A recent report reveals details of a cancelled Game of Thrones spinoff show depicting a key era of the history of Westeros. Based on the as-yet-unfinished A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, the fantasy-drama series debuted in 2011 and quickly became a worldwide sensation until its dramatic and controversial finale in 2019. Following Game of Thrones' massive success, Martin and HBO wanted to capitalize on the achievement and began developing multiple spinoff projects.
Shortly after the final season of Game of Thrones was announced, Martin pitched two spinoff ideas to explore the meticulously crafted fantasy world he had created. One show was based on his Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, which HBO initially passed on but is now in production. Another was about House Targaryen 200 years prior, depicting the violent multi-year familial civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. That show has been produced as House of the Dragon and will premiere in August. However, HBO was unwilling to put all their eggs in one basket during the development stage, and the network accepted multiple pitches, ultimately moving five into the writing phase.
Per THR, one of those initial failed Game of Thrones projects put into development has now been revealed. The series by Demimonde showrunners Rand Ravich and Far Shariat focused on Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of Westeros. With the help of his sisters and their dragons, Aegon conquered six of the seven kingdoms, with only Dorne successfully holding them back. However, the script reportedly portrayed Aegon I as a "drunken lout."
Aegon I's conquest of Westeros was a crucial period in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. The Targaryen invasion and subsequent control of the country reverberated through generations, leading to the events of House of the Dragon as well as of Game of Thrones. Aegon I's reign was so influential that the order of scholars known as the maesters use the eventual king's coronation by the High Septon as a way to record the years before and after his successful campaign. The time period of the project was an attractive one, to say the least, but it's unclear why HBO ultimately decided not to move forward with it.
HBO appears to have been highly selective with its Game of Thrones successors. The series was such a hot property that the studio understood following it up would an incredibly daunting task. The network once commissioned a pilot for an HBO prequel series called Bloodmoon, about the early kingdoms of Westeros and the origins of the White Walkers. However, the studio passed on that idea, reportedly shocking all those who were involved. Perhaps if House of the Dragon succeeds, HBO may revisit the previous unproduced yet promising spinoffs.
Source: THR