House Of The Dragon’s Success Fully Justifies HBO’s Bloodmoon Decision
House of the Dragon’s success is undeniable, and HBO’s approach to the prequel creates a template for future Game of Thrones spin-offs to follow.
Determining Bloodmoon’s fate may have been risky, but the success of House of the Dragon completely validates HBO’s decision. Faced with the lofty expectations of succeeding one of the most successful television shows of all time, House of the Dragon expands the epic fantasy world of warring kingdoms, indelible characters, visceral violence, and fire-breathing beasts first seen in Game of Thrones. The result was a hit in its own right. The acclaimed prequel storyline proved there was still an appetite for familiars. The success of the ongoing saga of Westeros and the Iron Throne thoroughly supports the decision to abandon Bloodmoon, the network’s previous prequel attempt.
Long before the tales of the Starks and the Lannisters had concluded, it was obvious that something would be needed to fill the void when the series wrapped. HBO knew that the operatic adventure of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire didn’t have to end with Game of Thrones and set about combing through new chapters of the mythology well in advance of Hodor’s devastating death. Curiously, despite thousands of pages of backstory, the network decided to pursue a mythos that had yet to be written. The project that was meant to succeed Game of Thrones came to be known as Bloodmoon.
Why Bloodmoon Never Happened
There are numerous storylines from the Game of Thrones books that deserve their own series. As detailed in The Hollywood Reporter, four of the five final pitches for a Game of Thrones successor rely heavily upon Martin’s expanding seminal library. The fifth—Bloodmoon—attempted to build upon the Game of Thrones universe by daring to offer its own fresh take on the material: no more tales of Aegon’s Conquest, no more Iron Throne, and no more dragons. Bloodmoon was a concept that was said to be “adult, sophisticated, and intelligent,” with a pilot that “looked extraordinary.” Unfortunately, the show simply did not capture the same satisfying tone as the original series.
Deviating from the source material was a calculated risk. Bloodmoon was meant to offer audiences something unexpected, rather than play into the storylines they already knew. Sustaining the normal feel of Martin’s work while presenting something unique required an incredibly high level of innovation—which was complicated by Martin’s refusal to write for a spin-off. Having previously written a mere eight lines about the era that would be explored in Bloodmoon, Martin himself noted that the production was “a very difficult assignment.” Finally, internal reaction to the $30-million pilot saw HBO review Bloodmoon after just one episode.
HOTD’s Success Makes More Game Of Thrones Spin-offs More Likely
House of the Dragon was the litmus test of HBO’s revised spin-off approach, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Given House of the Dragon’s average audience, it is fair to say that most viewers embrace the show’s recognizable, comfortable dynamics, unlike Bloodmoon. The reception of the prequel proves the potential of expanding the Game of Thrones universe by presenting new intrigue, new settings, and new characters with familiar packaging. The template created by House of the Dragon paves the way for future Game of Thrones spin-offs, and House of the Dragon’s success presumably assures that HBO will roll out a multitude of Thrones-related projects in the years to come.
