Game Of Thrones executive producer and writer Bryan Cogman has been developing a spin-off prequel series, but it sounds like his efforts were in vain: according to The Hollywood Reporter, the series has now been scrapped by HBO.
Speaking to THR, Cogman said: “My prequel show is not happening and will not happen. HBO decided to go a different way. So, it is a goodbye. I am done with Westeros. It’s wonderfully bittersweet. I’ll certainly miss it, but I’m excited to go out on my own and try to be in the captain’s chair of my own projects, armed with everything I’ve learned.”
Cogman has written many standout Game Of Thrones episodes while working on the show, including Season 3’s ‘Kissed By Fire‘, Season 7’s ‘Stormborn‘ and Season 8’s second episode, ‘A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms‘.
“I’m eager to start the next chapter, but a part of my heart will always live with Game of Thrones,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons why this episode was so important to me. It was a goodbye and a love letter to these characters and to this cast.”
Cogman was just one of five people, including Jane Goldman, Max Borenstein, Brian Helgeland and Cary Wray, tapped by HBO to come up with ideas and develop some kind of Game Of Thrones spin-off series. But the only project that is officially going further than the planning stage is Goldman’s.
Goldman co-created the series with A Song Of Ice And Fire author George RR Martin and will act as showrunner. The pair wrote the story, with Goldman writing the teleplay. She and Martin are also both set to executive produce alongside Daniel Zelman, James Farrell, Jim Danger Gray and Vince Gerardis, with Chris Symes co-executive producing.
SJ Clarkson has signed up to direct the pilot episode, and the cast includes Josh Whitehouse (Northern Soul), Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive), Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, Toby Regbo, Marquis Rodriguez, John Simm, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan and Dixie Egerickx.
HBO released this logline for the show:
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.
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