Naomi Watts to star in Game of Thrones prequel pilot

Entertainment Weekly

After lengthy negotiations, the two-time Oscar nominee has agreed to play "a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret" in the untitled Game of Thrones prequel pilot from Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin. Her character's name hasn't been revealed. Filming on the pilot is expected to begin in early 2019. Watts, who starred on Netflix's short-lived Gypsy last year, is currently also starring as Gretchen Carlson on Showtime's Roger Ailes Fox News limited series. While Watts will lead the series based on the Age of Heroes set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, it's unclear how long she'll star on the potential series. As EW points out, "since this is Westeros, you never know how long even a lead actor might stay on a show — Sean Bean famously led the cast of the original series until he checked out in the ninth episode."