Game of Thrones prequel will not feature Targaryens and is not based on Fire and Blood book, George RR Martin says

The Long Night takes place 5,000 years before Game of Thrones

Jack Shepherd
Tuesday 20 November 2018 09:38 GMT
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With George RR Martin‘s latest Westeros-based novel almost on book-seller’s shelves, fans have been wondering whether Fire and Blood could form the basis of the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off show.

The new book offers an extensive history of one of its main families, House Targaryen, and begins 300 years before the tale told in A Song of Ice and Fire (the books that form the basis for HBO’s Game of Thrones).

However, although the upcoming spin-off TV show will act as a prequel to the series, Martin has confirmed the series – tentatively titled The Long Night – will not feature any Targaryens.

“It’s closer to 5,000 years [before the events of Game of Thrones],” the author told EW.

“Westeros is a very different place. 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.”

Screenwriter Jane Goldman, who co-wrote Kick-Ass with Matthew Vaughn, will act as showrunner on the series, while Naomi Watts has been cast as the female lead for the upcoming show, with Poldark star Josh Whitehouse taking on the male lead.

Game of Thrones, which aired for the first time in 2011, will conclude with its eighth season in 2019. Read everything we know about the upcoming season here.

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