For those who have been waiting for cast news in relation to the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel set to air on HBO, news has finally arrived. Naomi Watts has signed up as part of the ensemble cast for HBO’s prequel to their current Game of Thrones epic fantasy series.
According to Deadline , after lengthy negotiations, Australian actress Naomi Watts will lead the ensemble cast for the new Game of Thrones series.
As to be expected, there is very little news about the character Naomi Watts will play in the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel. However, according to Deadline , Watts will play “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , the Game of Thrones prequel will be set thousands of years prior to the events unfolding in the current Game of Thrones series airing on HBO. Deadline has previously issued the following synopsis for the prequel.
“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’ 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.”
“It’s a very different setting, a very different time in Westeros, It will feel different but still Game of Thrones ,” HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, told Deadline in August.
Considering how many years prior to the current series that the prequel is set, fans will not be seeing any of the regulars from Game of Thrones in the prequel. It is also expected that the new series will feature strong females leads.
After lengthy negotiations, Naomi Watts has signed on to lead the ensemble cast of @HBO ’s #GameOfThrones prequel pilot https://t.co/N8X2tymxPL
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 30, 2018
Jane Goldman will write the new series, alongside George R. R. Martin, who is the author of the books the TV series is based on. George R. R. Martin will also serve as co-executive producer on the new venture. It is believed that the current creators and executive producers for Game of Thrones , David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, will not be involved with the prequel series. However, current Game of Thrones co-executive producer Vince Gerardis is set to join Goldman with the new series.
Damages and Bloodline co-creator Daniel Zelman has also joined the lineup. James Farrell and Jim Danger Gray ( Orange Is the New Black , Hannibal ) will act as executive producers on the Game of Thrones prequel, with Chris Symes ( The Alienist ) acting as co-executive producer.
According to various reports, filming for the Game of Thrones prequel began in October.
The final season of Game of Thrones will premiere on HBO in the first half of 2019.