The Game of Thrones prequel series can finally reveal more of the Night King's backstory. The Night King appeared in a total of 10 episodes throughout five seasons of the series. Despite being one of the show's main antagonists, many questions regarding the character have been left unanswered - but the prequel opportunity has the opportunity to fill in the blanks.
The pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel series was ordered by HBO in July of last year. Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin created the series, with Goldman also serving as the showrunner. The title of the prequel series is rumored to be The Long Night but other reports suggest it was filming under the name Bloodmoon. Either way, HBO has confirmed that the series is set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. It plans to focus on a brand new set of characters during the Age of Heroes, a period of time that lasted four millennia and involved the previous approach of the White Walkers. Considering the Night King has been in Westeros for thousands of years, it almost feels inevitable that he will make an appearance.
Rather than making a quick cameo in the upcoming series, the Game of Thrones prequel series should show what viewers never got to see regarding the history of White Walkers. In season 6 of Game of Thrones, Bran saw a vision of a member of the First Men being killed by the Children of the Forest. That man was stabbed by dragonglass and later turned into the first White Walker, the Night King. But while the series referenced important events involving the White Walkers invasion of Westeros, there's a lot of their story left to be told, especially when it comes to the Night King.
The Game of Thrones prequel series could fill in the gaps between the creation of the White Walkers and the Night King's decision to return 2,000 years later. In A Song of Ice and Fire, The Long Night was the treacherous winter that the Others brought along with them as they first descended on Westeros. They killed anyone in their path and buried the land in feet of snow, starving thousands. The Long Night lasted for generations and led to the War for the Dawn, resulting in the White Walkers being forced North of the Wall. But why did the Night King and his army hide for thousands of years before trying to destroy the living in the first place?
There is also thought that the Game of Thrones prequel will also focus on the events that lead to the Andal Invasion. The event, which took place well after the Long Night, saw the Andals leave Essos to conquer Westeros. There could be some underlying connection to the Andals and the Night King which is why the human race from Essos never conquered the North. Is it possible that they the Night King struck an agreement with one of the Andals? Naomi Watts' new character that is said to hold a dark secret, perhaps?