Naomi Watts Just Landed the Lead Role in HBO's 'Game of Thrones' Prequel Show

For the fans of Game of Thrones (opens in new tab) who are desperate not to leave Westeros behind for good next year when the eighth and final season comes to an end, put away your dragons, take a deep breath, and stop panicking. HBO are right there with you, and earlier this year it was confirmed that the network would officially be going ahead with the idea of a highly anticipated prequel show (opens in new tab).

If the promised word of HBO and news of a pilot episode (opens in new tab) wasn’t quite enough leverage for you, then this latest development might be. The mystery prequel “successor show” has just landed its lead role in the form of actress Naomi Watts, who has been announced as the first member of the lineup for Game of Thrones 2.0 today.

Back in June, a brief statement from HBO explained that the new show would be set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, and would follow "the world's descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. From the horrifying secrets of Westeros' history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend… it's not the story we think we know.”

And that’s where Watts, known for appearing in Mulholland Drive, The Ring, and King Kong, comes in. Mysteriously, Variety (opens in new tab) reports that exact details of her character are being kept under wraps. All we know so far is that she’ll play “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.” Intense, right?

Most interestingly of all, this particular series, starring Naomi and created by George RR Martin and Jane Goldman, is just one of FIVE future Game of Thrones-related projects that will be coming to a screen near you. It’s yet to be revealed as to what the plot of each series will be, but the A Song of Ice And Fire author has previously insisted that each one will be a prequel, rather than a spinoff (opens in new tab) for any current Westeros faces that you already know and love.

So who knows—maybe Naomi will be some kind of Step-Auntie Twice Removed on Your Cousin’s Side of Dragons?