Game of Thrones Spinoff: Every Update You Need To Know

Game of Thrones Season 8 won't be the end of Westeros: a spinoff show is going to pilot at HBO. Here's everything we know about the prequel series.

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Game of Thrones may be coming to an end with Season 8, but that doesn't mean HBO is done with Westeros. The network has been developing plans for as many as five spinoffs, and one has been given the official greenlight to go to pilot. Written by Jane Goldman, the untitled show will delve into the deep past of the Game of Thrones world, answering some of the biggest mysteries.

• Release Date: TBA
• Cast: TBA
• Directors: TBA
• Writers: Jane Goldman, George R.R. Martin

13. THE GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF'S STORY

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The spinoff isn't strictly a direct prequel to Game of Thrones, but it will be set prior to the events of the show, taking place during the mythical Age of Heroes. Here's the official synopsis HBO released:

Taking place thousands of years before the events of GAME OF THRONES, the series chronicles 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’s 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.

12. WHAT DOES "GOING TO PILOT" MEAN?

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Jane Goldman's pitch for a Game of Thrones spinoff has received a pilot order and has not yet been greenlit for a full series. This essentially Goldman will pen a script for the episode, which will then be filmed and later screened by the execs at HBO. Only if the pilot shows enough merit will HBO then order a full series for the spinoff.

Game of Thrones went through a similar process, with its original pilot heavily re-shot, recasting roles like Daenerys and Catelyn Stark before it became what we now know as the first episode of the series, "Winter Is Coming".

11. THE GAME OF THRONES SPINOFFS SHOWRUNNERS

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If the spinoff goes to series, Jane Goldman will serve as its showrunner as well as an executive producer alongside A Song of Ice and Fire author, George R.R. Martin. Goldman is best known for her collaborations with Matthew Vaughn on Kick-Ass, X-Men, and the Kingsman films, and she has also penned the adapted scripts for The Woman in Black and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Goldman and Martin are working together on the story for the spinoff series. Vince Gerardis and Daniel Zelman will also join the spinoff series as executive producers.

10. WHAT'S THE GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF TITLE?

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As of yet, there is no official title for the Game of Thrones spinoff. It's possible, though, that the series will retain the Game of Thrones label and add to it with a subtitle. For instance, the spinoff might be called something like Game of Thrones: The Age of Heroes, The Golden Age or The Long Night (the latter being Martin's preferred choice). Then again, the spinoff may not want to tie itself so closely with the phrase "Game of Thrones", seeing as it's the title of the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire and relates directly to political turmoil of the realm.

With the spinoff set thousands of years before the Seven Kingdoms were unified under Targaryen rule, calling it Game of Thrones might be a little disingenuous. In which case, the show may have a single, original title that best reflects its premise.

9. WHEN WILL THE GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF SERIES PREMIERE?

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Assuming that the Game of Thrones' spinoff goes to series, it still won't premiere for a few years from now. Game of Thrones Season 8, the final season, won't air until 2019, which suggests that the absolute earliest we'd see a spinoff series would be 2020. Even then, that may be too soon knowing how involved and tedious it can be to film a series on the scale of Game of Thrones. And while the budget for the spinoff series won't be as much as Game of Thrones' recent seasons, it's expected to still be pretty big. A safer bet may be to put the premiere of the Game of Thrones spinoff in early 2021.

8. HOW MANY EPISODES WILL THE GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF HAVE?

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The early seasons of Game of Thrones had ten episodes and it's likely that a spinoff series will follow a similar pattern. Most HBO series have shorter seasons than broadcast television, so it'd be safe to assume this spinoff series wouldn't have seasons that are longer than ten episodes. Also, given that this spinoff isn't adapting a novel or book series, there's no guarantee the story that Goldman and Martin are cooking up will take more than a single season to tell. That seems unlikely given the subject matter, but at this point, there's no ruling out a limited series for Goldman's spinoff, possibly followed by more limited series based on other pitches.

7. ARE ANY GAME OF THRONES CAST MEMBERS RETURNING?

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With the spinoff series set thousands of years prior to the events covered in Game of Thrones, it's hard to imagine that any of the actors featured in Game of Thrones would or even could return. Then again, never say never. It's expected that characters like the Children of the Forest and the White Walkers will appear, which means the actors who portrayed them on Game of Thrones have the best chance at returning. Otherwise, the only feasible way for actors from Game of Thrones to appear would be through some vision of the future (a real possibility seeing as magic is more prevalent during this early age of Westeros). Still, were the spinoff to glimpse into the future and see the time period of Game of Thrones, it'd likely be as a cameo appearance at best (possibly even reusing old footage).

6. WHO ARE THE NEW WESTEROS CAST MEMBERS?

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No roles have been cast for the Game of Thrones spinoff at this time, but we can speculate about which characters will need to be cast. The only family named in the official synopsis is the Starks, and given the setting, it's a safe bet that Bran the Builder (the found of House Stark) will play some role. Others who were prominent during this Age of Heroes are Durran Godsgrief the Storm King, the Grey King of the Iron Islands, and Lann the Clever (from whom House Lannister claims their heritage). The synopsis also mentions "mysteries of the East", which suggests there may be characters who hail from lands that have yet to appear on Game of Thrones, like Asshai or Yi Ti.

5. WHEN WILL THERE BE A GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF TRAILER?

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At this early stage, it'll likely be at least a year if not more before we see any kind of trailer for the Game of Thrones spinoff. Even then, it's possible that the first trailer won't actually include filmed footage, but be a tease of what's to come using previously seen footage or graphics that will give audiences an impression of what the series will be about. A trailer that's more a proof of concept rather than actual footage could be attached to the Game of Thrones series finale, using the opportunity to advertise the spinoff to what will surely be an enormous viewing audience.

4. IS THERE A GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF POSTER YET?

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Before we see a trailer for the spinoff, a poster or logo is sure to be released. Again, this kind of promotion will likely occur closer to the timing of the Game of Thrones finale, but it could happen beforehand if there are any developments; like the spinoff's pilot being ordered to series or some casting announcement.

3. DETAILS ON THE OTHER GAME OF THRONES SPINOFFS

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In addition to Goldman's spinoff pitch, there were originally four more spinoff pitches in development from writers Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), Carly Wray (Westworld) and Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones). Of those pitches, HBO has "shelved" one while the other three remain in active development. George R.R. Martin is involved in this process, but Game of Thrones executive producers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are not.

2. MORE GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF NEWS

• Game of Thrones Spinoff Will Be ‘Recognizable’ to Fans
• Charles Dance Wants To Be In A Game of Thrones Prequel
• Jane Goldman's Game of Thrones Spinoff Script Finished

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