HBO confirms new Game of Thrones prequel 'House Of The Dragon'

Just hours after Naomi Watts had her Game of Thrones spin-off canceled, HBO has confirmed details of a new prequel.

Yesterday (October 29), news broke that the originally planned spin-off had been axed, leaving many fans devastated. The show, from showrunner Jane Goldman, was supposed to be set thousands of years prior to the popular main series, and even had Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse cast for the project.

The binned spin-off, titled Bloodmoon, had been given the go-ahead last year, and filming for the first episode took place earlier this year in Northern Ireland. However, The Hollywood Reporter yesterday claimed that Goldman had emailed the cast to share the news that the project had been canceled.

But fear not, Game of Thrones fans, because HBO has confirmed a new offering; a 10-episode series by the name of House Of The Dragon.

The show will take place 300 years before the events of the main series, and is based on George RR Marin's companion book Fire & Blood. HBO has confirmed that the show will detail the story of House Targaryen. House Of The Dragon will be set to chronicle the civil war that eventually led up to the 'Dance of the Dragons' - a war of succession between Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra over their father's throne for the seven kingdoms.

Emilia Clarke earned four Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen:

The show's creation will come from the minds of GoT author George RR Martin and writer Ryan Condal (who will also serve as the show's showrunner), and at the helm will the main series director Miguel Sapochnik. Sapochnik has been praised for directing some of Game of Thrones' most critically acclaimed episodes, such as 'Battle of the Bastards', 'Hardhome', and 'The Long Night'.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, HBO programming president Casey Bloys said of the prequel:

"The Game of Thrones universe is so rich with stories. We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan, and George."

Bloys has also told the Hollywood Reporter on a previous occasion that he would never approve any sort of sequel to the popular Emmy award-winning franchise.