[TV] Game of Thrones: Bloodmoon

[Ihavewaffles]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/gam...ase-date-cast/

Game of Thrones prequel: expected release date and cast list for Bloodmoon.

By Zoah Hedges-Stocks
17 MAY 2019 • 12:11PM

Thankfully, we've learned that the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones will not be the last we see of Westeros. American television network HBO is developing a pilot for a new series, which will be set long before the War of the Five Kings and the bloodthirsty antics that we know and love.

This prequel (working title: Bloodmoon) won the "game of thrones" (so to speak) between a group of five potential spin-offs, of which the remaining four were cast aside - Valar Morgulis.

With just one episode to go in the original series, here is everything we know about the Game of Thrones prequel so far:

When can we watch it?

It's a good thing that Game of Thrones fans are used to waiting (eight years and counting since the last book), because the new series won't be on our screens until 2020 at leasr. That's because Casey Bloys, HBO's president of programming, wants "the final season of Game of Thrones to be the final season of Game of Thrones".

He told Hollywood Deadline in January: "I don’t want to use it to launch something else, I want it to stand as the finale of the greatest TV show of all time, I don’t want to do anything that infringes on that."

Who has been cast and who will they play?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6857128/

Casting news is being released in fits and starts, but HBO appears to be bringing the dragonfire power.

Two-time Oscar nominated British actress Naomi Watts, who is best known for her roles in films Mulholland Drive, King Kong, 21 Grams and Showtime’s revival of cult series Twin Peaks, will be the lead of the still-untitled prequel’s ensemble cast.

The details of Watts' character are being kept mum, but it is known she will play “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.”

Fans are already speculating whom Watts will be playing, with some thinking she could be Nissa Nissa, a casually referenced figure in Westerosi lore. Nissa Nissa was the wife of ancient hero Azor Ahai, the Lord of Light and central figure of the faith of R’hllor. Legend has it, he forged the magical sword Lightbringer by plunging it through the heard of his beloved in order to defeat the White Walkers.

Until further details are announced, anything is possible but Watts’ character’s description draws similarities to Cersei Lannister; perhaps she could be a Lannister ancestor?

Poldark actor and Burberry model Josh Whitehouse has also joined the prequel series. No further details have been released about the character he will be playing, other than it being a key role.

In January, a flurry of names were added to the cast list. Series regular roles have been given to a number of rising stars Lady Macbeth's Naomi Ackie, Jamie Campbell Bower (Twilight, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans, Black Mirror), Toby Regbo and Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia).

In March, it was revealed that Harry Potter star Miranda Richardson would join the cast as a series regular. The Golden Globe-winning actor is known for playing Queen Elizabeth in Blackadder and Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

A handful of actors best known for their theatrical efforts have also been cast, among them Angels in America's Denise Gough, Sheila Atim, John Simm, Marquis Rodriguez, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan, Dixie Egerickx, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time's Alex Sharp.

Who is involved?

Game of Thrones creators and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss will not be on board, but purists need not worry. George R R Martin himself is creating the show alongside Jane Goldman, and it is based on a story that the pair have written together.

Goldman has form in adapting books for television: she wrote the screenplay for Neil Gaiman's Stardust, Peter Ackroyd's The Limehouse Golem, comic-book adaptation Kick-Ass, Susan Hill's incredibly creepy The Woman In Black, and Tim Burton's big-screen version of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

That's not to mention her co-producing credits on Kick-Ass, The Limehouse Golem, and both of the Kingsman films. The flame-haired wife of Jonathan Ross, Goldman certainly has impeccable geek credentials.

Excitingly, the talents of SJ Clarkson have been secured to direct the show's pilot – she'll also serve as an executive producer. Clarkson has earned directing and production credits on Jessica Jones, the Marvel-Netflix show, as well as Orange is the New Black. She'll be taking on the project after directing the next film in the rebooted Star Trek franchise.



What will it be about?

HBO have revealed that it will tell of "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."

The Age of Heroes is supposed to have taken place 10,000 years before the events of the show, and to have ended around 6,000 years before the show started (If you're a stickler for detail, the first season of the show is set in 298 AC (After Conquest) and season eight was set in 305 AC. The Starks have been through a lot in just five years.).

The official companion book The World of Ice and Fire describes it thus:

The Age of Heroes lasted for thousands of years, in which kingdoms rose and fell, noble houses were founded and withered away, and great deeds were accomplished. Yet what we truly know of those ancient days is hardly more than what we know of the Dawn Age. The tales we have now are the work of septons and maesters writing thousands of years after the fact.

That's nicely vague. However, in the 4,000-year Age of Heroes, there is one particularly notable event that ties in with the action of the show. In the episode Lord Snow, Old Nan tells Bran stories while he recovers from his fall (the fall that, if you remember, sparked the cataclysmic events of the entire show off). She tells him:

"Thousands of years ago, there came a night that lasted a generation. Kings froze to death in their castles, same as the shepherds in their huts; and women smothered their babies rather than see them starve, and wept, and felt the tears freeze on their cheeks... In that darkness the White Walkers came for the first time. They swept through cities and kingdoms, riding their dead horses, hunting with their packs of pale spiders big as hounds."

These events are known as the Long Night, and took place about halfway through the Age of Heroes. Given that the White Walkers play such a huge part in the show's mythology, it is very likely that we might see this. Fittingly, it was reported in June that the working title of the officially unnamed prequel is “The Long Night.”



Who will be in it?

Given that the prequel will take place at least 6,000 years before Bran Stark got pushed out of the window, we won't be seeing such sights as Varys' youth as a slave and pickpocket, or the events that led Tywin Lannister to be such a terrible father (take note, other prequel writers!).

However, we may well see the ancestors of some of our favourite characters. It was during the Age of Heroes that Brandon the Builder built several of the forts that we see in the show, including Stannis' seat Storm's End (the one with the gigantic map-shaped table), Winterfell, and the Wall itself. Brandon founded House Stark and was the first King of the North, making him the ancestor of Sansa, Arya and Robb.

His counterpart is Lann the Clever, who took Casterly Rock (which Dany sent the Unsullied to attack in season eight) and founded House Lannister. He allegedly lived for 300 years, and a similarly long-lived character was the Grey King. He was the first of the Ironborn, married a mermaid and slew a seadragon. He was reputed to live for a thousand years, but commonly accepted fan wisdom has it that the procession of years in the Age of Heroes is deliberately exaggerated to make it seem more mythical, or perhaps simply fudged because written language didn't make it to Westeros until after the Age of Heroes had ended.

[enigma77]

Can't have been that bad. All it took to end it was stabbing one guy with a dagger.

[Wermys]

They will probably play off the Rat theme also in this movie. Bran the Builder, Lann the Clever, The Storm Lords, the Gardner Kings, House Aeryn being founded and other Andals as well like House Martel and Yronnwood.

[Ihavewaffles]

Can't have been that bad. All it took to end it was stabbing one guy with a dagger.

Watched this today, according to Jaqen H'ghar the many-faced God appears as the lord of light R'hllor and on the faces of the Weirwood trees, this interconnectionesss is interesting, if there is some truth to it.

[Dragon2K]

So is this why they ended the plotline with the Night King and Bran without any explanation?

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Franchise milking here we go!

[ro9ue]

Sounds good to me. Even with how rushed the last 2 GoT seasons were, it's still in my top 5 shows of all time. I'll definitely watch any spin offs in this universe.

[GreenJesus]

So is this why they ended the plotline with the Night King and Bran without any explanation?

lol yeh imagine if we had WoTLK expansion before the WCIII Frozen throne. Just feels weird to kill him without even really knowing who he is and then do a prequel (after we killed him) to elaborate on his story and origin. Although I guess that is basically Darth Vader and the prequels... idk.. I just didn't feel satisfied with the Nigh King dying and really knowing nothing about him.

[Techno-Druid]

I hope we get to see the lesser known parts and people of Essos. I would love for Yi Ti and Ib to make an appearance, especially since the former their own Azor Ahai legend.

[Tekkommo]

Hopefully they stick to GRRMs storytelling and don't lose interest to move onto another project.

I don't really care much for this time setting (although if it involves Azor Ahai then I very well could get invested), but I hope it is done well.

I want them to milk this franchise, I am highly invested in the lore of this world. Just please do it right, don't rush shit.

If they leaks are true, then I will not be surprised if we get an additional Arya story about sailing west. Not saying I want it, just won't be surprised. But I do want to know more about what is west of Westeros, or the far eastern parts of Essos, or the lesser known Southern continents. Even to find out if the 5 forts in eastern Essos are somehow connected to the WWs and if the land connects to Westeros (although GRRM has denied this).

[ohiostate124]

I really hope they didn’t leave out info about the NK/WWs just so they could use it as a reason to get people to tune in to this one.

[Gasparde]

Maybe this might actually be decent if they can manage to keep D&D off it.

[Kathranis]

Just being "more Game of Thrones" stuff isn't enough to get me excited, I'll need to see some concrete details on the cast, production, and story first.

That said, Martin being involved and D&D not being at the helm is heartening. I just hope it doesn't distract him from finishing the books.

There's potential for a lot of interesting stories to tell in the Long Night and I think Martin's other spinoff works have been solid, but part of me also worries about prequelitis and the issues that crop up when you start explaining all the mysteries.

[Fleskis]

Might actually be nice. But anything GoT related is probably nice after the disastrous s8...

[Tekkommo]

There's potential for a lot of interesting stories to tell in the Long Night and I think Martin's other spinoff works have been solid, but part of me also worries about prequelitis and the issues that crop up when you start explaining all the mysteries.

That's always the problem, we want answers, but sometimes they are best left to theories.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

I like GoT so obviously I will give it a go. But just like anything if I enjoy it I keep watching if not I stop. I know its a difficult concept in 2019 but honestly it makes the most sense.

[PACOX]

They have a solid writer and the real problem with s8 of GoT is that DnD are tired of it, afraid Disney will pass them up. The current state of GoT wouldn't be bad if they could have split up dealing with the Night King and the Iron Throne over more episodes.

Its not that the franchise is tainted, its that season 8 has been anti-climatic. Im excited for the spinoff, whenever it comes. My only worry is that a lot of spinoffs fall flat.

[eschatological]

Watched this today, according to Jaqen H'ghar the many-faced God appears as the lord of light R'hllor and on the faces of the Weirwood trees, this interconnectionesss is interesting, if there is some truth to it.

It's more that the Many-Faced God wears many faces. In the religion of R'hllor, which is monotheistic, he represents a darker aspect of the single God, the part which has to do with birthing shadows like Melisandre and doing blood sacrifices. He is considered the Great Other in the old gods pantheon. But he's also present as one of the Seven, which is the main religion of Westeros. He is The Stranger - the unsexed, unknown god of the Seven (the other six divide into 3 men, 3 women, all at the various stages of life: Warrior, Smith, Father, and Maid, Mother, Crone). But the Many-Faced God can be found in all religions, it has a real world analogue in the B'hai religion, which believes that prophets like Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed and Buddha were all representatives of God and could be found in all religions.

[Ihavewaffles]

It's more that the Many-Faced God wears many faces. In the religion of R'hllor, which is monotheistic, he represents a darker aspect of the single God, the part which has to do with birthing shadows like Melisandre and doing blood sacrifices. He is considered the Great Other in the old gods pantheon. But he's also present as one of the Seven, which is the main religion of Westeros. He is The Stranger - the unsexed, unknown god of the Seven (the other six divide into 3 men, 3 women, all at the various stages of life: Warrior, Smith, Father, and Maid, Mother, Crone). But the Many-Faced God can be found in all religions, it has a real world analogue in the B'hai religion, which believes that prophets like Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed and Buddha were all representatives of God and could be found in all religions.

I thought R'hllor was opposite the Great Other and isn't only the religion of R'hllor that even mentions the Great Other?? Or I was misinformed, dunno

[eschatological]

I thought R'hllor was opposite the Great Other and isn't only the religion of R'hllor that even mentions the Great Other?? Or I was misinformed, dunno

That's kind of the point of the Many-Faced God religion. No follower of R'hllor would acknowledge the Great Other as part of their own religion. They believe in rebirth, cleansing fire, etc (it's an analogue for Christianity). But that's not where the MFG resides, in the religion of light. He resides in the shadows, the sorcery, the blood sacrifices R'hllor's priests/priestesses perform. They try to weakly justify these powers, say that any great light will cast a long shadow, but the truth is that is the Many-Faced God collecting what is owed to him.

In some religions, like the religion of the light, the followers outright ignore him and/or suggest he isn't part of R'hllor. In other religions, like the Seven, he is acknowledged as The Stranger, but no one really worships him and people might be afraid of him. In other religions, like The Drowned God, the old gods (as the Great Other), and the Lion of the Night, he is a major deity to be respected and maybe even worshipped. When the Starks say "Winter is Coming," they're really saying "The Many-Faced God is coming." When the Ironborn say, "What is dead may never die," they're worshiping the MFG. He is Death personified in godhood.

And yes, the followers of the old gods don't name their gods. But for a long time the NK/winter in the books has been the diametric opposition to R'hllor, and I think if a follower of R'hllor was to describe the Great Other to a Stark, they'd say, "Oh, that's one of the old gods of the forest."