In 2011, fantasy fans were introduced to a television series that rocked the world and changed fandoms forever. That show was Game of Thrones. Created by David Benioff (Gemini Man, 2019) and D.B. Weiss (Metal Lords, 2022), the show was an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a yet-to-be-finished series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. It lasted eight seasons, with 73 episodes, an incredible ensemble cast, and multiple award nominations and wins.
Throughout all of that, the show has been coined by several critics and publications to be one of the best shows of all time, despite its lackluster ending. However, in recent news, the show has been given several spin-offs.
House of the Dragon Prequel: In the Works
House of the Dragon is a prequel series and will be released on August 21 of this year. It was created by Martin and Ryan J. Condal (Rampage, 2018) for HBO and is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood. The series will be set two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones and chronicles the beginning of the end for House Targaryen.
The cast consists of Paddy Considine (The Outsider, 2020), Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers, 2020), Matt Smith (Doctor Who, 2010-2014), Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One, 2018), and so many more outstanding talents. Its first season will consist of ten episodes.
While many fans are concerned if the series will be as great as the original, Martin is not worried. In a recent blog post, he wrote:
“I’ve now watched rough cuts of nine of the ten episodes, and I continue to be impressed…the look of it is great, and the acting, the directing, and writing are first-rate. And yes, for all you book fans, it IS my story. Sure there are some changes from ‘Fire & Blood’…but I think Ryan Condal and his writers made good choices. Even some improvements.”
Jon Snow Sequel: In the Works
House of the Dragon is not the only series in talks regarding the hit show. Martin also recently confirmed that a spin-off centered on Jon Snow is currently in development. The working title, as of now, is simply Snow. Unlike the prequel set to debut in August, the show is a sequel and was presented by Jon Snow himself, Kit Harrington. “Yes, it was Kit Harrington who brought the idea to us,” Martin wrote in his most recent blog post.
He continued, “I cannot tell you the names of the writers/showrunners since that has not been cleared for release yet. But Kit brought them in too, his own team, and they are terrific.” Perhaps Jon Snow does know something.
The Possibility of More Spin-Offs
Martin also let it slip that three other spin-offs have been put into development. They are tentatively called The Hedge Knight, The Sea Snake, and Ten Thousand Ships. Not much is known about their storylines, but Martin did specify that nothing is set in stone yet.
“Please note: nothing has been green lit yet, and there is no guarantee when or if it will be…on any of these shows. The likelihood of all four series getting on the air… well, I’d love it, but that’s not the way it works, usually. There are all sorts of reasons pilots never get picked up to series, all sorts of reasons scripts never got shot as pilots, all sorts of reasons great treatments never get sent to scripts. That’s the way the business works.”
What Game of Thrones Fans Want
While most fans were disappointed with the end of the Game of Thrones series, some have come forth to show the need for certain spin-offs. Most fans are calling for one that would follow Arya Stark, a young lady turned assassin from House Stark, as she sails around the world where the original show left off.
One fan wrote on Twitter, “Give us an Arya sequel! She’s sailing around the world & she’s a trained assassin now.” Another tweeted, “Was Maisie Williams busy? Why would you go back to ‘Man who literally does nothing for eight seasons’ instead of ‘Girl who decides to go exploring the unknown’ like VERY OBVIOUSLY ‘Arya Stark and the Dawn Treaders’ is the sequel series. What are we doing?”
This is not the first time an Arya sequel has been brought to light. Maisie Williams, the actress who brought the amazing Arya to audiences everywhere, however, dashed hopes that she would return for a spin-off in an interview with ScreenRant, where she said:
“I’m not saying it would never happen, but I’m also not saying it in this interview so that everyone goes…[gasps]…’It’s coming!’ Because it’s not. It has to be the right time and the right people. It has to be right in the context of all the other spin-offs and the universe of Game of Thrones… It has to be right for me.”
So, for now, fans will just have to take what they can get, at least until Williams decides to come back with a vengeance.