A very different beast to Game of Thrones.
When it comes to prequels, spin-offs and reboots, the eternal question always remains – how much of a good thing can be a bad thing?
Much like the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises, Game of Thrones will be delving into its extensive history and backstories in Jane Goldman’s upcoming prequel TV show – which may, or may not, be called ‘The Long Night.’
Granted, nothing can ever replicate the unique drama, action, and talent that Game of Thrones boasts, but if we are going to be treated to a new show, isn’t it better if it’s something that’s completely different?
After all, having been hooked on the battle for the Iron Throne, the great Houses in Westeros killing each other, Daenerys’ dragons, The Night King, and the upcoming Great War, surely it’s time for the board to be reset and a new tale told?
On this note, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, George R.R. Martin has said that the new show will be taking a whole different approach and for anyone that loves fire and blood, there’s some bad news. It appears that dragons will not feature in the new show.
With regards to the timeline of this new show, here’s what he said: “10,000 years is mentioned in the novels. But you also have places where Maesters say, ‘No, no, it wasn’t 10,000, it was 5,000.’ Again, I’m trying to reflect real-life things that a lot of high fantasy doesn’t reflect. In the Bible, it has people living for hundreds of years and then people added up how long each lived and used that to figure out when events took place. Really? I don’t think so. Now we’re getting more realistic dating now from carbon dating and archeology. But Westeros doesn’t have that. They’re still in the stage of ‘my grandfather told me and his grandfather told him. So I think it’s closer to 5,000 years.”
“Westeros is a very different place. There’s no King’s Landing. There’s no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens — Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We’re dealing with a different and older world and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series. Jane Goldman is a tremendous talent. She flew into Santa Fe and we spent a week talking about her ideas. She’s going into territory that I haven’t explored very much in the books. I’ve hinted about them. But she’s a major writer, I love her work,” said Martin.
Well, despite this apparent lack of dragons in the Game of Thrones prequel, we can find some comfort in knowing that Season 8 will be landing in April and that there’s going to be a new George R.R. Martin book, Fire and Blood, released very soon.
Still, how about The Winds of Winter there, George?
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