few months ago, we first got wind of a Game of Thrones spin-off taking place 10,000 years before the race for the Iron Throne. All we knew then was that this prequel was set in an era called “The Age of Heroes.”
Thankfully, more details have finally been announced! First of all, there’s the cast and crew handling this new project. The expected talents are Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: Episode IX), Denise Gough (Angels in America), Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga, Harry Potter), Sheila Atim (Harlots), Ivanno Jeremiah (Black Mirror, Humans), Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Alex Sharp (How to Talk to Girls at Parties), and Toby Regbo (Reign). Directing the series will be S.J. Clarkson (Jessica Jones, Star Trek) with Jane Goldman (Kingsman: Secret Service) writing.
The official title for the series has also been released: “The Long Night”. Any fan who has read the books can tell you that this, coupled with the setting of ‘Age of Heroes’, can only point towards a story taking place in the very early days of Westeros. Most likely, the story will revolve around the first appearance of the White Walkers, when magic was much more prevalent.
George R. R. Martin confirmed this on E! News by saying: “Westeros is a very different place. There’s no King’s Landing, There’s no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens — Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We’re dealing with a different and older world and hopefully, that will be part of the fun of the series.”
For non-book readers what this statement also means is that we’re going to see a very different set of characters. The Targaryens are entirely out of the picture, still living in Valyria. While families like the Lannisters and Tyrells simply didn’t exist at this point yet. Of all the noble houses, the most likely appearance will be that of the Starks, whose lineage is revered as one of the oldest and closest to magic.
Another logline from HBO teased this: “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.”
