Game of Thrones Is Getting a Stage Prequel

Move over, winter. Game of Thrones—the stage play—is coming. George R.R. Martin, who wrote the A Song of Ice and Fire book series that inspired the HBO television show Game of Thrones, has announced that he has authorized a prequel play for the stage. Taking place a decade before the events of Martin's novels, the play is called Game of Thrones: The Mad King.

The Mad King will have its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in the U.K. this summer, with specific dates and cast to be announced. Duncan Macmillan (whose Every Brilliant Thing is starting a Broadway run this weekend) has written a script based on Martin's books. It will be directed by Dominic Cooke.

Press notes promise that it will follow the event that inspired Robert's Rebellion: the Tourney at Harrenhal, with all of the noble houses of Westeros in attendance. At the jousting tournament, the married Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, son of the Mad King Aerys, falls in love with Lyanna Stark. Subsequently, Rhaegar and Lyanna run off together. This leads to Robert's Rebellion, led the Robert Baratheon, who is engaged to Lyanna. The Rebellion successfully deposes the Mad King, leads to the downfall of House Targaryen, and directly ties into the events in Game of Thrones. The play will purportedly feature popular Thrones characters Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister. 

The Mad King is one of multiple projects inspired by Martin's books, which all take place in a fictional land called Westeros that contains dragons and magic. Martin has previously said his work was inspired by the War of the Roses, in particular Shakespeare's dramatizations of them.

Wrote Martin in a statement: “When I first wrote Game of Thrones, I never imagined that it would be anything other than a book. It was a place for my imagination to exist without limits. To my great surprise, it was adapted for a series and viewers have been able to enter the world of my imagination through the medium of television. For my work to now be adapted for the stage is something I did not expect but welcome with great enthusiasm and excitement. Theatre offers something unique. A place for mine and the audience’s imagination to meet and hopefully create something magical.” 

Martin will also serve as executive producer on the play. He continues: “For me, the RSC was the obvious choice when thinking about putting a Game of Thrones story on the stage. Shakespeare is the greatest name in English literature, and his plays have been a constant source of inspiration to me and my writing. Not only that, he faced similar challenges in how to put a battle on stage, so we are in good company. It will be thrilling to watch the events of this new play unfold in a live environment. Duncan’s masterful script honors the world completely, and I am so excited for both fans of the series, and perhaps people who have never picked up one of my books, to experience this new story in a theatre.”

Adaptor Duncan Macmillan and director Dominic Cooke said in a joint statement: “The play is a prequel, taking place over a decade before the events of Game of Thrones. A long winter has started to thaw and, for the first time in years, all the great houses come together for a tournament—destined to be the greatest of the age. It feels like a new dawn, full of hope and opportunity. But tournaments always have a darker purpose.

“George’s storytelling is Shakespearean in its scale and its themes—dynastic struggle, ambition, rebellion, madness, prophecy, ill-fated love. From the beginning, Shakespeare’s histories and tragedies have been our primary reference for the ambition of this production, so the RSC feels like a natural home. It will be thrilling for us to share this new play with audiences, both those that know and love George’s books and HBO’s series, but also audiences who know nothing and want to come and experience something both beautifully intimate and truly epic.”

The Mad King is one of several prequels to Game of Thrones; the television series ended in 2019. Martin has written several prequel novels, which inspired the two television prequels currently airing on HBO: House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Meanwhile, Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series remains unfinished; Martin has been working on the sixth novel in the series, The Winds of Winter, since 2012. 

Game of Thrones: The Mad King is co-produced with Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, Mark Manuel, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, HBO ,and Sir Leonard Blavatnik and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment. Tickets will go on sale in April.

Visit RSC.org.uk.