Game of Thrones prequel series: Naomi Watts talks involvement

Given that Game of Thrones season 8 is not even out just yet, it feels almost foolish to think that anyone behind the scenes would start talking about the prequel series. This is a show that HBO is planning for down the road and technically it has yet to even be ordered to series, but that isn’t stopping anyone from assuming that it will eventually make it there. Many roles have already been cast and presumably, the earliest we could see this project come to HBO is 2020.

At the center of everything for this new series, beyond of course the involvement of George R.R. Martin behind the scenes, is Naomi Watts. While many actors in the project (like with the original) are relative unknowns, she is a fairly well-known performer who is apparently set to have a large role. Unfortunately, no one knows what that role will be, other than that the prequel is set thousands of years before the start of Game of Thrones. Rumor has it that it could be a White Walker origin story, or that it could explore the early days of many of Westeros’ most-famous families.

Watts was at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, and of course, that means that she was asked about the project. She made it clear to Variety that she’s excited about the project … but was not exactly able to say a whole lot more than that:

It’s a fantastic world, isn’t it? I think [there are] so many brilliant elements to that series that make it very exciting, very appealing. I don’t want to dig myself into a big hole here. All I want to say is it’s very exciting…I’ll say that again and again and again — and nothing else.

So when will Watts be able to confirm more? We don’t necessarily think that HBO is going to make viewers wait until the series premiere of this still-untitled spin-off to learn about her character, but they also may not be in all that much of a hurry either. At the moment, our expectation is that there will be a little bit more news handed down following the start of the Game of Thrones final season in April. At that point, the natural sequence of promotional events will fall to the prequel. They will want to share some information, largely because they will want to give viewers a little bit of something to be excited about. We imagine that this will be an interesting struggle in its own right, offering information on the final season without giving away too much.

Related News – Check out a some scoop from Lena Headey on the final season of Game of Thrones

What do you think Watts’ character could be for the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the comments. (Photo: HBO.)