George R. R. Martin has revealed new details on the many Game of Thrones spinoffs currently in development. Despite Game of Thrones' divisive ending, the show has firmly established itself as one of the biggest franchises in television history, leading HBO to double-down on spinoffs set in Westeros and beyond. Although six different series were said to be in development at one point, the only one to have made significant headway is House of the Dragon, which is currently slated to release in 2022.
House of the Dragon is set some 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and centers on the firey Targaryen family during a period of civil war. The series, based on Martin's prequel novel Fire & Blood, will feature Paddy Constantine, Matt Smith, and Emma D'Arcy as part of the show's large ensemble cast, with the trailer promising plenty of bloody battles, tense drama, and, most importantly, dragons. While the show remains the project furthest along the production line, the previously announced Dunk & Egg looks to be catching up, with the show recently finding a writer in Steve Conrad.
Ever the tease, Martin has revealed new information on the state of the Game of Thrones spinoffs in his latest blog post. As well as sharing the news that House of the Dragon is now in post-production, Martin revealed that Rome showrunner Bruno Heller will helm the pilot for The Sea Snake, a series previously titled Nine Voyages. Martin also noted that drafts have been submitted for the Ten Thousand Ships series, while the Dunk & Egg series is now called The Hedge Knight. The author also touched on the animated expansion of Game of Thrones, confirming that the series set in Yi Ti is titled The Golden Empire. Check out the quote below:
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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.
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With Martin excited about the future of Game of Thrones, hope remains high that these spinoffs will be a return to form for the franchise. Heller being bought on board to develop the pilot for The Sea Snake is particularly exciting news, with Rome remaining one of the finest examples of historical drama in TV history. With Martin confirming more details than ever on several of these projects, it looks like many of these shows may soon see the light of day.
Although interest in Game of Thrones has subsided somewhat, HBO's commitment to spinoffs shows the network is confident that the franchise can return to the dizzying heights of its popularity. The future of Game of Thrones rests on the success of House of the Dragon, but with Martin himself impressed with what he's seen so far, it sounds like HBO is on the right track to revitalize the franchise. Regardless of how the future of Game of Thrones turns out, Martin remains the best source for news for his magnum opus - unless it's a release date for The Winds of Winter.
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Source: George R. R. Martin