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- Primary Subject: Game of Thrones: The Mad King Stage Play
- Key Update: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has officially announced that the Game of Thrones prequel play, The Mad King, will have its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon this summer.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: February 19, 2026
- Quick Answer: Catch young Ned Stark in The Mad King at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre this summer; priority tickets go on sale starting April 14, 2026.
The latest Westeros-based adaptation will hail the return of Lord Eddard Stark, aka Ned, in the best way possible. Fans can still remember the day Ned was beheaded in the flagship series, Game of Thrones, leading his own children to seek revenge and reclaim their home in Winterfell throughout their own journeys.
Here's how he will be brought back in George R.R. Martin's universe.
How Will Game of Thrones Return Ned Stark to Westeros?
Deadline has recently confirmed that the next upcoming Game of Thrones adaptation takes place on stage. According to the outlet, Martin will be taking Westeros to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon this summer.
Set 15 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the stageplay's story takes place during a jousting tournament in Harrenhal. Ned Stark, his sister Lynna, Jamie Lannister, and Robert Baratheon are described as the "main characters" by theatre veteran Dominic Cooke, who has been developing The Mad King for several years with award-winning playwright Duncan Macmillan.
Ned Stark will be brought back, not as Sean Bean, but in his younger years, in this play that is described as "a bit of a Romeo and Juliet-type story." According to Cooke, Ned will be "in his 20s", considering that "it's just interesting to see them as young people. Part of the essence of this show is a story of growing up, rites of passage, becoming who they are."
The first time we saw Ned Stark in his younger years was in Game of Thrones season 6 episodes 2 and 3, where he is played by Robert Aramayo, who leads a posse of warriors against the Targaryen Kingsguard in what A Song of Ice and Fire called the legendary battle at the Tower of Joy. For fans interested in seeing The Mad King in theatres...
Everything Fans Need to Know About Game of Thrones: The Mad King Stage Play
Cooke added that one of their ambitions is to "make a show that really works for people who don't know the material as people who do", similar to how Stranger Things: The First Shadow found success in their stageplay adaptation.
Cooke notes that The Mad King spotlights Lynna, who has been promised to Robert Baratheon, and Rhaegar Targaryen, the son of Aerys, the titular Mad King. According to Macmillan, she is the "catalyst for so much that follows. In fact, I'd say that without Lyanna Stark, there is no Game of Thrones."
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It is also worth mentioning that Martin, the Game of Thrones creator, was a "fantastically trusting collaborator while also being protective of his characters and world", considering that Martin has also previously spoken of his love for Shakespeare, and that admittedly was inspired by some of the legendary poet's works in the creation of his Westeros universe.
Following its run in Stratford-upon-Avon, the play could potentially head to London's Gillian Lynne Theatre.
Meanwhile, interested fans who plan to see the show can purchase tickets for Game of Thrones: The Mad King play this April.
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