Game of Thrones stars are set to be offered huge new deals – to return for a big-budget movie sequel.
Studio bosses at Warner Bros have finally given the go-ahead a film that will pick up where the dungeons-and-dragons fantasy drama ended on HBO more than five years ago.
And they are aiming to reunite senior cast members whose characters were still standing when the epic show wrapped its blood-spattered eight-year, according to a top production executive.
These include Kit Harrington, whose heroic character Jon Snow survived after being “resurrected” in season six; Sophie Turner, as Queen of the North Sansa Stark; and Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark, who became King of Westeros.
Peter Dinklage, who starred as Tyrion Lannister and Maisie Williams, who played deadly Arya Stark, also made it to the end but our studio production source said: “Fans of characters who were killed off should not despair.
“Storylines can be developed to bring any of them back to life while others might appear in extended flashback scenes.
“The idea is to assemble as many of the original stars as possible.” This is likely to cost a fortune in salaries and will depend on individual performers’ workloads.
But our source added: “An enormous budget has been set aside – and now it’s a matter of who will want to rejoin the team.”
Off-camera, series creator George RR Martin and TV showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss will be “heavily involved at every stage” of the proposed movie.
The trio wanted to wrap the original story with three cinema films instead of an eighth season on HBO.
But bosses at the cable and satellite giant resisted the idea.
Since the show’s conclusion after 73 episodes in May 2019, the network has aired a prequel series, House of the Dragon, which has just been renewed for a third season.
Another prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is currently in production and due to debut next year.
But our insider said: “What fans have really been waiting for is the original cast to reunite – and at last it’s going to happen.”