Game of Thrones prequel star Naomi Ackie is disappointed by the news the project isn’t moving forward. In conversation with Metro, Ackie gave the news a visible thumbs down asking, “Can you put that in [the article]?” She added, “At the moment it’s not fully confirmed, but this stuff happens. It’s an industry in which things happen, things get put down, I’m just really excited about what is out there for me now. That was a great project, it didn’t work out. I’m ready to look for more stuff. [I’m] taking it in my stride. This industry will throw you about left, right and center so you’ve got to take it in your stride!”
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There’s more bad news for Ackie. She seemed to be holding out hope that the cancelation wasn’t for certain. But HBO released an official statement confirming it will not move forward with the project codenamed Bloodmoon: “After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward to series with the untitled Game of Thrones prequel. We thank Jane Goldman, S.J. Clarkson, and the talented cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication.”
Goldman wrote the Bloodmoon pilot. Clarkson directed. The series would have starred Naomi Watts and taken place during Westeros’s Age of Heroes leading up to the Long Night.
On the same day that news broke of HBO abandoning Bloodmoon, the network picked up a different Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. Game of Thrones author George RR Martin took to his blog to express his disappointment with HBO’s decision to cancel Bloodmoon.
“As exciting as the series order is, I would be remiss if I did not also mention the bad news,” Martin wrote. “HBO also announced that it has decided not to proceed with the other successor show we had in development, the one I kept calling The Long Night (though it was, and remains, officially untitled), the pilot for which was shot in Northern Ireland last spring and summer. Set thousands of years before either Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, and centered on the Starks and the White Walkers, the untitled pilot was written by Jane Goldman, directed by S.J. Clarkson, and starred Naomi Watts, Miranda Richardson, and a splendid cast. It goes without saying that I was saddened to hear the show would not be going to series. Jane Goldman is a terrific screenwriter, and I enjoyed brainstorming with her.”
What do you think of HBO canceling Bloodmoon? Let us know in the comments.
