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.