‘Game Of Thrones’ Fans Think They May Have Figured Out The Prequel’s Setting

A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin was recently asked which Game of Thrones continent he’d rather live in: Westeros, where most of the HBO series takes place (King’s Landing, Winterfell, Highgarden, etc.), or Essos, the home of the Free Cities (including Myr and Volantis). “The free city of Braavos in Essos would be a cool place to live,” he responded. The producers of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel must agree with Martin, because it’s apparently where the next series will be set.

A casting call was posted on Stage Pool, a Norwegian website for actors looking for jobs in the entertainment weekly, and as pointed out by Winter Is Coming, “the diversity of roles makes [us] think we’ll be spending time with the people of Essos, across the Narrow Sea.” (The Narrow Sea divides Westeros and Essos.) The parts include a series regular part for a black male, 50-63 years old, and multiple roles for Scandinavian, Germanic, or Eastern European actors. It’s the second Thrones casting call to make the rounds, following a listing in September searching for black actresses and mixed-race actors.

— Joe Weaver (@jorywea) September 8, 2018

The still-untitled Thrones prequel (Martin is hoping for The Long Night) “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.”