The prequel series Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon, which is set many hundreds of years before the events of the well-known fantasy program, will debut the following year.
So it never aired?
It turns out, though, that this wasn’t even HBO’s initial attempt to continue the Game of Thrones series over its original eight seasons.
The pilot episode of a much earlier attempt to create a Game of Thrones prequel series, which cost an unbelievable $30 million to produce, was finally abandoned, according to a recent source.
Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, a new book by James Andrew Miller, provides the source for this information. Miller learnt about the failed prequel attempt during his study from WarnerMedia chairman Bob Greenblatt.
When I arrived, a Game of Thrones prequel pilot that had cost over $30 million was in production, he said.
I told Casey [Bloys, HBO’s chief content officer], “This just doesn’t work, and I don’t think it delivers on the promise of the original series,” when I watched a cut of it a few months after I came. And he did not object, which was actually
Greenblatt continued, “There was huge pressure to get it perfect and I don’t think it would have succeeded, so ultimately the plug was pulled.”
There is undoubtedly a lot riding on what happens next to restore the reputation of the Game of Thrones brand after the critically panned eighth and final season.
Regarding the upcoming House Of The Dragon, Greenblatt claimed that he was the one who convinced Casey to give it the go-ahead for series.
“I argued that we shouldn’t stake $30 million on a pilot. A $30 million pilot cannot be produced and then not picked up. I, therefore, argued against creating a pilot. Let’s just make a fantastic series that we are proud of. Or not’.”
House Of The Dragon is set a few centuries before the beloved television program and centers on the loves, relationships, and overall schemes of the Targaryens, Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon-riding royal ancestors. It is based on Fire & Blood Vol. 1, a 2018 Targaryen history written by George R.R. Martin. 1.
Ten episodes will make up the first season, with the first episode premiering on HBO and HBO Max in early 2022.
