In May 2019 we said goodbye to Game of Thrones and its plots with Sansa, Jon and Arya. But, as we were already warned, that did not mean the end of Westeros. HBO is keen to explore the different times and places in the universe created by George RR Martin and has many plans in hand. Maybe Kit Harington , Sophie Hunter and Maisie Williams no longer return to this fantastic world, but there are many other interesting characters that make fantasy fans enjoy it big.
Just a week ago we knew the news that the chain was preparing a fiction based on Tales of Dunk and Egg , despite the fact that the author had already declared that he did not want that literary saga to have an adaptation until he finished writing it. This is in addition to House of the Dragon , the prequel series that was already underway. And it seems that they will not be the only ones. Although HBO’s ambitious plans to do five ‘spin-offs’ have changed since they were announced, they are still working on several Westeros productions. Here we collect the ones they are developing and the ones they would like to make a reality.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
It is HBO’s big bet and the one that is more advanced. It is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen, the family that had conquered and ruled Westeros for centuries until the arrival of Robert Baratheon and his rebellion.
It takes several months of development, which allows us to already know some names of the cast and details of the production. We know, for example, that Paddy Considine is going to play King Viserys Targaryen , the fifth Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne after the conquest of Aegon the Conqueror – not to be confused with Daenerys’ brother ( Emilia Clarke ) that we saw in fiction . We will also see the reincarnation of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Queen Alicent Hightower, Aegon II Targaryen, and Prince Daemon Targaryen. The confirmation of these characters seems to announce that the Civil War within the Targaryen – known as Dance of the Dragons – will be the central nucleus of House of the Dragon.
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Matt Smith , Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke have also been confirmed for the cast. If the coronavirus pandemic allows, season 1 of House of the Dragon will be released in 2022 on HBO.
TALES OF DUNK AND EGG
One of the latest productions to be announced has been the adaptation of Tales of Dunk and Egg , a title well known to fans of George RR Martin’s novels. They are a series of three books -for the moment- that follow the adventures of Sir Duncan the Tall and a young Aegon V Targaryen and that are set 90 years before Game of Thrones .
Some controversy may arise in this regard, since the author had declared long ago that he did not want this saga to be adapted until he finished writing it to avoid what had happened with Game of Thrones – that is, to prevent the screenwriters from Turn away from what happens in books and make up your own story. Martin planned 7 or 8 installments and only 3 have been published. At the moment, the writer has not commented, so we do not know if he has changed his mind.
ANIMATION
Why not test how George RR Martin’s universe fares in other formats? According to The Hollywood Reporter , HBO would be working on an animation for Game of Thrones . The project would be in its early stages, so hardly any details are known about it. However, it is known that the goal of the network is to develop a drama aimed at an adult audience that has the same essence and style as the original series. Perhaps it is the perfect moment for the actors who are still alive after the end – of the few there are – to give their characters a voice once more. Or for the deceased, like Cersei ( Lena Headey ) or Jaime ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ), to return to action.
THE LONG NIGHT
The Long Night looked very good when it was announced. Starring Naomi Watts , Naomi Ackie and Denise Gough , it was going to be set 5000 years before the events of Game of Thrones and, although it was not going to have any known characters, there were going to be many references. The Starks were going to appear, since mythology assures that they are direct descendants of the First Men and, by the time that I was going to discuss, it fit the plot.
However, there was a lot of discrepancy regarding the story and other aspects of the production, so, even though the pilot had already been recorded, the studio decided to close the project before it got out of hand.
THE REBELLION OF ROBERT BARATHEON
According to EW , HBO really wants to do a series about Robert Baratheon’s rebellion , the one that led him to remove the Targaryens from the throne and that made him take his place. Developing this fiction could be the way to attract more subscribers to the platform – it lost half of them after the end of Game of Thrones -, since, unlike the rest of the projects, Robert’s rebellion – also known as Guerra of the Usurper- is a closer event for the followers.
