Billy Oduory breaks down HBO’s planned Game of Thrones spinoffs…
Game of Thrones set the five-star standard for the golden era of TV, deservedly amassing a humongous global fan base in the process. Despite the show’s final season being rated as a disappointment by most of the fans, the fan base continues to thirst for more content from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series as proved by the success of House of the Dragon. After becoming HBO’s flagship franchise, the network has launched more spinoffs from both sides of the Game of Thrones timeline to cash in on the popularity.
With a whole fantasy universe and over 8,000 years’ worth of a storyline to choose from, A Song of Ice and Fire has endless possibilities for spinoffs, and fans can’t wait for HBO to turn it into the new Star Wars or something bigger. However, spinoffs may not necessarily live up to the reputation of the original show, as confirmed when HBO had to cancel Bloodmoon after spending over $30 million on the pilot.
The network chose to go for House of the Dragon instead, and it has proved profitable, leading to more spinoffs getting the green light. From prequels like Nymeria’s 10,000 Ships and Aegon’s Conquest to the eagerly awaited Jon Snow sequel series, here is a look at all the Game of Thrones spinoffs cancelled or currently in the works at HBO…
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight
George R. R. Martin gave this one as the working title for the upcoming series that will cover the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg. Most rumors had Dunk & Egg as their proposed title for the upcoming series but Martin said that name sounds like a sitcom, which is why they chose to include Knight. The author also confirmed that HBO had given the green light to produce the whole first season of the show which will be based on his three novellas merged into a book titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The series is likely the closest of all the Game of Thrones spinoffs after House of the Dragon to being released as production is already underway.
According to Martin, the first season covers the early days of Dunk and Egg’s adventures, when the young prince, disguised as a commoner, meets the Hedge Knight at a tourney in Ashford Meadows. In the three novellas, young Aegon V Targaryen, disguised as a commoner, becomes the squire to the newly self-proclaimed Ser Duncan the Tall whose former master just passed away. The tourney results in Dunk getting arrested and having to compete in a Trial by the Seven contest to save his life, which is how the knight’s journey to prominence starts.
Duncan the Tall eventually becomes one of the most famous commanders of the King’s Guard in Westerosi history, while his squire, Egg, becomes King Aegon V Targaryen. The rise of the two characters from seemingly hopeless beginnings to the highest positions in Westerosi politics makes one of the most exciting storylines in the whole series. George R. R. Martin said the first season would likely have six episodes, and while a specific release date hasn’t been announced, HBO is targeting a “late 2025” premiere for the series.
The Jon Snow sequel series
After stabbing Daenerys Targaryen to death in Game of Thrones, Jon Snow is sentenced to The Wall by the newly crowned King Bran the Broken in a series of events that never made sense to most fans. Jon Snow’s ending is one of the most contentious issues in the fan base who believe that the Game of Thrones ending was mishandled, but many would still love to see the character once again. According to George R. R. Martin, Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, pitched the idea for this sequel to HBO and he is working on it alongside his own team or writers.
Unfortunately, there is no source material from George R. R. Martin to base the sequel on because the writer hasn’t finished The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. Kit Harington and his team, therefore, have to rely on an extensively creative team of writers to reproduce the George R. R. Martin magic in their scripts before fans can see Jon Snow and the Wildlings beyond The Wall or back in Westeros.
HBO is yet to give an official greenlight for the Jon Snow sequel, most likely due to the volatile nature of the plot. The network’s CEO confirmed in November 2023 that they have many scripts for possible spinoffs in development but haven’t given Kit Harrington’s sequel the greenlight yet. If eventually sent into production, the sequel could give a deserved ending to fan-favorite characters including Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane.
Ten Thousand Ships
Set over 1,000 years before the events in Game of Thrones, HBO’s upcoming series 10,000 Ships tells the story of the warrior queen Nymeria of the Rhoynar. She is the ancestor of House Martell, House Dayne, and House Targaryen, who led the Rhoynar from their home cities along the Rhoyne River, near Essos, to Westeros, settling in Dorne. Their homeland was under attack by 300 dragons sent by the Valyrian Freehold which was on a conquest mission in the Free Cities.
Nymeria is a legend in the ASOIAF universe, first mentioned on TV in Game of Thrones as Arya Stark named her dire wolf after the warrior queen. She is also Rhaenyra and Alicent’s hero in House of the Dragon as they discuss her in the first season, so it only makes sense for the network to put a face to the legend in this upcoming show. While plot and production details for 10,000 Ships haven’t been revealed by HBO, George R. R. Martin rubbished rumors that it had been shelved.
Nymeria’s three-year journey down the Rhoyne from Essos to Dorne is one of the most interesting storylines in ASOIAF, with adventures similar to what Daenerys and her entourage go through in Slaver’s Bay in Game of Thrones. The show will also give fans a glimpse of what the mighty Valyrian Freehold looked like. Moreover, it will feature a new type of protagonist, a strong female leader who doesn’t rely on dragons to rule her people (imagine Arya Stark with an army), unlike Daenerys and Rhaenyra. Fans will also get a glimpse of the Free Cities, including the Island of Naath, where Game of Thrones’ Missandei was born.
The Sea Snake
This was one of the very first Game of Thrones spinoffs to be greenlit by HBO, with its announcement coming in early 2021 when Bruno Heller, writer of The Mentalist, Rome, and Gotham, was announced as the writer. Unfortunately, the show was reportedly moved to an animated series rather than a live-action with many rumors claiming that the budget requirements for a live-action show would be astronomical.
The Velaryons are one of the most important houses in House of the Dragon, and fans have yet to see the best of the Sea Snake (Corlys Velaryon) because he is one of the most politically savvy characters in the books. House of the Dragon only covers the last days of Corlys’ life after he is done with the bulk of his nine voyages, but in the books, he is revealed to be the greatest captain in Westerosi History, having expanded the Velayron fleet to be the mightiest in the known world.
The Sea Snake, or Nine Voyages as some sources call it, will therefore serve as an immediate prequel to House of the Dragon telling the stories of Corlys’ adventures at sea. In the books, during his nine voyages, Corlys goes further than any voyager in Westerosi history, making House Velaryon the richest one in Westeros. He visits most of the locations mentioned in ASOIAF, including the dreaded lands of Ashai-by-the-Shadow where he apparently lost half of his crew and the love of his life, before marrying Rhaenys.
The Golden Empire
Yi Ti is George R. R. Martin’s version of Ancient China in ASOIAF, being one of the oldest civilizations in the universe, with a more advanced society compared to Westeros. Despite the praise heaped on the Golden Empire, its politics is just as messy as Westeros’ as dynasties topple each other and people live in fear of attacks from the neighboring nomad tribes of Jogos Nhai.
There is very little mention of this empire in the books, but everything that Matin says about it makes it suitable for an animation series which is why the announcement of this spinoff wasn’t a shocker for many fans. Yi Ti emperors are identified by colors, with Scarlet Emperors, who used Si Qo as their capital, dominating. The capital also changes depending on the emperor in charge, with Yin being the current capital in the book timeline under the Azure Emperor, Bu Gai.
George R. R. Marti confirmed that the show is already in development and that “an interesting young writer,” is working on it. The timeline that the show will cover, as well as the plot details are yet to be revealed. Golden Empire is still likely to be the first animated Game of Thrones spinoff series to be released ahead of Sea Snake.
Aegon’s Conquest
“Aegon Targaryen changed the rules. That’s why every child alive still knows his name, three hundred years after his death,” Tywin Lannister tells Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Aegon’s conquest of Westeros, with the help of his sister-wives Rhaenys and Visenya, is the single most important event in ASOIAF. The conquest is also the basis upon which dates in the ASOIAF Universe are set, and every fan would argue that this show deserves to be bigger than Game of Thrones.
In the books, The Targaryens stayed on Dragonstone for years before Aegon eventually decided to conquer the seven kingdoms. Aegon’s wars of conquest, which culminate in the uniting of the six kingdoms under one crown and the resistance that Aegon faced from Dorne will make one of the best dramas in TV history if properly written. Game of Thrones fans will get to see the ancestors of every major house seen in the show and how Westeros came to be a realm.
The show has been rumored as a spinoff since 2019 after the flagship series concluded, and its creation is now reportedly underway, with The Batman 2 writer, Mattson Tomlin as the lead writer. The details of its plot haven’t been revealed, but fans will expect it to be released as a live-action series rather than an animated one. According to THR, the show “will take a back to basics approach to George R. R. Martin’s ASOIAF Universe” which gives the impression that it will be very similar to the early seasons of Game of Thrones.
Bloodmoon (Cancelled)
Set in the Age of Heroes, Bloodmoon was set to be HBO’s first spinoff to Game of Thrones, telling the story of a wedding between a Northern and a Southern House. The show, which was set thousands of years before the flagship series would also explore the origins of the White Walkers and the Long Night. X-Men showrunner Jane Goldman wrote the scripts while S. J. Clarkson served as the executive director.
However, despite greenlighting the shooting of a $30 million pilot, HBO decided to cancel the show, with the pilot being sealed away after being seen by only a couple of people. The show apparently strayed too far from the impression of Game of Thrones, and this was to be expected because George R. R. Martin only wrote eight lines on the subject that the series was to be based on. Naomi Watts, who played the lead role, was still described as “exceptional,” by the executive producers despite the cancellation.
Set in Flea Bottom (Cancelled)
Flea Bottom is the biggest slum in King’s Landing, bearing all the hardships and evils that come with living in slum conditions in modern days. However, being the dwelling of the poorest hasn’t inhibited creativity in the slums, which is why great Game of Thrones characters such as Gendry Baratheon and Davos Seaworth originate from there. A series set in the slum was one of the earliest Game of Thrones spinoffs commissioned by HBO, but no details were given about the progress and the project has reportedly been shelved.
Billy Oduory
