Report: "Game of Thrones" prequel to shoot in Belfast in October
A new report says the pilot for a prequel to George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" is set to start filming in Belfast in October. Martin confirmed the pilot order in June and emphasized that none of the "Game of Thrones" characters will be returning, since the prequel is set in Westeros 10,000 years before the hit HBO series.
Martin said he would like the yet-untitled prequel series to be called "The Long Night." Deadline reports that the series is set to film at The Paint Hall in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. The studio has been used to film the original "Game of Thrones" series as well.
The pilot order describes the series as revealing "the world's descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And 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."
In June, on Martin's blog, he said, "This one really puts the PRE in prequel, since it is set not ninety years before GAME OF THRONES (like Dunk & Egg), or a few hundred years, but rather ten thousand years (well, assuming the oral histories of the First Men are accurate, but there are maesters at the Citadel who insist it has only been half that long). We're very early in the process, of course, with the pilot order just in, so we don't have a director yet, or a cast, or a location, or even a title. My vote would be THE LONG NIGHT, which says it all, but I'd be surprised if that's where we end up. More likely HBO will want to work the phrase 'game of thrones' in there somewhere. We'll know sooner or later)." He announced that Jane Goldman will serve as showrunner; she also wrote the pilot script.
Martin says he has been involved in developing the "Game of Thrones" prequel, "but really, the accolades here should go to Jane. She has been an absolute thrill to work with… and my god, what a talent." Goldman wrote the "Kingsmen" films and one "X-Men" movie.
He also revealed that while one of the five "GoT" prequel series in development was shelved, "Three more GAME OF THRONES prequels, set in different periods and featuring different characters and storylines, remain in active development."
The final season of "Game of Thrones" will air in 2019, with veterans of the series returning to play key roles behind the scenes.