TV network HBO has announced it is planning a Game Of Thrones prequel.
Producers have started casting for the long-awaited epic, entitled House of the Dragon, but it could be some time before it is on screen.
The series is based on George RR Martin's novel Fire & Blood, a history of House Targaryen set 300 years before the events in Game of Thrones.
HBO has already committed to 10 episodes in the initial series and there are also hopes for a second season. No plot details or characters for House of the Dragon have been confirmed.
But it is reported that show bosses are currently casting for two roles - Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower - two central characters in the Targaryen civil war commonly referred to in Game Of Thrones as the “Dance of the Dragons."
Set hundreds of years before the start of Game Of Thrones, the new serial will track the arrival of House Targaryen to Westeros after the destruction of their homeland, Valyria.
House of the Dragon replaces HBO's previously announced prequel project starring Naomi Watts, which filmed a pilot and then was scrapped in 2019.
It is planned to be broadcast towards the end of 2022, according to industry insiders.
