Game of Thrones Prequel Confirmed to Film in Italy This Month

It's still only been a month-or-so since Game of Thrones came to a controversial end, but it sounds like the franchise's next chapter isn't far from getting off of the ground. Reporting from Il Messaggero and HNEntertainment reveals that the upcoming Thrones prequel series is poised to begin filming on the Italian coast sometime within the next month. HNEntertainment claims that production will begin in mid-July, after filming in Northern Island wraps up on July 10th.

Details around the Game of Thrones prequel are pretty significantly under wraps, other than the knowledge that the prequel will take place thousands of years before the events of the original show.

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.

While some are still reeling from the events of Thrones' final season, it sounds like the new prequel series could get off the ground as early as 2021.

"I don't know." HBO exec Casey Bloys revealed earlier this year. "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."

Are you excited to see the Game of Thrones prequel series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!