The Game of Thrones prequel has rounded out is main cast, bringing the spin-off TV show one step closer to reality. The series, which according to series mastermind George R.R. Martin will be called The Long Night, isn’t the only series set in the Game of Thrones universe that's currently in development. There are several potential projects that HBO is circling. However the spotlight does appear to be on The Long Night and it would be surprising if it doesn’t make it to air.
This has only been supported by the latest casting news for the series. Established names, Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse, have been confirmed to be a part of the series as the female and male lead, respectively. They’ll be joined by eight up-and-coming actors and actresses, though, giving the prequel nearly as big a scope as the original series.
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Per THR the actors rounding out the cast list for The Long Night are as follows: Naomi Ackie (Star Wars Episode IX), Denise Gough (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), Jamie Campbell Bower (Mortal Instruments, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Sheila Atim (Harlots), Ivanno Jeremiah (Black Mirror), Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Alex Sharp (To the Bone) and Toby Regbo (Reign). Gough and Atim were previously rumored to be apart of the series but weren't confirmed until now. No details have been given about the characters these actors and actresses will be playing. However all have been cast as series regulars for the prequel series, meaning we will see a lot of them if the show does go to air. In addition SJ Clarkson (Jessica Jones, Succession) will direct the pilot, which is written by showrunner Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin.
The casting might not give a lot of confirmed details with no character breakdowns, but there is still plenty to speculate and theorize on given just the various star levels and appearances of the cast. While none of the talent are household names, there are some that have more buzz around them than others. Bower has been in several franchises before Game of Thrones, and this could be his big break. It's probably easy to assume that Ackie has a prominent role in the prequel given her involvement in Star Wars Episode IX. Ackie's Star Wars character hasn't been revealed yet, but she's been seen on set with John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, suggesting she has a major role in the Skywalker saga finale. Even if Ackie doesn't have a prominent role, The Long Night's cast is much more diverse than the main cast of Game of Thrones, which does have serious ramifications on the potential plot of the prequel.
It is known that The Long Night will take place thousands of years before the original series. It is set after the mythical time known as the Age of Heroes and will likely deal with the first invasion and/or creation of The White Walkers. The frozen undead (and nearly everything else on Game of Thrones) have typically been seen as a focus of the very European looking Westeros. Essos, which contains more people of color, has been present but only as supporting minor characters. With Ackie, Atim and Regbo being series regulars, though, it seems like The Long Night will put Essos and Westeros on equal footing or at least have characters from both lands prominently represented.
As for the rest of the cast, it's very hard to even attempt to guess about who they'll be playing. It's almost certain The Long Night will have some distant ancestors of Game of Thrones characters. There has to be at least one ancient Stark or Lannister running around but as hair color is the primary way Game of Thrones families are identified and any actor can dye their hair or wear wig, it's a bit pointless to speculate. Hopefully more details will emerge about The Long Night before it starts filming in February 2019.
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Game of Thrones will return for its final season in April 2019 on HBO.
Source: THR