New Game of Thrones prequel series, based on House Targaryen, reportedly in the works at HBO

Winter isn’t over yet! Fans of the popular series Game of Thrones have a reason to rejoice as a second prequel of the show is in the works at HBO. The pilot, which is near a deal with the premium cable network, would focus on House Targaryen (a fictional exiled Great House of Westeros and the former royal house of the Seven Kingdoms), reported The Hollywood Reporter. [caption id=“attachment_3990803” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in a still from Game of Thrones season 7. Image via HBO[/caption] _(Read: Game of Thrones prequel series: All you need to know about setting, characters, budget of GoT spin-off)_ The prequel will be set 300 years before the events of the original series and will track the beginnings and the end of House Targaryen, sources have confirmed to the outlet. Screenwriter Ryan Condal and Game of Thrones author George RR Martin will write the script for the upcoming drama, which is based on Martin’s book Fire And Blood. The book tells the stories of previous Targaryen kings, like Aegon the Conqueror, the first ruler of Westeros, and Aegon the Dragonbane, all of whom are ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen (actor Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (actor Kit Harington) who last appeared in GoT. The Targaryen prequel is not one of the previously reported prequels that had been in the works at the cable network since 2017. Instead, it is a new take on the world that was being developed by GoT writer Bryan Cogman. HBO programming president Casey Bloys previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he would not do any sort of sequel to the recently concluded drama series GoT. HBO first announced four prequel series in development and added a fifth one in the months that followed. Of those announced, three are still active at the premium cable. Of the three active prequel scripts, one of them is in the pilot stage. The drama, which stars Naomi Watts, is being written by Jane Goldman and Martin and takes place thousands of years before the events of GoT and “chronicles the world’s descent from the Golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour,” according to HBO’s official description. “From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one thing is for sure: It’s not the story we think we know,” the official description read. The Watts-led pilot wrapped up production earlier this summer. Game of Thrones became a major hit. After a remarkable 8-year-long journey, the show concluded earlier this year with its eighth and last season. While it was mostly a pleasant and seamless run, the last season of the show received a mixed reaction from the fans and critics. Many disappointed fans even started a petition urging the makers to remake the last season of the series “ with competent writers ”. The petition managed to garner more than 1 million signatures . The insanely popular drama series Game of Thrones  earned a whopping 32 Emmy nominations for its final season.