The Hype Of 'Game Of Thrones' Prequels Just Got Bigger With George R.R. Martin's Update

Yes, even the most die-hard fans of Game Of Thrones (GOT) have now come to terms with the reality that the series is indeed over and there will be no more GOT. Nevertheless, the hype around the in-work prequels has been almost as big with one of those already in works and the shooting having begun.

However, people were still in the dark wondering as to what exactly will the prequel, Blood Moon has in store and will it actually be directly related to what made the series a phenomenon. As per the latest updates in The Hollywood Reporter, George R.R. Martin, the creator of this world has enlightened with some of the most important happenings.

And even before we actually inform you about it, it is enough to get you even more excited than ever. For one thing, even without the familiar characters from Game of Thrones proper, there should be some familiar names at the very least. "The Starks will definitely be there," Martin tells EW, which should come as no surprise, given the show's apparent focus on "the Age of Heroes," populated at least in part by a legendary hero named Bran the Builder, an ancient Stark and the namesake of eventual king Bran the Broken (Isaac Hempstead Wright).

The North's ancient nemeses will be along for the ride as well, according to Martin: "Obviously the White Walkers are here — or as they're called in my books, the Others — and that will be an aspect of it." Whether the audience's appetite for more White Walker action is still active after their straightforward defeat in "The Long Night" remains another question entirely.

House Stark may be present, but the Lannisters? Not so much. Martin notes that Casterly Rock, the ancestral home of Cersei (Lena Headey), Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), will be an active part of the Thrones successor series, but with House Casterly in charge. In Martin's established lore, a legendary trickster named Lann the Clever swindles the Casterly family and wins the Rock, establishing House Lannister for generations to come. As it stands, there's no word on casting for Lann the Clever, though there are hopes within the fandom that Naomi Watts, the most recognizable star of the new Thrones cast, could play the part.

"We talk about the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros; there were Seven Kingdoms at the time of Aegon’s Conquest," says Martin. "But if you go back further, then there are nine kingdoms, and 12 kingdoms, and eventually you get back to where there are 100 kingdoms — petty kingdoms — and that’s the era we’re talking about here."

In addition to Watts, the untitled Game of Thrones prequel (which Martin suggests could be called "The Longest Night") stars Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Miranda Richardson. HBO's Casey Bloys has previously said the prequel won't arrive until "at least a year" after Game of Thrones' ending, and more recently was less specific about the exact timing.