Another Game of Thrones prequel is in the works. If you were worried a new series might try and usurp A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as the best Thrones show on TV right now, though, you needn't fear, as this adaptation is instead heading to a wholly new format.
While it does make me think slightly of the Red Nose Day parody where Coldplay's Chris Martin tries to put together a Game of Thrones musical, this play is legit, and will be put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company. As per Variety, it has been given the thumbs up from George R.R. Martin, who has praised the play's script and the people behind it.
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"For my work to now be adapted for the stage is something I did not expect but welcome with great enthusiasm and excitement. Theatre offers something unique. A place for mine and the audience's imagination to meet and hopefully create something magical," he said. "For me, the RSC was the obvious choice when thinking about putting a Game of Thrones story on the stage. Shakespeare is the greatest name in English literature, and his plays have been a constant source of inspiration to me and my writing. Not only that, he faced similar challenges in how to put a battle on stage, so we are in good company. It will be thrilling to watch the events of this new play unfold in a live environment. Duncan's masterful script honours the world completely, and I am so excited for both fans of the series, and perhaps people who have never picked up one of my books, to experience this new story in a theatre."
The adaptation comes from writer Duncan Macmillan and will be directed by Dominic Cooke, Martin serves as creator and executive producer. The play takes place over a decade before the first season of Game of Thrones, depicting the tourney at Harrenhal. Fans who've kept their ear to the ground may know this as the place where Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark first meet, with the former's singing bringing the latter to tears. There was also rumour of the tourney being held purely so Rhaegar could speak with the other lords of the Seven Kingdoms about deposing his father - the Mad King - as ruler. As the event leading to the famed Robert's Rebellion, we're sure to see deception, death, and probably romance on stage when Game of Thrones: The Mad King premieres. Check out the plot description below:
"A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised. At a lavish banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers meet and revellers speculate about who will contend. But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the blood-thirsty actions of the realm's merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot. Far away, the drums of battle sound."