Game of Thrones prequel play may finally show unaired Mad King scene

The Game of Thrones franchise continues to expand, and a forthcoming prequel stage play called The Mad King could at last stage a pivotal moment that was shot for the show’s unaired pilot. That pilot was reshot after recasting and remains unreleased, though it exists and even has an IMDb page; one book-accurate scene from it reportedly showed the Mad King’s murders of Rickard and Brandon Stark.

The Royal Shakespeare Company has said little about the play’s plot beyond placing it in the years before Robert’s Rebellion and Jaime Lannister’s killing of Aerys II. Casting announcements list Alexander Newland as Rickard Stark and Luke Brady as Brandon Stark, making it likely the production will depict Rickard’s burning and Brandon’s struggle to save him.

The Mad King is scheduled to run from July 20 to September 5, 2026, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and is intended primarily as an in-person experience.

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