HBO’s Game Of Thrones spinoff pilot was shot for ₹225 crore before it was cancelled: ‘This just doesn’t work’

HBO’s popular show Game of Thrones’ spin-off series, which was set to cast actor Naomi Watts, spent $30 million to make one episode before it got canceled.

According to journalist James Andrew Miller’s book, Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, former chairman of WarnerMedia Bob Greenblatt revealed how and why the expensive spin-off was scrapped. “They had spent over $30 million on a Game of Thrones prequel pilot that was in production when I got there. And when I saw a cut of [the pilot] a few months after I arrived, I said to Casey (HBO’s Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys), ‘This just doesn’t work and I don’t think it delivers on the promise of the original series.’ And he didn’t disagree, which actually was a relief,” Bob said.

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The proposed TV show was from screenwriter Jane Goldman, who has written the award-winning film Kingsman: The Secret Service. The show’s rumoured name was said to be, The Long Night. The show got a yes from HBO in 2018 and it got shelved the next year. 

There are other Game of Thrones spin-offs that are in the works, which include, a Targaryen-centric prequel series named House of the Dragon. It will star Matt Smith in the lead role and will release in 2022. Another spin-off that is currently in the talks is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel series named Tales of Dunk and Egg. 

There is also a broadway play of the show that is in the making and the storyline is set 16 years before the events of the original show. According to a report by Verge, the makers of the play have planned the productions in New York City, London’s West End, and Australia in 2023.