George R.R. Martin is not holding back from giving explosive details about the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel. While it is known that the series will be set way back from the time period of GOT, new details will surely excite fans including the return of House Stark.

The pilot episode is currently filming in Northern Ireland. Regarding the spin-off’s title Martin reveals it will either be called The Long Night or some variation of it.

“I heard a suggestion that it could be called The Longest Night, which is a variant I wouldn’t mind. That would be pretty good.”

In the flagship series, the Stark family has become a favorite among fans and Martin is giving them something to look forward to for the prequel. The author said:

“The Starks will definitely be there. Obviously the White Walkers are here — or as they’re called in my books, The Others — and that will be an aspect of it. There are things like direwolves and mammoths.”

While House Stark has inspired the support of many GOT viewers, one particular house earned the ire of audiences. When asked if the Lannisters will be in the series Martin answered:

“The Lannisters aren’t there yet, but Castlery Rock is certainly there; it’s like the Rock of Gibraltar. It’s actually occupied by the Casterlys — for whom it’s still named after in the time of Game of Thrones.”

As for the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, we shouldn’t be expecting it to be so as the prequel dates back 5,000 years from the recently concluded original series.

“We talk about the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros; there were Seven Kingdoms at the time of Aegon’s Conquest. But if you go back further then there are nine kingdoms, and 12 kingdoms, and eventually you get back to where there are a hundred kingdoms — petty kingdoms — and that’s the era we’re talking about here,” Martin said.