HBO's planned Game of Thrones prequel starring Naomi Watts is no longer moving forward.
According to Deadline, showrunner Jane Goldman has been informing the cast and crew that the pilot has been scrapped, though HBO has yet to comment on the fate of the project. Furthermore, the additional planned Game of Thrones prequels, including the one centered on House Targaryen, are still expected to live on.
According to George R.R. Martin, who co-wrote the pilot episode with Goldman, the prequel series would have been set 4,000 years before the events of the parent show, long before the establishment of any of the Great Houses of Westeros fans are accustomed to. Instead, it would chronicle "the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: 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."
Interestingly enough, HBO Programming President Casey Bloys confirmed in July that "Shooting has wrapped" on the series, adding that it "Looks really good" and that the "cast is amazing." However, according to TVLine, it was at this time that the show was sent back for heavy editing and even after that, it ultimately failed to impress HBO execs.