House of the Dragon has finished shooting its first season and is coming to HBO in 2022. But what other potential Game of Thrones spinoffs might follow? With so many rumored projects in the works it’s hard to tell. Especially when even shooting a pricey pilot is no guarantee. We do have some clarity now, though, over which ones have the best chance at making it to air. George R.R. Martin took a break from not finishing The Winds of Winter to update fans over the current status of other A Song of Ice and Fire spinoffs.
In a recent “Not a Blog” post, Martin offered fans an update on his many current projects. He says he’s committed to finishing novel six in his main series (LOL). He’s also working on other books works in the franchise. But he’s also heavily involved in Game of Thrones spinoffs in development at HBO. Here’s what he said about those series:
Those have taken a ton of my time and attention this year. I have seen some comments out there questioning how much I am involved in these new series. The answer is: a lot. Deeply, heavily involved in every one of the new shows. It’s my world, and while I have been working closely with some fantastic writers and showrunners, ultimately it is up to me to try to keep the canon…well, canonical…and to do all I can to help make the new shows great. (And I love these stories too).
The author did not share the exact total of shows under consideration. But he said HBO is working on live-action series while HBO Max is developing animated shows. And while he knows “not all” will make it to air, he does “hope that a number of these shows will” beyond just House of the Dragon. (Of which he’s seen some early footage.)
At HBO, Martin says Bruno Heller (Rome) is writing a pilot script for a Corlys Velaryon series. It had been tentatively titled Nine Voyages, but its new working moniker is now The Sea Snake. That’s so it’s not confused with another spinoff idea, Ten Thousand Ships. That project, spearheaded by Amanda Segel, would follow the legendary Queen Nymeria. She rescued her people from the Rhoynar and ultimately settled in Dorne. (She was a hero of Arya Stark’s, given she named her direwolf for Nymeria.) Martin writes Segel has already “delivered a couple drafts” for the show and they “are forging ahead” with it.
As for the third live-action project, a Dunk & Egg series from Steve Conrad, Martin says he and his team “have had some great sessions with Steve and his team” where they “really hit it off. The pair are one of the most beloved duos in all of Martin’s Westeros. And it sounds like Conrad wants to make a version of their story that will please their dedicated fans. From Martin:
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. The first season will be an adaptation of the first novella, “The Hedge Knight.” Contrary to what you may have read on line, the show will not be called Dunk & Egg, which could be mistaken for a sitcom by viewers unfamiliar with the stories. We’re leaning toward A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for the series title, though The Hedge Knight has its partisans as well.
As for HBO Max’s possible animated series, Martin is under orders to remain mum on most specifics. That could change soon, though. Martin writes work on those are “moving very fast.” And also that he loves some of the concept art he’s seen for them. The animated series he’d admit to being in production is one set in Yi Ti. It’s developing under the title The Golden Empire.
Obviously, we don’t know which of the ideas will make it to air. But we expect the ones that do, will have a very wide audience. Especially book readers with nothing else to do.