Shortly after news that theGame of Thrones prequel was canceled, HBO has confirmed the nextGame of Thronesspin-off, revealing a poster and some information for another upcoming prequel series.
CalledHouse of the Dragon, the spin-off is co-created by novel series author George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal. Previously, Martin and Condal had been reported to be developing a prequel series forGame of Thrones, though the deal had not yet been finalized.
Additionally,Game of Thronesdirector Miguel Sapochnik will partner with Condal as showrunner and will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Condal is also writing the series. You can take a look at the announcement tweet and the new poster forHouse of the Dragonbelow.
The confirmation of thisnew Game of Thrones prequel seriescomes almost immediately after earlier reports of HBO nixing another plannedGame of Thronesprequel. Previously, the network had ordered the development of a pilot for a prequel show set thousands of years before the original series.
CalledThe Long Night, it would have touched on the origin of the White Walkers along and introducing us to some of the long-forgotten ancestors of House Stark. Starring Naomi Watts in a lead role, a pilot for the prequel series was filmed, but HBO was reportedly not happy with the results. The network then put the kibosh on the whole project rather than order any reshoots, and giving the green light toHouse of the Dragonsuggests HBO was much more satisfied with this alternate spin-off’s creative direction.
This may not be heartbreaking to manyGame of Thronesfans, but showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss will not be returning to work onHouse of the Dragonin a creative capacity. They have since moved on to lend their talents to Netflix, and for better or for worse, this prequel will be starting totally fresh with an entirely new creative vision.
The writers had taken a lot of heat from fans of the series since the finale of the show, as the final three episodes have been widely criticized by critics and longtime viewers. Condal is known for his work writing on the seriesColonywhile Sapochnik had previously won an Emmy for his work directing theGame of Thronesepisode “Battle of the Bastards.” Hopefully, this creative partnership will mean the prequel show is in good hands.
The ending ofGame of Thronesmay have been met with a lot of controversy, but the show is one of the most popular to ever air on television. Perhaps it didn’t stick to the landing, but HBO isn’t looking past the fact that the show has brought in monumental amounts of money for the network in addition to its many prestigious awards. Working with the creator of the original novel series to produce an all-new story to expand the mythology of Westeros seems like the best way to move forward, but time will tell how many people are willing to come back around after being let down by the final season of the original series.
There’s no word yet on when we can expect to seeGame of Thrones: House of the Dragonhitting the small screen, but it’s exciting to know the prequel series is in the works. Given the cancellation of the Naomi Watts-led prequel, the franchise’s future on the network wasn’t guaranteed. Now, we definitely know moreGoTis on the way, even if it will feature all-new characters. This news comes to us fromGame of Thrones on Twitter.
