We’re heading back to Westeros with a new Game of Thrones play.
Dust off the swords and kiss goodbye to your favourite characters (let’s face it, they’re already as good as dead), for a stage version of Game of Thrones is coming to a stage near you.
Though the TV series may have come to an end in 2019, and fans of the book are hungrily waiting for The Winds of Winter, the newly-announced Game of Thrones play will fill the gap between the two nicely. Well, I say “nicely” so long as you don’t expect a happy ending…
Fans of Westeros need not fear because this isn’t an upstart tribute but rather a blessed-by-The-Seven production that has the full support of, and input from, George R.R. Martin. He is joined by playwright Duncan MacMillan, who has previously adapted George Orwell and Henrik Ibsen, and director Dominic Cooke, the former artistic director of London’s Royal Court Theatre.
Per media reports, the play will be set during a pivotal moment during Westeros’ history: the great tourney at Harrenhal. Predating the TV series by some sixteen years, this tournament plays an outsized part in the history of Westeros, shaping the fortunes of the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, and Targaryens by stoking the first fires of Robert’s Rebellion.
It also means you can expect to see some of your favourite characters *SPOILERS* resurrected (and not by White Walkers, mercifully), as the likes of Ned Stark, Lyanna Stark, Jaime Lannister, and Rhaegar Targaryen are all likely to feature.
Martin, upon the announcement of the Game of Thrones play, said, “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.”
The first shows are expected to launch in 2023 with London’s West End most likely the first place where it will debut before it skips across the Atlantic to Broadway and then Australia. We’re trembling with anticipation… or is that just a cold wind blowing from beyond the Wall?