From the small-screen to centerstage, Game of Thrones is still an unstoppable force. The novels-turned-television series is heading to a new artistic medium: Broadway, the West End, and Australia.
The Hollywood Reporter has broken the story that George R.R. Martin is developing a live stage production of Game of Thrones. This new project is set during what’s described as a “pivotal moment in Westeros history” – The Great Tourney at Harrenhal. This contest took place just 16 years before the Game of Thrones series began.
“The play will for the first time take audiences deeper behind the scenes of a landmark event that previously was shrouded in mystery,” reads the play’s official description. “Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centered around love, vengeance, madness, and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.”
While no characters are officially confirmed for this project, it’s noted in Martin’s previously published works that familiar characters like Ned Stark, Jaime Lannister, Lord Robert Baratheon, and Prince Oberyn Martell all appeared at this event.
George R.R. Martin spoke about this project in a statement:
“An amazing team has been assembled to tell the tale, starting with producers Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, and Jonathan Sanford. Their knowledge and love of my world and characters has impressed me from the very first, and their plans for this production blew me away since the first time we met. Dominic Cooke, our director, is a former artistic director of London’s Royal Court Theatre, who brought Shakespeare’s dramas of the War of the Roses to television, and our playwright, Duncan Macmillan, has previously adapted George Orwell and Henrik Ibsen, among others. Working with them (back before the pandemic, when we could actually get together) has been a treat, and I am eager for our collaboration to resume. Our dream is to bring Westeros to Broadway, to the West End, to Australia… and eventually, to a stage near you … It ought to be spectacular.”
HBO is not formally involved with the project but will continue to develop its various Game of Thrones spinoff projects, including the upcoming House of the Dragon.
Originally published March 31, 2021. Updated April 1, 2021.
