It begins.

We’ve known for some time that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin was working with several writers to create a handful of potential spin-offs for the high fantasy HBO series, but given the sheer number of them in development, it’s been hard to tell what direction the network was planning on going in. Would we be getting a standard prequel leading up to the events in the series? Maybe something that takes place hundreds of years in the past? Hell, maybe even hundreds of years in the future would be interesting. Perhaps we’d follow a side character. The options were endless.

EW is now reporting that HBO has greenlit the follow-up to the series…so what’s it going to be? Well, for starters, it comes from author George R.R. Martin and Kingsman: the Secret Service/X-Men: First Class writer Jane Goldman. Here’s the official synopsis:

“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. 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.”

More specifically, it sounds like the story may take place closer to 10,000 years ago, since when the Age of Heroes began, according to the novels (though I guess that could have lasted thousands of years as well…). As of this writing, there is no name for this pilot. It’s also worth mentioning that only a pilot has been greenlit, so there’s still a chance it won’t make it to series, but there is still plenty of time, as the earliest it can show up is 2020, a year after Game of Thrones ends.

Goldman will be getting co-creator credit along with Martin, and will also serve as showrunner.

Are you excited to see what kind of follow-up this new series will be? Sound off down below!

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SOURCE: EW