Was House of the Dragon first a Game of Thrones spinoff idea? All we know about HBO’s canceled prequel ‘Bloodmoon’

No, House of the Dragon wasn’t the first Game of Thrones spinoff Idea, there was a prequel to House of the Dragon as well, which never made it to the screens. The show is known to be named Bloodmoon.

In June 2018, British screenwriter-producer Jane Goldman received an order from HBO for a prequel pilot. George R. R. Martin, the renowned author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the novel series that serves as the basis for both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, was attached as a co-producer.

The prequel starred Naomi Watts as "a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret," along with Miranda Richardson, Denise Gough, Shiela Atim, Toby Regbo, and Jamie Campbell Bower. Recently, throwback images of the Australian actress dressed as a Westerosi appeared on the Internet, following the Instagram posting by hair and makeup artist Flora Moody.

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Decoding the prequel series of House of the Dragon ‘Bloodmoon’

Although Bloodmoon's specifics are kept under strict wraps, there are a few things we know. George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, explained that although House of the Dragon is set more than a century before Game of Thrones, Bloodmoon would have occurred thousands of years earlier.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, George R.R. Martin said that Bloodmoon revolves around the story of primitive people, mostly depicting relationships between people from the Northern House being wed to people of the Southern House. At this time, no dragons existed.

"Bloodmoon" was the official name given to the spinoff, but it was originally described as taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. The series chronicles the world's descent from the Golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour, according to Entertainment Weekly.

One thing is certain, that the series is completely out of the box, and nothing similar to what the Game of Thrones fans might be expecting.

A less trustworthy source than George sheds some light on the series' plot, which has been closely guarded by the show's producers. According to the source, the pilot series focused on the marriage of members of House Stark and House Casterly, the family that lived on Casterly Rock before the Lannisters took over.

A red moon, currently thought to be some sort of eclipse, spoils the wedding. This would have coincided with the mythology Martin created in his books, with the White Walkers having made their initial incursion into Westeros during that darkness.

The first conflict between humanity and the White Walkers would take place, which is what gave the Seven Kingdoms' citizens the idea to construct the Wall. There are also rumors that the series would have included a significant amount of dialogue from the Children of the Forest, who were Westeros' first residents.

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Why did House of the Dragons' first prequel series Bloodmoon never make it to the screen?

"It was very well produced and looked extraordinary," Robert Greenblatt, a former chairman of WarnerMedia, said to The Hollywood Reporter. However, he didn't get to the same position of satisfaction as he did with House of the Dragons and Game of Thrones. To him, the show lacked the richness and depth of the pilot episode of the original series.

Bloodmoon was then wrapped and hidden from the GOT fans.