HBO axed Naomi Watts's 'Game of Thrones' sequel for this reason

As A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms draws interest from Game of Thrones fans, Bloodmoon was another franchise's prequel that could have been a draw.

It would focus on the dreaded Long Night and the rise of the White Walkers, which has become a source of terror in Game of Thrones.

However, for HBO, it was not good enough. Starring Naomi Watts, the network ordered a pilot exploring the Age of Heroes, thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Robert Greenblatt, WarnerMedia's ex-chairman, previously told The Hollywood Reporter, "It wasn't unwatchable or horrible or anything."

He continued, "It was very well produced and looked extraordinary. 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."

In addition, Bloodmoon was a creative challenge, too. Firstly, George R.R. Martin, the lore's creator, wrote less about the era, leaving writers to develop the rest of the story.

Moreover, the author himself acknowledged that the project was difficult. "'Bloodmoon' was a very difficult assignment," he previously told THR.

"We're dealing with a much more primitive people. 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."

In Watts' starrer Bloodmoon, Jane Goldman served as the creator, for which HBO shelled out $30 million on the pilot.