HBO has decided not to pursue a full series based on the $30 million pilot for Bloodmoon, a Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts. The project, developed by Jane Goldman, failed to capture the depth of the original series despite its high production values. George R.R. Martin expressed early concerns about adapting material from a sparsely detailed era in his Westeros history.
In the wake of Game of Thrones' finale, HBO explored several spin-offs, but Bloodmoon stands out as the most expensive unrealized effort. Created by Jane Goldman, the pilot featured Naomi Watts as Morven Casterly and was set thousands of years before the main series, during the Age of Heroes and the events of The Long Night. With no dragons and a focus on primitive societies, the story centered on a wedding between a Southern house and a Northern house, delving into the history of the White Walkers.
Former WarnerMedia chairman Robert Greenblatt, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, explained the decision: "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."
George R.R. Martin, who contributed to the script, highlighted the challenges in an interview with the same outlet: "'Bloodmoon' was a very difficult assignment. We're dealing with a much more primitive people. There were no dragons yet. A lot of the pilot revolved around a wedding of a Southern house to a Northern house and it got into the whole history of the White Walkers."
Unlike other projects, Bloodmoon advanced to pilot production in 2019, but HBO passed, opting instead for House of the Dragon, which received a full season order that year. Goldman was reportedly shocked by the cancellation, as she had been revising the pilot per network feedback in hopes of greenlighting the series. Today, the episode remains unreleased, destined to become a piece of lost media in the expansive Game of Thrones universe.
