George RR Martin is hard at work bringing his world-conquering Game of Thrones to the stage – and Australia is in line to be one of the first to show it.
Dominic Cook will direct the saga on the Broadway stage, with Martin still rumoured to be heavily involved in its conception.
The premiere date is pitched to be in 2023, with London, New York and Australia floated as initial destinations.
(Meaning we could be seeing Daenerys ride again in Australia before we see a complete vaccine rollout.)
It will see an Australian hand, with Aussie producer Tim Lawson on board for the project.
“I am beyond thrilled to be involved in taking the legendary George RR Martin’s thrilling work to the stage,” Lawson said.
“I’d love it to come to Australia.”
But just what will this production entail?
It’s yet to be given a name, but it will bring back some of the saga’s much-loved characters.
(Given Martin’s penchant for grisly deaths, that doesn’t really narrow anything down.)
It will be set around The Great Tourney at Harrenhal, a huge moment for Westeros lore that took place some 16 years before the Thrones storyline that we know and love.
“The play will for the first time take audiences deeper behind the scenes of a landmark event that previously was shrouded in mystery,” a statement about the play reads.
“Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centred around love, vengeance, madness and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.”
The tourney spanned 10 days, and is referenced throughout the TV series and Martin’s books.
We get a few more clues from Martin.
“The seeds of war are often planted in times of peace,” Martin said in a statement.
“Few in Westeros knew the carnage to come when highborn and smallfolk alike gathered at Harrenhal to watch the finest knights of the realm compete in a great tourney, during the Year of the False Spring.
“It is a tourney oft referred during HBO’s Game of Thrones, and in my novels, A Song of Ice & Fire … and now, at last, we can tell the whole story … on the stage.”
The Hollywood Reporter theorises we could see the return of characters such as Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark (albeit 16 years younger), Jaime Lannister and Barristan Selmy, among others.
But the time gap will cancel out the return of figures such as Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow and Arya Stark.
