Naomi Watts has finally talked about snagging the role of the lead character in the "Game of Thrones" prequel on HBO. Her casting was announced in October 2018, but she has recently talked about the show, for the first time, while promoting her film "Luce" for the Sundance Film Festival.
Speaking with Variety, Watts joked that she's not going to be forced to spill anything about the much-anticipated "Game of Thrones" prequel. Everyone knows that her new show is going to be spun from the biggest series in the world, so there's a lot of fans waiting to hear from it.
But all Watts wants to say, however, is that the "Game of Thrones" prequel is going to be "very exciting" and "very appealing." She's aware of the franchise's massive fandom, which she knows she'll have to get used to, eventually.
Little is known about the planned prequel written by Jane Goldman under the guidance of "Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin. At the moment, its title is "The Long Night" but HBO will likely have to change this once the series airs, Martin revealed on his blog.
Fans have speculated, however, that Watts will likely play the role of Nissa Nissa, who has been mentioned in the books as the wife of Azor Ahai, the Lord of Light. As it goes in the legend of "Game of Thrones," Azor Ahai wielded the sword called the Lightbringer that defeated the White Walkers over a thousand years before the main show's story started.
Joining Watts in the "Game of Thrones" prequel is a diverse cast composed of Josh Whitehouse ("Poldark"), Naomi Ackie ("Lady Macbeth"), Denise Gough ("Angels in America"), Jamie Campbell Bower ("Twilight"), Sheila Atim ("Harlots"), Ivanno Jeremiah ("Black Mirror"), Georgie Henley ("Chronicles of Narnia"), Alex Sharp ("The Curious Incident of the Dog") and Toby Regbo ("The Last Kingdom"). Tapped to direct the pilot is S.J. Clarkson, who has extensive experience in shows like "Jessica Hones," "Orange is the New Black" and "Dexter."
The "Game of Thrones" prequel has no specific launch date on HBO, but production is expected to start this February. Expectations are that the series will debut sometime in the spring or the summer of 2020 to take over the slot that its mother series will vacate.
Meanwhile, "Game of Thrones" will launch its final run on HBO beginning Sunday, April 14 at 9:00 p.m. There will be six long episodes to the eighth season.
