A ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel Announcement Includes Bad News For ‘Star Trek’ Fans

I have good news and bad news. The good news: SJ Clarkson is directing the pilot of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series. The bad news: SJ Clarkson is directing the pilot of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series.

It’s bad news for Star Trek fans, at least, because Clarkson, who has helmed episodes of Orange Is the New Black and The Defenders, was “the first female director to be tapped to direct a Star Trek movie when she was hired to helm the fourth feature in the current series,” but “that project has since been shelved,” according to Deadline. No wonder Captain Kirk was so non-committal.

The Thrones prequel also rounded out the cast, with Naomi Ackie (Lady MacBeth), Denise Gough (Colette), Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga), Sheila Atim (Girl From the North Country), Ivanno Jeremiah (Doctor Who), Georgie Henley (the Narnia franchise), Alex Sharp (How to Talk to Girls At Parties), and Toby Regbo (Reign) joining the previously-announced Naomi Watts as series regulars. They might not be household names, but neither was Emilia Clarke before she became the Mother of Dragons. Interestingly, Bower was in the original unaired Game of Thrones pilot as one of the Night’s Watch guys who gets killed by a White Walker. Who says there’s no such thing as second chances (to die, probably — this is Game of Thrones, after all).