We’re still not getting the final book, but we ARE getting another prequel!
The world of Game of Thrones is getting its very first stage play – and from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Seven Kingdoms will stretch across to Stratford-upon-Avon, England this year for the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Not to be confused with the currently airing prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the play is an additional prequel set a decade before the events of the original series.
The play has been adapted by Duncan Macmillan, who recently adapted a version of 1984 for the stage, and is directed by Dominic Cooke.
While story details shared were relatively limited, Macmillan and Cooke have shared that, “…for the first time in years, all the great houses come together for a tournament…It feels like a new dawn, full of hope and opportunity. But tournaments always have a darker purpose.”
It has also been indicated that characters from Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell houses will all feature within the tournament, whilst dissenters from the blood-thirsty Mad King’s inner circle “anxiously advance a treasonous plot”.
Fans have deduced that the play will chronicle the downfall of King Aerys II Targaryen (popularly known as The Mad King), whom a rebellion was led against and was eventually killed by Jaime Lannister – a member of his own Kingsguard.
No casting announcements have been made yet, so the jury’s still out as to whether any screen actors will be reprising their roles for the stage.
George R. R. Martin, who serves as creator and executive producer, seems enthusiastic with The Mad King’s announcement, stating that “Theatre offers something unique. A place for mine and the audience’s imagination to meet and hopefully create something magical.”
Can’t argue with that.
No news yet on any international runs for Game of Thrones: The Mad King, but more ticketing information is said to become available in April if you’re keen to make the journey.
