Earlier this year, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin traveled to Europe for a few weeks. Among other things, he appeared at Worldcon, where we interviewed him, and visited the set of upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Martin will likely tell fans about his Knight of the Seven Kingdoms set visit in the near future. For now, he's taken to his blog and talked about a wholly different Game of Thrones spinoff: Blood Moon, the first Game of Thrones prequel that HBO tried to mount before House of the Dragon got off the ground. HBO actually made a pilot for Blood Moon, which starred big names like Naomi Watts and Miranda Richardson. The show was to be set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, long before the Targaryens came west with their dragons, and tell the story of the first time the White Walkers invaded Westeros.
Although clips and images survive, HBO decided not to go ahead with the series. But Martin remembers visiting Belfast in 2019 and seeing the sets, including "interiors for Casterly Rock and Winterfell...as they might have looked thousands of years before The War of the Five Kings...e were able to wander though them."
That's about all the information he gives. He's seen something few people ever will, unless HBO decides to release the canceled pilot for all to see. I'd shill out a few bucks for that, hint hint.
George R.R. Martin recommends the Game of Thrones Studio Tour
Martin also visited the Game of Thrones Studio Tour, a Game of Thrones museum located in the town of Banbridge, Northern Ireland. He even took his own pictures:
George R.R. Martin takes his own pics while visiting the Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Banbridge: pic.twitter.com/9ZfMdv5Y3l
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) October 7, 2024
"We spent half the day there, wandering from room to room while oohing and aahing, and talking with the staff, some of whom seemed to know more about Westeros than I do," Martin wrote. "A warm and friendly crew, they were so welcoming to all the visitors, Starks, Lannisters, and White Walkers alike. We could easily have stayed longer, but we had other places to go and people to see. But if your own travels take you to Ireland, don’t make the same mistake; there’s a lot to see, so leave yourself time to see it all."
"It is one thing to watch a television series at home and admire the look of it… but the studio tour really brings home the incredible amount of care that went into making it… the blood and sweat and craft, the hours and days of dedication, labor, and love that brought Westeros to life. GAME OF THRONES filmed all over the world, in Scotland, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Croatia… and in Northern Ireland most of all… but I live in New Mexico, and while I did visit the shoots a number of times during the show’s run, it was not nearly enough. I am so pleased that we now have such a magnificent museum, so GOT fans from all over the world can experience a taste of what was."
I love the idea of the Game of Thrones Studio Tour staff getting to show around George R.R. Martin himself, the creator of this world, and possibly even schooling him on the finer points of the Seven Kingdoms.
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