Game Of Thrones is one of the most popular TV shows of recent times (although don’t mention that finale), and so it’s natural that TV bigwigs have considered ways to capitalise on the success.
The HBO series ended in 2019, after eight years, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons and received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards. Based on George RR Martin’s fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire (the first book was titled A Game of Thrones), it was adapted into Game of Thrones by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
The series was widely praised for the performances from actors including Kit Harington as Jon Snow, and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, character arcs, and movie-like production, and left the fandom wanting more.
Since it came to a close, there has been talk about many spin-offs to continue the fantasy realm.
Out of the many ideas, some are airing, some are in development, and others were over before they began…
House of the Dragon – Season 2 airing now
The very successful prequel, House of the Dragon, has recently returned with their second season, with their leading cast members Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy back in the centre of the action.
The series, which began in 2022, is set roughly 200 years before the Game of Thrones characters Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen are even born.
House of the Dragon’s first season covered the build-up to a civil war as theTargaryen and Hightower families bid to win the Iron Throne, and received eight Emmy nominations, and a Golden Globe win for Best Drama Series.
Co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed he’s already planning season three.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – Set for 2025 release
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on George RR Martin’s The Tales of Dunk and Egg, is filming.
The stories follow Dunk – aka Ser Duncan the Tall, the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard – and Egg, the future king Aegon V Targaryen.
It’s based around 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, but 100 years after House of the Dragon.
It is set to be available to watch from 2025, with Peter Claffey playing Dunk. Filming has taken place in Ireland with Finn Bennett, Bertie Carvel, Tanzyn Crawford, Daniel Ings, and Sam Spruell also in the cast.
‘A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,’ the synopsis teases.
‘Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends,’
The Nine Voyages – Set to become an animation
In March 2021, Deadline reported that three prequels were being developed – of which Nine Voyages was said to be the most ‘fully formed’.
Nine Voyages would follow the story of Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka the Sea Snake.
Lord of the Tides and head of House Velaryon, Corlys was known as one of the greatest seafarers of the Seven Kingdoms and had close ties with the Targaryen family. Specifically, he was the husband of Rhaenys and hand to Queen Rhaenyra.
George has since said it will be an animated series instead of live-action.
Lord Corlys appears in House of the Dragon, played by It’s A Sin and Small Axe star Steve Toussaint.
Ten Thousand Ships – In development
The show is believed to be focused on legendary warrior Princess Nymeria – the founder of Dorne, and ancestor of House Martell – whose story is so fabled that Arya Stark named her direwolf after her. The name comes from the number of boats, that accompanied her as she made the voyage from Essos to Dorne.
It’s thought this show would be set around a millennium before the main events of Game of Thrones.
‘We’re all very excited about this one … though we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for 10,000 ships, 300 dragons, and those giant turtles,’ wrote George in a blog post.
Aegon’s Conquest – Early days
The series is set to focus on the founder and first king of the Targaryen dynasty, Aegon.
While never seen in the series, Aegon I Targaryen was the first king to sit on the Iron Throne and was mentioned throughout the seasons, as well as in House of the Dragon.
A warlord, Aegon had three great dragons and a small army before he went on to invade and then unify six of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in the War of Conquest.
After that, he went on to found the city of King’s Landing, with some of his descendants including Viserys, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Aerys and Daenerys.
The show would tell the story of how Aegon and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, used their army and their three dragons to conquer six of the seven kingdoms on Westerosm with the exception of Dorne.
In doing so, Aegon I became the first king of Westeros, the first to sit on the Iron Throne, and the founder of the Targaryen Dynasty.
These events took place approximately 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
‘That one is very early days where I’m currently writing the script, currently doing a lot of great back and forth with George,’ screenwriter Mattson Tomlin told Entertainment Weekly.
Snow – Off the table
The potential Game of Thrones spin-off centred on Jon Snow is no longer in development. The actor revealed that it’s ‘off the table,’ due to a struggle to find the right story.
After the main series ended in 2019, fans were elated when it was reported three years later that a sequel was being considered.
The HBO show would have allowed viewers to catch up with Jon, who was sentenced to the Night’s Watch after killing Daenerys to stop her from causing further destruction.
While there would have been many avenues to explore in this next chapter of the fictional character’s life, it wasn’t to be.
Kit stated why he’d never previously spoken about the project until now: ‘I didn’t want it leaked out that it was being developed, and I didn’t want the thing to happen where people kind of start theorizing, getting either excited about it or hating the idea of it, when it may never happen.’
While speaking to Screen Rant, he explained that while in development they ‘look at every angle’ to ‘see whether it’s worth it’. They’ve now concluded that it isn’t and so it’s ‘off the table’.
‘We all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough. So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being,’ he said.
‘There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It’s firmly on the shelf.’
The Golden Empire – A possible animation
Alongside, The Nine Voyages, The Golden Empire and two unnamed projects were discussed as animations.
George shared that The Golden Empire (working title) would be set in Yi Ti, and added: ‘I think the art and animation is just going to be beautiful. I would tell you more if I could.’
He later said that only two of the four animations would be going ahead, but didn’t state if The Golden Empire was one.
Bloodmoon – Cancelled
Prequel Bloodmoon became its own legend after being mysteriously axed after just one pilot episode.
Fans of the Westeros fantasy series were gearing up for the Naomi Watts-led prequel series following its highly publicised filming, only for it to be scrapped.
‘The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know,’ the synopsis read.
It’s rumoured that Naomi would have been playing Florys the Fox, who, according to Westeros folklore, kept three husbands (none of whom knew about each other).
Before it was canned, scenes were shot in Ireland, with a cast that included Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Miranda Richardson, and Josh Whitehouse.
Flea Bottom – Never confirmed
The title inspired by the nickname given to the slums around King’s Landing was rumoured to be an early idea after the end of Game of Thrones. However, HBO never confirmed its existence.
Robert’s Rebellion – Hopes quashed
Set just 17 years before, Game of Thrones kicks off, it would have been based around Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark, and Jon Arryn’s attempts to overthrow ‘the Mad King’ Aerys II Targaryen.
The war is what ended the Targaryen’s reign in Westeros, and perfectly set up Daenerys’s narrative.
The series would have introduced us to young versions of Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, and Jaime Lannister.
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However, George quashed fans’ hopes that the show would ever be made in a 2017 blog post.
‘We’re not doing Robert’s Rebellion either. I know thousands of you want that, I know there’s a petition… but by the time I finish writing A Song of Ice & Fire, you will know every important thing that happened in Robert’s Rebellion.’
He continued: ‘There would be no surprises or revelations left in such a show, just the acting out of conflicts whose resolutions you already know. That’s not a story I want to tell just now; it would feel too much like a twice-told tale.’
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House of the Dragon airs on Sky Atlantic and NOW, with new episodes released on Mondays in the UK from 2am.
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