One project is an animated series from Gennedy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Primal, Clone Wars) based around House of the Dragon character Lor Corlys Velaryon, the pirate lord known as “the Sea Snake.” Other projects that have been announced include a feature film about Aegon the Conqueror, as well as the surprising announcement that Game of Thrones is going to be launching a major stage play over in the UK.
In February, it was announced that Game of Thrones: The Mad King was in development over in the UK, at the esteemed location of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon. True to its title, the show will follow the last days of “The Mad King” Aerys II Targaryen, who plunged Westeros into chaos and caused the end of the Targaryen Dynasty, when his rule was usurped by Robert Baratheon, in the civil conflict known as “Robert’s Rebellion.” The play will also flesh out the forbidden love story of Aerys’ son, Rhaegar Targaryen, and Lyanna Stark, which resulted in the secret birth of Jon Snow and changed the fate of Westeros forever.
Today comes the update that the show will indeed premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, on July 20th, and will run through September 5th. The early promotional teases for the show promise that the show will be a “sweeping stage epic that brings to life a legendary chapter of the history of Westeros.” One interesting note is that the iconic stage venue will get some bold changes to its aesthetic and arrangement, which will “see the Royal Shakespeare Theatre staged in a new configuration, placing audiences at the heart of the action,” according to Variety.
When the project was first announced, it was said that Dominic Cooke and Duncan Macmillan were the lead creators of the project, with Cooke having spent “several years” working with GoT creator George R.R. Martin to develop the play. We now know that Cooke and Macmillan’s full creative team will include puppeteers and “movement directors” (Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell of Lume); set designer Chloe Lamford; costume designer Georgia McGuinness; lighting designer Jon Clark; composer Will Stuart; and sound designer Tom Gibbons. Casting for the show will be done by Amy Ball (CDG), while Jeannette Nelson will handle voice and text; Hazel Holder will oversee actor dialects; with secondary crew members including “associate director Emily Raymond, associate puppetry and movement by Scarlet Wilderink, period dance consultant Francesca Roche, creative consultant Ti Mikkel, associate set designer Machiko Weston, associate costume designer Alex Berry, associate sound designer Alex Twiselton and assistant director Lenore Gallegos.”
George R.R. Martin developed the stage show with Cooke, and it was a full-circle passion project, since Martin got his start working at the RSC. He will also serve as executive producer of the play.
You can stream Game of Thrones and its spinoff shows on HBO Max. Discuss the future of the franchise with us on the ComicBook Forum!
