New details on the numerous Game of Thrones spinoffs currently in development have been revealed by George R. R. Martin. Despite its polarizing finale, Game of Thrones has cemented its place as one of television’s most enduring brands, prompting HBO to double down on spinoffs set in Westeros and beyond. Although six separate series were rumored to be under development at one point, only “House of the Dragon“ has made substantial progress and is set to premiere in 2022.
“House of the Dragon” is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows the Targaryen family through a civil war. Paddy Constantine, Matt Smith, and Emma D’Arcy will star in the series, which is based on Martin’s prequel novel Fire & Blood, and the trailer promises plenty of violent fights, suspenseful drama, and, most importantly, dragons. While the program remains the most advanced in development, the previously announced Dunk & Egg appears to be catching up, with the show recently hiring Steve Conrad as a writer.
Martin, ever the tease, has provided additional details about the Game of Thrones spinoffs in his newest blog post. Martin also disclosed that Rome showrunner Bruno Heller would direct the pilot for The Sea Snake, a series previously known as Nine Voyages, in addition to breaking the news that House of the Dragon is presently in post-production. Martin also mentioned that drafts for the Ten Thousand Ships series have been submitted and that the Dunk & Egg series has been renamed The Hedge Knight. The author also mentioned the Game of Thrones animated series, confirming that the series set in Yi Ti will be called The Golden Empire. Take a look at the following quote:
Here’s the rest of the quote:
We are developing live action shows for HBO, and animated shows for HBO Max. No, can’t tell you how many But it is my hope that a number of these shows will get on the air. Not all, no, it is never all, but more than one. I certainly hope so. Some of the ideas we are working on are quite different in tone and approach than what has gone before, and that thrills me. The world of Westeros (and Essos, etc) is huge, and there is room in it for many types of stories, about a wide range of characters.
What can I tell you? Well, let’s see. Bruno Heller, the creator and showrunner of ROME, is writing his pilot script for the Corlys Velaryon series. That one started out as NINE VOYAGES, but now we’re calling it THE SEA SNAKE, since we wanted to avoid having two shows with numbers in the title. The other one TEN THOUSAND SHIPS, the Nymeria series. Amanda Segel, our showrunner, has delivered a couple drafts of that one, and we are forging ahead. The third of the live action shows is the Dunk & Egg series, helmed by Steve Conrad. My team and I have had some great sessions with Steve and his team, and we really hit it off. He’s determined to do a faithful adaptation of the stories, which is exactly what I want; these characters and stories are very precious to me. The first season will be an adaptation of the first novella, “The Hedge Knight.” Contrary to what you may have read on line, the show will not be called DUNK & EGG, which could be mistaken for a sitcom by viewers unfamiliar with the stories. We’re leaning toward A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS for the series title, though THE HEDGE KNIGHT has its partisans as well.
Over on the animated side… well, I am not allowed to talk about most of what’s happening, except to say that things are moving very fast, and I love love love some of the concept art I am seeing. And.. wait, come to think of it, the news leaked several months ago that one of the animated shows would be set in Yi Ti. That’s true. Our working title is THE GOLDEN EMPIRE, and we have a great young writer on that one too, and I think the art and animation is just going to be beautiful. I would tell you more if I could. I don’t think I can say a word about the other animated shows. Not yet.
With Martin so enthusiastic about the future of Game of Thrones, there’s still hope that these spinoffs will bring the franchise back to its former glory. The fact that Heller has been hired to develop the pilot for The Sea Snake is extremely thrilling, as Rome is still one of the best instances of historical drama on television. With Martin providing more details on several of these projects than ever before, it appears that several of these shows will be released soon.
Although interest in Game of Thrones has waned, HBO’s commitment to spinoffs demonstrates the network’s confidence in the franchise’s ability to reclaim its former glory. The success of “House of the Dragon” will determine the future of Game of Thrones, but with Martin impressed with what he’s seen so far, it appears that HBO is on the right track to resurrect the series. Martin remains the finest source for news on his magnum work, regardless of how Game of Thrones’ future plays out – unless it’s a publishing date for The Winds of Winter.