Just as Hamilton begins to take over the Australian theatre scene, it seems another beloved piece of pop culture is about to make the headlines. Game of Thrones fans and theatre geeks rejoice because a stage show set in Westeros is officially being made and coming to Australia.
WATCH: A Game of Thrones stage show is coming to Australia
Announced earlier this morning on Sunrise, George R.R. Martin’s cult-classic epic fantasy franchise Game of Thrones is getting a stage show adaptation, and it sounds like it just might premiere in Australia – just don’t expect to see it anytime soon.
The world of Westeros is being adapted into an on-stage Broadway production, and the best bit for us Aussies? The team behind it are in talks to debut it on New York’s Broadway, London’s West End and Sydney and Melbourne… in 2023.
Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin is heavily involved with the stage show, which may feature a bunch of beloved fan favourites while taking the series into a bolder more theatrical direction. Think William Shakespeare but with swords, dragons and direwolves.
“One of George’s inspirations for the original books was Shakespeare’s history plays so the material lends itself naturally to the theatre,” director Dominic Cook said per the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Duncan MacMillan and I are having a great time digging into the dynastic power struggles at the heart of George’s extraordinary imaginative world and he has been hugely generous and supportive towards both of us.”
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What is the Game of Thrones stage show about?
Set 16 years before the events in the hit HBO and Foxtel series, the Game of Thrones stage show will follow a famous jousting competition and the plenty of familiar faces and names that gather to watch and compete in it.
“The seeds of war are often planted in times of peace,” Martin said. “Few in Westeros knew the carnage to come when highborn and small-folk alike gathered at Harrenhal to watch the finest knights of the realm compete in a great tourney, during the Year of the False Spring.”
Which Game of Thrones characters will appear in the stage show?
While Martin says that we can expect to see some fan favourites in the stage production, it’s unclear exactly which characters will appear.
Given that the play is set 16 years before the series begins, we reckon it’s very unlikely we’ll see younger characters like Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) or Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), simply because the characters may not have been born by then.
We’re more likely to see younger versions of characters like Ned (Sean Bean) and Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley), Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), Petyr Baelish (Aiden Gillen), Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime Lannister (Nikola Coster-Waldau) – and the Mad King himself, Aerys II Targaryen (David Rintoul). Although we garner it’s unlikely any of these actors will return to reprise their roles on the stage.
WATCH: Cersei Lannister’s “Power Is Power” speech in Game of Thrones
When is the Game of Thrones stage show coming to Australia
The Game of Thrones stage show is reportedly coming to Australia in 2023.
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