On a fateful day in late October of 2019, HBO found itself at a fantasy crossroads: one path led to the now-famed House of the Dragon, soaring high with the promise of Targaryen drama, while the other, a road less traveled, faded into the mists of what could have been with the axing of Bloodmoon. Fortunately, after more than four years, fans have been treated to a glimpse of the Game of Thrones prequel that could have brought the mysterious tale of the Long Night to life.
Hair and Makeup Designer Flora Moody recently parted the curtains for a sneak peek at Naomi Watts, the prominent actress who was set to play the lead role in the canned project. Enveloped in the opulence of Casterly Rock, the ancestral home of the Lannisters, the photos depict scenes of the pilot episode that would have featured a wedding between a Stark and a Casterly in the Dawn Age.
Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series would have followed the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. From the horrifying secrets of the White Walkers’ true origins to the Starks’ legendary tales, Bloodmoon aimed to be the dream (or nightmare, depending on how you view it) prequel to the Game of Thrones saga.
Jane Goldman, the British screenwriter, was set to steer the project as the showrunner, with George R. R. Martin serving as the producer. Unlike House of the Dragon, in which dragons roam the skies in droves, Bloodmoon wouldn’t have featured any dragons since it was rooted in a time before the rise of the great Valyrian empire and the establishment of the Seven Kingdoms as we now know them.
Since there was very little information on the Age of Heroes and the Long Night in the published books, most of the material that would make up the series would have been created as original stories by Goldman. Like Game of Thrones, casting comprised relatively unknown actors, but at no point was it revealed which character any of the cast members would play.
One might think that Goldman having a lot of latitude to create an original story would be a positive, but that turned out to be the Achilles heel of the project. Goldman went ahead to shoot a pilot that reportedly cost $35 million, but after the HBO executives watched it, they were left unimpressed, as it presumably lacked the magic of the original show’s pilot. As a result, Bloodmoon was unceremoniously canceled.
First look at Naomi Watts in the pilot episode of HBO’s cancelled ‘BLOOD MOON’ #GameOfThrones prequel series.
The pilot reportedly revolved around a wedding between a Stark and a Casterly, taking place at Casterly Rock. pic.twitter.com/4htFRbSJsg
— westerosies (@westerosies) February 2, 2024
Rumors suggest Bloodmoon’s take on the Children of the Forest might have stirred controversy. Several reports claimed that they would be portrayed as a race of black people who would be oppressed and driven away from their homes by the First Men and Andals. You can guess what race the latter would have been.
Whether these rumors hold any truth or not, HBO likely decided it wasn’t a risk worth taking, and Bloodmoon’s fate was sealed, condemned to the archives of what might have been.
Now that there are several Game of Thrones-related projects in the works, it seems implausible for Bloodmoon or a reworked version of the show to ever see the light of day. Sadly, the darkest secrets of Westeros will have to collect dust in the crypts of forgotten Game of Thrones ventures, alongside the Jon Snow-centric spin-off.
