In true Game of Thrones fashion, one potential spinoff has already been killed

By Chris Gates Published April 29, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Not every big casualty in the Game of Thrones universe came during the Battle of Winterfell. Bryan Cogman, a writer and director on HBO’s hit fantasy series, revealed that the Game of Thrones prequel that he developed with author George R. R. Martin would not be going forward.

“My prequel show is not happening and will not happen,” Cogman told The Hollywood Reporter. “HBO decided to go a different way.” HBO asked Cogman to develop a Game of Thrones successor in 2017.

Instead, HBO is pushing ahead with an entirely different prequel series from Martin and writer Jane Goldman. That show, which has already cast Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse in lead roles, will be set thousands of years before Game of Thrones and will reveal the “horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history” and “the true origin of the White Walkers.” Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will not be involved with the series.

Cogman’s canceled series and Goldman’s prequel are two of five Game of Thrones spinoffs that HBO commissioned in anticipation of the flagship series’ eighth and final season. Even then, Martin warned that not all of the shows would see the light of day. “Decades of experience in television and film have taught me that nothing is ever really certain,” Martin wrote, “but I do think it’s very unlikely that we’ll be getting four (or five) series.”

It is easy to understand why HBO would be eager to get more Game of Thrones in production. The show has been a massive success for the premium network, winning 38 Emmy awards — a record for a single series — and generating record-setting social media buzz (pirates seem to like it, too). It’ i also ending after its eighth season, which airs in just a few weeks.

One Game of Thrones follow-up has already filmed. A reunion special featuring many of the actors who appeared on the show, including season 1 fatality Sean Bean, was taped in Belfast, Ireland, in 2018. The special is expected to be released as an exclusive bonus feature in the Game of Thrones season 8 DVD and Blu-ray collections.

Topics

Contributor

Christopher Gates lives in Los Angeles, CA and writes about movies, TV, video games, and other pop culture curiosities. In…

Entertainment

How House of the Dragon saved Game of Thrones’ tarnished legacy

Alicent and Rhaenyra clutch each other in House of the Dragon.

May 19, 2019, is a date branded on the pop culture lexicon. The finale to Game of Thrones, the television phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized the fantasy genre and redefined what "event television" meant, aired to the collective disappointment of millions of fans. The show's decline in quality had begun in season 7, with some questionable choices happening as far back as season 5, but the train wreck that was season 8 was beyond words. Consistency went out the window in favor of spectacle, resulting in a rushed season that reduced the world's greatest TV show into a sad shadow of its former self.

The controversial finale put a seemingly permanent stain on Game of Thrones. In the years leading up to its conclusion, HBO expressed interest in creating a franchise based around George R. R. Martin's World of Ice and Fire. However, the episode's terrible reception put the network's plan in doubt, with many wondering if the Game of Thrones brand was in a healthy enough place to support a franchise. Things got worse when the first spinoff, starring Naomi Watts, got unceremoniously axed -- even after shooting a $30 million pilot -- spelling doom for the would-be franchise. Alas, not all was lost; GoT still had an ace up its sleeve, and it was called House Targaryen.
Mother of Dragons

Entertainment

Game of Thrones deserves to be a great video game like Elden Ring

Tyrion and Daenerys on Dragonstone with Rhaegal and Drogon on either side.

After the generational success that Game of Thrones brought the overall HBO brand, the face of original premium TV has begun a broader expansion of the dark fantasy world of author George R. R. Martin with House of the Dragon. The prequel has reinvigorated the strengths of the flagship show, with more projects underway -- including the Jon Snow-led sequel series. But aside from more TV prequels and a sequel, as ambitious as that all sounds, the video game medium should be something else that's at least on HBO and Martin's radar.

Given the tumultuous merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery, it's hard to say what the likes of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will look like in the near or distant future, but the world of A Song of Ice and Fire is teeming with a mythology that would lend itself well to gaming. Whether it's through the roleplaying or real-time strategy genres, there are plenty of avenues developers can take this IP.
The Elden Ring factor

Entertainment

The 10 most powerful Game of Thrones characters ever, ranked

Daenerys and Jon meeting together in her room.

House of the Dragon ended its hugely successful first season with an episode that included everything, from plots to steal the Iron Throne to dragon battles and a violent death. In short, it was just another day in Westeros. Yes, House of the Dragon was a resounding success, but it owes much of it to Game of Thrones. The show that single-handedly revived the fantasy genre and redefined what the word "spectacle" meant in television, GoT was a game-changer.

The show conquered fans' and critics' hearts with a successful mix of political intrigue and good, old-fashioned drama; there was nothing like it on television or film. Game of Thrones featured a seemingly endless parade of morally-dubious characters vying to seat on a pointy chair, and we couldn't get enough of them. Indeed, the pursuit of power was at the heart of GoT, with every major player wanting to get their share of the glory. But what is power in Westeros? Varys said it best: it's an illusion, a shadow on the wall. And these characters certainly cast a very large shadow. Whether because of their resources, armies, gold, or charm, these figures were the most powerful in Westeros and the beating heart of the game of thrones.
10. Jon Snow