Game of Thrones spin-off adds pilot director, more cast

[News]

It feels almost inappropriate to be talking so feverishly about HBO’s next series set in the Game of Thrones universe when the one currently on-air hasn’t even premiered its final season yet. But lo, the unyielding gears of commerce and franchise branding grind on regardless, and so news continues to roll out about the 5,000-years-earlier GoT prequel. The show is still officially untitled (current buzz has it dubbed The Long Night), but the rest of the pieces seem to be coming into place.

After previous news confirmed Jane Goldman as the new series’ showrunner, British director S.J. Clarkson (whose credits include Jessica Jones, Orange is the New Black, and Dexter) has reportedly been picked to helm the pilot. Clarkson, who is also currently set to direct the next Star Trek movie, will look to shoot the episode later this year.

EW reports that a substantial group of actors have also joined the series alongside the previously announced Naomi Watts. Naomi Ackie (the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode IX), Denise Gough (Juliet, Naked), Jamie Campbell Bower (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’s Young Grindelwald), Sheila Atim (Hulu’s Harlots), Ivanno Jeremiah (AMC’s Humans, Black Mirror), Georgie Henley (Lucy from the Narnia series), Alex Sharp (How to Talk to Girls at Parties) and Toby Regbo (Fantastic Beasts’ Young Dumbledore) are all set for the forthcoming production. Their roles are as under wraps as anything out about the series at this point.

Given the staggering difference in premises between the shows, HBO finds itself in the rare position of being able to take Game of Thrones just about anywhere they please. Game of Thrones will begin its final season in April, and the new series will presumably appear sometime in 2020.

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