Well, for Game of Thrones fans, this week has been already been a roller coaster of emotions. First, the much-maligned former showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, left Lucasfilm, opting not to make their planned Star Wars trilogy. But now, according to Deadline, one of the Thrones spin-offs has been canned by HBO.
Specifically, the one starring Naomi Watts has been canceled after the pilot was filmed over the summer. Not much was known about the series except that it would’ve taken place thousands of years before the main series. Author of the original book series, George R.R. Martin offered a few details on the prequel recently. But, nothing really too substantial. And, Watts also teased that fans “[wouldn’t] be let down by the series back when it was filming this summer.
Earlier this year, HBO’s new CEO, Bob Greenblatt was quoted saying that “the last thing you want to do is roll out a spinoff or two and they’re not up to the standard of the original show.” Which is more than fair but, rumors around the spin-off’s pilot point more to a troubled production rather than a lackluster product. Considering Martin and Watts’ past comments, the prequel was shaping up to be quite the follow-up. And the original Thrones pilot was notoriously atrocious. So, here’s to hoping the network isn’t being unnecessarily skittish with the future of Westeros.
Game of Thrones is available to watch in its entirety on all HBO platforms right now.
