FILMING for the “Game of Thrones” prequel has already begun. According to EW, the pilot for the new show has begun shooting in Northern Ireland, where the hit HBO series was shot as well.

The prequel, with the working title “Bloodmoon,” will be helmed by writer-producer Jane Goldman (“X-Men: First Class”) and will also involve author George RR Martin and director S.J. Clarkson (“Orange Is the New Black”).

It will be set some 5,000 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” and is expected to answer some burning questions, such as, how did the White Walkers come to be?

Here’s the official HBO synopsis: “The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend … it’s not the story we think we know.”

Martin said of the prequel in a previous interview with EW: “Westeros is a very different place. There’s no King’s Landing. There’s no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens — Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We’re dealing with a different and older world and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series.”

The ensemble cast will be led by Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts, and will include other names like Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Miranda Richardson, Josh Whitehouse, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Alex Sharp and Toby Regbo.

EW reported that the earliest the series will hit screens is late 2020, although early 2021 is a likelier date.

(SD-Agencies)