Naomi Watts to star in 'Game of Thrones' prequel pilot

Naomi Watts is reportedly set to star in the "Game of Thrones" prequel pilot. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Michael Kors)

Naomi Watts has apparently snagged the lead role in the pilot episode of the "Game of Thrones" prequel, which will be written and produced by Jane Goldman alongside author George R.R. Martin.

The "Game of Thrones" team hasn't dropped too many hints about Watts' character, though Deadline revealed the actress will play a 'charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret." HBO PR's Twitter account retweeted Deadline's report about Watts' upcoming role on Tuesday.

"I could not be more excited. Welcome to Westeros, Naomi," Martin posted on his website Tuesday, hinting he expects more names will be announced soon.

HBO president of programming Casey Bloys told Deadline in July the show would feature a variety of important characters — so it's safe to assume the Academy Award-nominated actress won't steal all the screen time in the first episode.

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“There are very strong female characters but it’s an ensembles, there is men and women,” Bloys said. “Jane is a very good writer, we don’t want to limit her to writing female leads. There are a lot of very complicated leads in (the pilot).”

The new prequel — one of five potential projects that stem from the original series — takes place thousands of years before the events that have shaken "Game of Thrones" fans in the current series.

“The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour,” HBO said in a statement to The New York Times back in June. “And only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s 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.”

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Bloys agreed the prequel will feel "very different" since it represents a different time in Westeros, though he added it will still have a classic "Game of Thrones" feel. None of the actors from the original "Game of Thrones" cast will appear in the new show.

Martin noted there are still other possible prequels in "active development," and previously reiterated this particular prequel was picked up for a "pilot order" not a "series order."

" I can’t tell you the subject matter of those projects, no, sorry, wish I could.," he said, adding Goldman is currently "neck deep" in casting for the prequel.

The eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones” is set to debut in 2019.

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