Bloodmoon: Apocalyptic ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Based on the Long Night Met a Dire Fate Soon After Filming Its $35M Pilot Episode
Game of Thrones is one of the most popular TV shows to have ever been made. The series’ popularity means that it also has one of the biggest and most active international fandoms in the world. The show has released eight seasons between 2011 and 2019 and has 73 episodes.
The show became so popular that a year before the series finale, a potential successor for the show was in the works which ultimately ended up costing the makers around $35 million for a single episode. And the most sad part? Neither the episode nor the show was ever released.
What was the name of Game of Thrones’ potential successor being made by HBO?
The name of Game of Thrones’ potential successor was given the working title of Bloodmoon. The show takes place years before the events in GoT during the wintry apocalypse known as The Long Night. Massive new sets were built by HBO for the pilot episode of Bloodmoon, however, it was never taken forward despite the makers spending somewhere around $30-35 million.
Speaking about why Bloodmoon’s filming was not continued, Robert Greenblatt, the former chairman of Warner Bros suggested that it did not have the “depth and richness” of Game of Thrones. He said (Via Hollywood Reporter):
“It wasn’t unwatchable or horrible or anything. It was very well produced and looked extraordinary. But it didn’t take me to the same place as the original series. It didn’t have that depth and richness that the original series’ pilot did.”
HBO’s CEO has plenty of content in store for Game of Thrones fans
It’s no surprise that the makers of Game of Thrones are reluctant to let go of the show which happens to be one of the most popular shows to be ever created. As a result, HBO is now working on several spin-off shows. House of Dragons was the first major spin-off series and while fans are waiting for its second season, HBO’s CEO Casey Boleyn revealed that they are continuously working on new scripts. He said (Via TV Line):
“We always have Game of Thrones scripts in development. We greenlit Dunk and Egg in the spring. I wouldn’t say there is anything else in that world that is close to a green light or anything, but we are always working on different scripts and ideas.”
That said, fans can certainly expect to see several spin-offs in the future and it will be interesting to see if any of those projects can match the success of Game of Thrones.
