Game of Thrones: The Mad King will transfer to London in 2027 following a sold-out Stratford-upon-Avon run.
The prequel explores King Aerys II Targaryen’s reign and the events leading towards Robert’s Rebellion.
Fans can register online now for production updates and priority ticket access.
Winter is coming to the West End as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed Westeros prequel prepares for a London transfer.
Few fantasy franchises have conquered popular culture quite like Game of Thrones. Now, the battle for the Iron Throne is moving from the screen to the London stage. Following a sold-out world premiere season at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King will open in London in 2027. The venue, performance dates and London cast are still to be announced.
Adapted by playwright Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, The Mad King travels back more than a decade before the events of A Game of Thrones. The production digs into one of the most important chapters in Westerosi history, exploring the declining reign of King Aerys II Targaryen and the political tensions that would eventually lead to Robert’s Rebellion.
The action begins at Harrenhal as winter starts to thaw and the great houses of Westeros gather for a lavish tournament. Beneath the celebrations, however, alliances are shifting and opposition to the increasingly brutal Mad King is gathering momentum. The story involves Houses Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell, placing younger versions of several characters whose names would later become central to Martin’s sprawling saga at the heart of the action.
Among them are Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, whose relationship becomes one of the defining events in the history of Westeros. Audiences are also reunited with names such as Eddard Stark, Jaime and Cersei Lannister, Robert Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, Varys, Oberyn Martell and Ser Barristan Selmy.
The original production turned the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon into an immersive Westeros setting, with the action unfolding across a cross-shaped stage allowing audiences to experience the story from different viewpoints. Its substantial running time clocked in at three hours and 40 minutes, including an interval, giving plenty of room for court intrigue, battles, prophecies and political manoeuvring.
George R. R. Martin welcomed the transfer following the production’s successful Stratford season, saying: “It promises to be an exhilarating journey.”
The London move marks another major chapter for a fantasy universe that has grown dramatically since Martin published A Game of Thrones in 1996. His A Song of Ice and Fire novels became international bestsellers, creating a vast mythology of warring dynasties, dragons, prophecies and political betrayal that would ultimately become the foundation for HBO’s television phenomenon.
Premiering in 2011, Game of Thrones ran for eight seasons and transformed fantasy television into global event viewing. Its finale attracted 19.3 million viewers across HBO platforms in the US, while the series collected 59 Emmy Awards from 159 nominations, underlining its enormous influence on television.
Westeros has continued to expand since the original series ended in 2019. House of the Dragon, set around 200 years before Game of Thrones, returned for its third season in 2026, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuted earlier this year and has already been renewed for a second season in 2027. HBO has committed to new seasons from both shows through 2028, ensuring Martin’s fantasy world remains firmly on screens as it also establishes itself on stage.
As for tickets to The Mad King, there is nothing to book just yet. The London venue, dates, prices and on-sale information remain under wraps. Fans can currently register through the production’s official website for news and priority ticket access.
Winter, it seems, is coming to the West End.
Contact: www.rsc.org.uk