Game of Thrones Robert’s Rebellion Prequel TV Series – Why it Should Happen
With the abysmal nature of the last two seasons of Game of Thrones (the two seasons proceeding them were a mixed bag), the realization that George R. R. Martin will not be finished with A Song of Ice and Fire: The Winds of Winter for years (its already been nine years so far), and the fact that A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dream of Spring may never be finished, fans of Game of Thrones have little to look forward to, a cyvasse board that HBO is intrinsically linked to and one that currently poses little benefit to them.
The Great Mistake
When David Benioff and D. B. Weiss voiced their desire to prematurely end the Game of Thrones TV series, HBO should have asked Benioff and Weiss to step down from the series as showrunners. This was HBO’s big mistake with Benioff, Weiss, and Game of Thrones. One can’t imagine that HBO doesn’t regret it. HBO should have given Benioff and Weiss an exorbitant amount of money for the two of them to amicably step away, kept them on as consultants, and then brought in someone like Guillermo del Toro or Peter Jackson to be the new showrunner of the series.
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HBO didn’t do that (why is a mystery of lemon tree-like proportions). Nor did they try to force Benioff and Weiss out. Instead, HBO went along with Benioff and Weiss’ desire and a landmark, event TV series that the world looked forward to every season was hamstrung, butchered, watered-down, and ruined for all time. There is no undoing what Game of Thrones was eventually transmogrified into under Benioff and Weiss. Like the 44th United States President said about Coronavirus deaths: “it is what it is.”
HBO is hungry for more Game of Thrones
With Game of Thrones ended and the world’s eyes on other TV shows on Sunday nights, HBO is eager for a return of Game of Thrones‘ mammoth viewership (17.4 million viewers at Game of Thrones‘ peak). That hunger spurred HBO to look into potential spin-offs à la AMC and its The Walking Dead spin–offs but unlike AMC, HBO is floundering. One spin-off was killed after its pilot episode was completed, others didn’t make it out of the writing room, and House of the Dragon is in Covid-19 production limbo.
Questions and the Solution
So what does HBO do? How do they earn back the fan trust that they squandered? How does HBO return to the golden age of Game of Thrones i.e. Seasons 1-4? How does HBO produce a Game of Thrones series with a low-to-moderate production budget i.e. no expensive CGI dragons and other posh VFX? What is HBO’s way out while simultaneously being HBO’s way back in? The answer to all of these questions is simple.
Robert’s Rebellion.
HBO wants a Game of Thrones‘ home run, like they had with the original series. Robert’s Rebellion is it. It will cost a quarter-to-half of what House of the Dragon will cost (no CGI dragons) and it will have built-in character recognition e.g. Robert Baratheon. House of the Dragon‘s success, on the other hand, is far more speculative. It may be good. It may be a hit but it will have little-to-no built-in character recognition for non-hardcore A Song of Ice and Fire fans.
The Robert’s Rebellion storyline from A Song of Ice and Fire is a safe crowd-pleaser, is already written (a problem that plagued the later seasons of Game of Thrones), and the groundwork for it has already been laid in Game of Thrones. The latter two points, to be fair, could also be said about House of the Dragon.
Game of Thrones: Robert’s Rebellion would have a love story at its core, actually a love triangle. It would have a formidable male lead character and female lead character (especially if they put in what is speculated about Lyanna Stark i.e. being the Knight of the Laughing Tree). There would be numerous, escalating battles, political maneuvering (remember that in Game of Thrones?), King’s Landing would be sacked, the Red Keep breached by The Mountain, etc. And then there are those elements from Martin’s storyline that would be retained to please “The Pit”: rapes everywhere, including in The Red Keep, murders (including of children), robbery, death-dealt without end, injustice, mayhem, misery, and after it all, a new king would be crowned, the love of his life would be lost, all while Targaryens slip out the back-gate.
Game of Thrones: Robert’s Rebellion could be HBO’s way back into the hearts and minds of Game of Thrones fans that currently dislike and despise Benioff and Weiss for what they did to a fantastic television series (and HBO for letting them do it) in a rush to get out the door.
Robert’s Rebellion would be HBO’s mea culpa to Game of Thrones fans the world-over.
Format
Game of Thrones: Robert’s Rebellion would be a ten-part TV mini-series. The first two episodes would establish the landscape, characters, and relationships (for the newbies and non-book readers). Episode Three would be the abduction and the Starks murder at King’s Landing. Episodes Four through Seven are the rebellion and internal/external machinations in the armies, Westeros, and in King’s Landings. Episode Eight would be the Battle of the Trident. Episode Nine would be the sacking of King’s Landing and the killing of the Mad King. Episode Ten would be the battle at the Tower of Joy, the crowning of the new king, two children running for their lives, people sent to The Wall, and the formation of new friendships and enemies.
A Restoration of Faith
Game of Thrones is like Star Wars right now – people have lost faith in it. With The Mandalorian doing an admirable job of restoring that faith in Star Wars, so to could Robert’s Rebellion restore fans’ faith in Game of Thrones. George R. R. Martin is currently not in favor of a Robert’s Rebellion TV adaptation. Let’s hope he changes his mind.
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