'Game of Thrones' vet Bryan Cogman developing prequel series

Game of Thrones producer Bryan Cogman will write one of the series' five upcoming spinoffs, a prequel to our current era of ice and fire, Mashable has confirmed.

Cogman joined Game of Thrones in its first season and has written various episodes over the years, including standouts like "The Laws of Gods and Men" and "Kissed by Fire."

As Entertainment Weekly, who first broke the news, notes, since GoT co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss won't be involved, this is a best-case scenario for fans who are hopeful some of the behind-the-scenes talent remains onboard for the spinoffs; George R.R. Martin is thought to be working with Cogman.

Since this is one of five projects in development, there's still the chance that it doesn't get greenlit -- and even if it does, we won't see any of this show until well after Game of Thrones wraps up in 2018-or-2019-or-who-knows. It's also unclear if Cogman's involvement will limit his work on Season 8, but he's come this far. Like the fans, he's probably in it until the end.

All of Game of Thrones is currently available digitally.