‘Game of Thrones’ play in the works from George R.R. Martin for Broadway and West End

The author and creator of the acclaimed book series-turned HBO phenomenon is working on a theatrical adaptation of the story.

Game of Thrones is coming to the stage. George R. R. Martin is developing the story for the theatrical spectacular in collaboration with playwright Duncan MacMillan (1984) and produced by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson (The Illusionists), according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show is expected to premiere in 2023, with productions on Broadway, in the West End, and in Australia.

The story will be a prequel to the popular television series and will center on The Great Tourney at Harrenhal, an event that took place 16 years prior. Although no characters have been confirmed for the play, this event features a young Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister.

"The seeds of war are often planted in times of peace," Martin said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Few in Westeros knew the carnage to come when highborn and smallfolk alike gathered at Harrenhal to watch the finest knights of the realm compete in a great tourney, during the Year of the False Spring. It is a tourney oft referred during HBO's Game of Thrones, and in my novels, A Song of Ice & Fire ... and now, at last, we can tell the whole story... on the stage."

The production will be directed by Dominic Cooke, the former artistic direct of London's Royal Court Theatre. "One of George's inspirations for the original books was Shakespeare's history plays so the material lends itself naturally to the theatre," Cooke told The Hollywood Reporter. "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."

^{Photo credit: Game of Thrones (Courtesy of HBO)}