Naomi Watts upset over 'GoT' prequel cancellation

Actor, who had been cast for the 'Game of Thrones' spin-off, has broken her silence over the series' cancellation

Actor Naomi Watts, who was supposed to star in the now-cancelled Game of Thrones spin-off, has said that it is a shame that the series didn’t see the light of day.

And she went on to confess that to this day, she isn’t allowed to discuss it, according to Collider.

HBO decided not to move ahead with the series after a pilot episode was shot, whereas another spin-off, co-created by series author George RR Martin, is curently in the works.

In a recent interview to, Watts spoke highly of her time working on the show with Goldman, “She’s fantastic. She’s a force…you know…her mind is just beyond brilliant. I loved spending time with her…way too short and such a shame because she really kind of got me into that world that I never thought I would be a part of. I hadn’t watched Game of Thrones before and I got to binge it and I got heavily into the whole world. I loved it. But to this day I can’t. I can’t say anything."

Watts continued, “It’s funny because I have an Instagram account and I found something in my memories - pictures that come up - and it was when I was there in costume and I was like ‘Oh! This would be fun to post!’ And then I'm like ‘No! I can’t do that, I’ll get into so much trouble!’ Just the costume, you know? I wasn’t thinking about what I was wearing. It was what I was doing. But anyway. Not allowed to say.”

She then continued to add that after careful consideration, it was decided not to move ahead with the series. “We thank (showrunner and screenwriter) Jane Goldman, (director) SJ Clarkson, and the talented cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication,” said Watts. While HBO provided no further information, the decision was taken “after a lengthy post-production … and rumors about issues during filming in Northern Ireland," according to Deadline.

HBO had even shared a synopsis for the potential series: “Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one thing is for sure: It’s not the story we think we know.”

Game of Thrones ended with a mixed bag of a final season in 2019. While the final season was a success in terms of ratings, it received poor reviews from both fans and critics. A few days after cancelling the Goldman-Watts series, HBO announced a direct-to-series order for another spin-off, titled House of the Dragon.

This series, co-created by George RR Martin and Ryan Condal, will tell the story of House Targaryen and take place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

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