Game of Thrones Prequel Might Not Debut Until 2021

While it's only been a matter of days since Game of Thrones' final episode aired, fans are curious to find out exactly where the hugely-popular franchise goes next. According to new comments from HBO programming president Casey Bloys, that might involve a bit of a wait. The exec recently spoke to Deadline about Thrones' upcoming prequel series, and hinted that he's not quite sure exactly how fast the turnaround will be.

"I don't know." Bloys revealed. "I have to get a sense from production when we see scripts for a season, how big and involved it is. Shooting a pilot in June and having it on the air a year later feels a little rushed, but it's too soon to tell."

"The casting was completed a couple of weeks ago." Bloys continued. "They are busy in Belfast prepping and getting ready to start shooting in a couple of weeks."

Given the world of television production - and the fact that Thrones has so heavily dominated the pop culture consciousness - some will argue that its for the best if a bit of time passes before the spinoff begins airing. And, as Bloys has said in the past, he's waiting to see how the prequel fares before greenlighting another spinoff.

"I doubt it, I don't think so." Bloys explained. "I certainly do not want to overdo it. We have so many varied shows coming up in [2019] and '20 and even into '21. I think Game of Thrones is a fantastic property but I don't want to just be the home of prequels and sequels and all that stuff. I think you want to be really careful about how you do it. That's why we've been working on the Jane pilot for a long time, because we want to do it right. I don't want to rush anything out just to rush it out. I think the last thing fans would want, something that was rushed out just to make it to air."

The currently-untitled prequel will star Naomi Watts, Josh Whitehouse, Miranda Richardson, Jamie Campbell Bower, Toby Regbo, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, Naomi Ackie, Marquis Rodriguez, John Simms, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan, and Dixie Egerickx. The series is expected to be set thousands of years before the events of Thrones, and follow some previously-untold moments in Westeros' history.

Are you sad that the Game of Thrones prequel might not debut until 2021? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!