HBO has announced three new series in development that will serve as prequels to Game of Thrones, the television phenomenon based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin. After the series ended in 2019, HBO has been keen to revisit Westeros. The network actually started kicking around the idea of spinoff series back in May 2017 when five concepts were being discussed. HBO has previously announced three Game of Thrones spinoffs in development. Tales of Dunk & Egg will be set 90 years prior to the series and follow the knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his eggheaded squire, who will one day be King Aegon V Targaryen. An untitled animated series will ape the tone of Game of Thrones, and though little is known about its content, the sky's the limit with animation.
Much further along is the House Targaryen prequel series House of the Dragon. Set 300 years before Game of Thrones, the medieval drama will tell the story of how the infamous house signified by a dragon came to conquer Westeros. House of the Dragon will star Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, and Matt Smith as various ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen, and become the first spinoff to enter production when it begins filming in April 2021.
Variety reports that three more series have been confirmed to fill out the Game of Thrones TV universe. 9 Voyages, Flea Bottom, and 10,000 Ships (likely temporary titles) will all take place before Game of Thrones. 9 Voyages or Sea Snake, will follow Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as Sea Snake, aboard his ship with the same nickname. The legendary nautical explorer and husband to Rhaenys Targaryen amasses wealth greater than the Lannisters' and the largest navy in Westeros. Flea Bottom will be set in the slums of King's Landing, and 10,000 Ships will feature Princess Nymeria, who travels to Dorne with the Rhoynar and is married to Lord Mors Martell.
With a whopping six series in various stages of development, the wealth of content born of Martin's books is tremendous. To those familiar with his prolific work, it should come as no surprise. Across various series and thousands of words per novel, Martin has built a massive universe brimming with more details than could ever feature in a hundred television series.
HBO is cleverly leaning into recognizable aspects of the IP relevant to Game of Thrones. As Daenerys Targaryen is perhaps the single most recognizable character from the show, it makes sense that the first spinoff to enter development explores her family history. In the ten years since the series first debuted, a lot has changed about the world and the industry, generally for the better. Here's hoping the new series will keep the good and lose the bad, maintaining the creative quality of Martin's novel.
Source: Variety