A brand new Game of Thrones play is heading to the UK this summer – and George R R Martin is producing

Winter may be coming but so is a new show

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(Image credit: Photo by Seamus Ryan © RSC)

Game of Thrones has been revived more times than Keith Richards, with more spin offs and offshoots arriving weekly. They’ve already transformed into a quote-unquote universe with spin offs like House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and more in the works. Unlike the others, the next installment in the universe isn’t going to be another TV adaptation, but a play. Oh yes, the House Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell. are all heading to the theatre.

George R R Martin, the brains behind all the Game of Thrones books is set to serve as one of the executive producers of the new stage adaptation as well as being on board in a creative capacity too.

Titled Game of Thrones: The Mad King, the play is a prequel that tells the story of the Targaryen tyrant, who has been well established in the original story as a dragon-riding ruler who was often mentioned retrospectively. Now, the new play will delve deeper into his story, establishing what really happened – and hopefully how he came to his title of The Mad King too.

From left: Daniel Evans, Duncan Macmillan, George R. R. Martin, Tamara Harvey and Dominic Cooke

(Image credit: Seamus Ryan / rsc)

​​The play’s official synopsis reads:

“A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised. At a lavish banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers meet, and revellers speculate about who will contend. But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the bloodthirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot. Far away, the drums of battle sound.”

You know you’re in the big leagues theatre-wise when the RSC is involved. After a season of Shakespeare and Tudor verse, the Royal Shakespeare Company will be on-board with the play’s production. Also on the project are Dominic Cooke and Duncan McMillan, who are directing and adapting the text respectively. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the play’s world premiere will be taking place at the RSC’s home turf in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Whilst we don’t have an exact date for the show’s run yet, we do know it will be arriving in summer 2026, with tickets going on general sale in April 2026. You can find out more via the RSC’s website.If it's a success — which it's sure to be, given the franchise's sizeable fanbase — it likely won't be long before it travels to London's West End, too.

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Hermione Blandford
Hermione Blandford
Content Editor

Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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