Naomi Watts to Lead GAME OF THRONES Prequel THE LONG NIGHT

The night is long and full of prequels.

Deadline is reporting that after lengthy negotiations, actress Naomi Watts has signed on as the lead for The Long Night, HBO's pilot for a proposed prequel series to Game of Thrones.

According to the article, The Long Night is from writer and Jane Goldman and A Song of Ice and Fire creator and author George R.R. Martin.  The pilot is written by showrunner Goldman, based on a story by her and Martin, which reportedly "takes place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones.  It 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."

Watts' character has not been revealed, but the article claims she will play "a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret."

Watts, 50, is an English actress best known as Janey-E Jones in the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks, as Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn in David Lynch's film Mullholland Drive, and as Rachel Keller in The Ring and The Ring Two.  In addition, Watts has appeared in the films Inland Empire, Tank Girl, King Kong (2005), Eastern Promises, J. Edgar, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Divergent Series: Insurgent, The Divergent Series: Allegiant, and The Sea of Trees.  Watts has also received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, for the 2003 film 21 Grams and for the 2012 film The Impossible.

Martin apparently confirmed the prequel's title, The Long Night, via a post from his official Twitter account:

Casting is now underway for THE LONG NIGHT, the first of the GAME OF THRONES successor series to ordered to film. HBO has just announced the first cast member: NAOMI WATTS is coming on board as one of our stars. https://t.co/n0XkxsJG03 pic.twitter.com/uNF5mjPNte

— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) October 31, 2018

Goldman will serve as showrunner and will executive produce alongside Martin, as well as fellow Game of Thrones co-executive producer Vince Gerardis, and Damages and Bloodline co-creator Daniel Zelman.  Former BBC Studios executive James Farrell and Jim Danger Gray (Orange Is the New Black, Hannibal) are executive producers and Chris Symes (The Alienist) is a co-executive producer.