'Game of Thrones' Prequel Just Started Filming

06/18/2019 07:42 pm EDT

Game of Thrones fans will be back in Westeros soon, as the prequel series has officially begun filming.

The first Game of Thrones prequel series is now filming, according to a report by Entertainment Weekly. The production quietly got underway on a pilot that will hopefully lead to a full series order.

HBO ordered a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel last year. The show is written and executive produced by Jane Goldman, known for writing the script for X-Men: First Class. Goldman has worked closely with author George R.R. Martin to craft a story about The Long Night, the historical -- and in some ways mythical -- time in Westeros when the White Walkers first attacked.

The pilot will be directed by S.J. Clarkson, known for her work on Jessica Jones. It will star Naomi Watts, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Miranda Richardson, Josh Whitehouse, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Alex Sharp and Toby Regbo.

The cast is now gathered in Northern Ireland, not far from the central production hub for Game of Thrones itself. If all goes well, the prequel series could move to more locations just like its predecessor did, although there is no official word on that one way or the other yet.

Fans have high hopes for the show, which could bring them back to Westeros for the first time since the series ended. However, it may not look too familiar to casual fans. As Martin explained, the story is set 5,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and fan-favorite characters, places and landmarks will be missing.

"Westeros is a very different place," the author said. "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."

Still, many fans are hoping that the show will connect the dots and fill in the gaps on some of the show's biggest mysteries. Most notably, the series may explain the ancient scroll Samwell Tarly discovered in the basement of Castle Black, which spoke of a hero fighting off the White Walkers with a "dragonsteel blade." He and Jon Snow both assumed this meant Valyrian steel, but in the show we may learn for sure.

In his blog, Martin noted that his ideal title for the show would be The Long Night. However, he later noted that HBO was not committed to the title, and so far no name was truly in place.

If the pilot goes well and HBO orders to series, the earliest we could expect to see it would be late in the year 2020. More likely, spring of 2021 will be the network's preferred time to release the show and maximize viewership.

Game of Thrones is streaming now on HBO Go and HBO Now.

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