'Game of Thrones': HBO Kills Naomi Watts-Led Spin-Off Series Following Pilot Review

Well, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss may be long gone from “Game of Thrones” and HBO, but the shake-ups and drama surrounding the two and the series continue without them. Less than 24 hours that Benioff and Weiss departed from their “Star Wars” trilogy at Lucasfilm—unrelated news in a way, but still worth pointing out—news has broken that HBO has killed the new “Game Of Thrones” spin-off series that had Naomi Watts in a lead role.

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A prequel to “Game of Thrones” written and co-created by Jane Goldman (“Stardust,” “X-Men: First Class”), also an exec producer, Deadline learned today she notified the cast that HBO was not moving forward with the pilot. Variety and several of the trades have confirmed. The untitled series was expected to take place thousands of years prior to the events of the original series.

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Directed by S.J. Clarkson (“Succession,” “The Defenders”), Deadline says the pilot shot, went through a lengthy post-production process and faced rumors about issues during filming in Northern Ireland. The news echoes the beginnings of “Game Of Thrones.” The original pilot, shot way back when by “Spotlight” writer/director Tom McCarthy, was totally scrapped. HBO held onto their nerve though, reconceived it, hired new cast, hired a new director, and “Game Of Thrones” lived on to become an eight-season giant for the channel.

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This would be spin-off show, co-created with “Game Of Thrones” author George R. R. Martin, also starred Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, Toby Regbo, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriquez, John Simm, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan, and Dixie Egerickx.

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HBO has already greenlit a second series—one from Martin and Ryan Condal, which is set 300 years before the events in Game of Thrones and tracks the beginning of the end for House Targaryen—but it too will have to pass the pilot approval stage and see whether the cable channel wants to turn it into a full-blown series.