TL;DR:
- House of the Dragon is not the first Game of Thrones prequel HBO has made.
- It is the first one that fans will get to see when it premieres on August 21, 2022.
- All the other Game of Thrones prequels, sequels, and spinoffs keep changing names.
Game of Thrones wrapped its eight-season run almost three years ago. But HBO is betting that fans want to see more content related to the world that George R. R. Martin has created in his numerous fantasy novels. The premium cabler currently has a number of Game of Thrones prequels, sequels, and spinoffs in the works — with one already set to premiere this year. Here’s a quick rundown.
‘House of the Dragon’ will be the first ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel to premiere on HBO
HBO’s first attempt at a Game of Thrones prequel starred Naomi Watts and was set 10,000 years before the original Westeros series. But the misfire was over before it began, as the cabler decided not to pick up the unnamed series.
They quickly moved on to House of the Dragon. Which, so far, is the only Game of Thrones spinoff to be officially greenlit. According to Martin, all 10 episodes have been filmed and he has seen the “rough cuts.”
“I’m loving them,” the author wrote on his Live Journal blog. “Of course, a lot more work needs to be done. Special effects, color timing, score, all the post-production work. But the writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific. I hope you will like them as much as I do.”
HBO finally announced a premiere date for House of the Dragon – August 21, 2022. The new series focuses on the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragon.
George R. R. Martin is ‘heavily involved’ with all of the prequels, sequels, and spinoffs
On his blog, Martin confirmed that several upcoming Game of Thrones prequels, sequels, and spinoffs were in development. He also revealed which showrunners were attached to each project, and told his fans that he is “heavily involved” with every one of them
“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,” Martin wrote.
One of those spinoffs is reportedly The Sea Snake, formerly titled Nine Voyages. According to Entertainment Weekly, this is the one that’s furthest along in development (sans House of the Dragon). This series — if it makes it to air — will focus on Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) — the greatest seafarer in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.
The titles for the ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoffs keep changing
Another project in development is Ten Thousand Ships (working title), which is set a millennium before the events in Game of Thrones. That series would follow the iconic Princess Nymeria — a true warrior and ancestor of House Martell.
A series based on The Tales of Dunk and Egg is also in the works. It’s set 90 years before GOT, and has Steve Conrad as showrunner.
“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,” Martin wrote on his blog. “The first season will be an adaptation of the first novella, The Hedge Knight.”
They have yet to land on a name for the series, though. Martin said that the current working title is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But, they are also considering The Hedge Knight.
Also in development is a rumored series set in the slums of King’s Landing — Flea Bottom — about Westeros’ poorest residents. There’s also an animated series called The Golden Empire (working title), but Martin wouldn’t reveal too many details.
“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,” he said on his blog. “…I would tell you more if I could, I don’t think I can say a word about the other animated shows. Not yet.”
All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are available on HBO Max.
