Why was Game of Thrones' 'Bloodmoon' spin-off cancelled?

After the wildly successful show Game of Thrones, HBO began thinking of spin-offs.

Now, fans are getting that soon with House of Dragonsbut that has still left some wondering whatever happened to the first spin off attempt- Bloodmoon,

Originally, Bloodmoon was set to be the first spin-off from the main show, taking place 8,000 years before GoT.

Starring Naomi Watts, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Naomi Ackie, the show was canceled after its pilot which supposedly cost somewhere between $30 and $35 million.

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According to George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones, Bloodmoon was "a very difficult assignment".

"We’re dealing with a much more primitive people," Martin told The Hollywood Reporter. "There were no dragons yet. A lot of the pilot revolved around a wedding of a Southern house to a Northern house and it got into the whole history of the White Walkers.”

Martin made his concerns known to executives at HBO who ultimately felt similarly.

"It wasn’t unwatchable or horrible or anything. It was very well produced and looked extraordinary." Robert Greenblatt, the former chairman of HBO's parent company WarnerMedia said.

"But it didn’t take me to the same place as the original series. It didn’t have that depth and richness that the original series’ pilot did.” Greenblatt added.

House of Dragons, set to air August 21st, takes place about 300 years before GoT and focuses on the Targaryen civil war.

Seemingly the timeline is a bit easier to manage than that of Bloodmoon.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO executives took Martin's concerns more seriously due to the backlash GoT faced after its series finale.

Although Martin advocated for 10 seasons to wrap-up the show, they opted for a rushed season eight finale. Now, the GoT creator apparently plays a larger role when it comes to creating future spinoffs and prequels.

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