Game of Thrones ended its run about three years ago, and after a disaster of a finale one might think people would have stopped caring about it, but that may not be true for a lot of fans out there. The show was once hailed as the greatest TV show of the 21st century, before its fall from grace, and even if the final season was not up to your liking, HBO loved the gigantic tide of popularity and cash it looped in, and is looking further to milk their cash cow in the form of several spinoff shows, all stemming from the GOTVerse.
Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin is often regarded as a modern-day J.R.R. Tolkien, having written a series of fantasy books that take you to a world very similar to medieval history and yet so different from what we know. The HBO adaptation was a small glimpse at what the world of Westeros has to offer, and there are many more interesting stories to tell, something that HBO is counting on with the various prequels and spinoff ideas.
Right now these are just ideas, currently at various stages of development, and their future depends a lot on the upcoming prequel House of The Dragon’s success. While it won’t be easy winning back all the disgruntled fans who are still mad over the mess of Season 8, picking up the right story is the first step in that direction, and HBO has plenty of options. The process of picking up a plot isn’t that simple, and the selection process is quite grueling, as seen with the canceled prequel series nicknamed Bloodmoon, which was scrapped even after filming a pilot that cost HBO a whopping $30 million. Another spinoff that got taken down early in development was a show that was based in the Flea Bottom, a place frequently featured in Game of Thrones and once home to characters like Ser Davos Seaworth and Gendry.
Quite recently, the news of another spinoff in talks, a sequel that would see the return of Kit Harington to his fan-favorite character Jon Snow, was leaked, and it caused a huge wave of excitement all over the internet. Now that we have quite a number of Game of Thrones offshoots in the works, let’s have a look at the spinoffs that still have a chance to see the light of the day.
10,000 Ships
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Based on the story of legendary Dornish warrior queen Nymeria, 10,000 Ships is set a 1000 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Long before the Targaryens set foot in the land of Westeros, Rhoynish Princess Nymeria of Ny Sar gathered what was left of her people and boarded ten thousand ships, and fled Essos after being defeated by the dragonlords of Valyria. When she arrived in Dorne, she ordered all the 10,000 ships she sailed in to be burnt to a crisp so that no one dared to escape and go back home, and fully embraced Dorne as their new abode by allying with House Martell. As confirmed by Martin himself, 10,000 Ships is the working title of the series named after this military move, and Amanda Segel is the showrunner and writer for the series. Martin has also affirmed the series is steadily progressing as he has seen a couple of scripts for the first season.
The Sea Snake
Formerly titled Nine Voyages, The Sea Snake is reportedly the furthest along in development amongst all the rumored Game of Thrones spinoffs (other than House of The Dragon). The working title was changed because both Martin and HBO wanted to avoid having two shows with numbers in the title (due to 10,000 Ships). The Sea Snake is the nickname given to Lord Corlys Velaryon, one of the most beloved characters from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and the greatest seafarer Westeros has ever seen, who would later go on to become Master of Driftmark, Lord of the Tides, Hand of the Queen to Rhaenyra Targaryen, regent to King Aegon III. Bruno Heller has been assigned to write the pilot script for the show. Steve Toussaint is playing Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon, but we do not know whether he will reprise the role in The Sea Snake.
Tales of Dunk and Egg
One of the most requested of all the Game of Thrones spinoffs by the fans, Tales of Dunk and Egg is a series of novellas by George R. R. Martin that are set 90 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones. This prequel is helmed by Steve Conrad and talks about the adventures of the iconic knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and his squire (Egg) — who will go on to become King Aegon V Targaryen. The working title of the series will not be Tales of Dunk and Egg, as Martin has confirmed on his blog, Not A Blog, and is currently dubbed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, with The Hedge Knight also in consideration. The first season will be an adaptation of Martin’s first novella, The Hedge Knight.
Snow
The most recent spinoff series to have been revealed took the internet by surprise, as no one was expecting a sequel involving Jon Snow in the works until the news was leaked a few days ago. This has further been confirmed by both Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons) and George R. R. Martin, and according to them, the project is Kit Harington’s idea. The working title of the show is Snow, and Harington himself brought in his team of writers and showrunners for the project, though Martin decided not to reveal their names yet. This is quite possibly the sequel fans have been waiting for. We might get to venture far North of the Wall and uncover the secrets that lay hidden under the thick layer of snow. Gwendoline Christie has also commented on the series and the possibility of seeing Brienne return.
The Golden Empire of Yi Ti and Two More Animated Shows
HBO is also working on three animated Game of Thrones derivatives, and we only have information about one of them so far, The Golden Empire in Yi Ti. The continent of Essos largely remained unexplored in Game of Thrones, even though it covers the largest area of land, and hosts some of the richest cultures - far richer than those of Westeros. Martin has mentioned “a great young writer” who is currently working on the series, but refused to give up their name or anything about the other two animated shows. He has also revealed that he is heavily involved in the animated shows.
Special Mention: The Game of Thrones Play on Broadway
Originally confused for a prequel TV series about Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, a Game of Thrones play based on the Tourney at Harrenhal will be coming to Broadway somewhere around 2023. It will detail the events that led to Rhaegar Targaryen crowning Lyanna Stark as the queen of love and beauty, infuriating Lyanna’s intended spouse Robert Baratheon, and in turn serving as a catalyst for Robert’s rebellion that would eventually lead to the end of the Targaryen rule in Westeros. The play is being produced by Simon Painter and Tim Lawson in partnership with Kilburn Live. Martin is working alongside writer Duncan MacMillan and director Dominic Cooke to develop the script and it will debut on Broadway, with shows planned at the West End and in Australia.