Author George R. R. Martin shared the next adaptations might look a little different.
By Alex Portée
So far, only one “Game of Thrones” spin-off has made it to screen: “The House of the Dragon,” a prequel series that explores the Targaryen family. But more are in the works, author George R.R. Martin promised in a blog post — and they may look a bit different than the past ones.
Martin shared on his blog on Dec. 31 that he’s working on animated projects inspired by “A Song of Ice & Fire,” the sprawling epic fantasy series of which his book “A Game of Thrones” is the first volume.
Here’s what to know about “Game of Thrones” spin-offs and where they stand now.
Read on for everything we know.
Two unnamed animated projects
In his Dec. 31 blog post, Martin shared that he and HBO are working on developing two animated projects, down from four original ideas, two of which were shelved.
“None of them have been greenlit yet, but I think we are getting close to taking the next step,” Martin wrote.
Martin did not share titles or concepts for the projects — but he did explain the reasoning. Martin said it comes down to budgetary concerns and the ability to “show the world” more fully through animation.
‘Nine Voyages’
“Nine Voyages” was a proposed spin-off about the Corlys Velaryon, nicknamed the Sea Snake after a ship in his fleet. Actor Steve Toussaint portrays Corlys in the HBO prequel series “House of the Dragon.” He married Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, is head of the royal fleet, and is a master of the family’s royal warships.
Originally meant to be live-action, the show is now being pitched as animated.
“We have moved ‘Nine Voyages,’ our series about the legendary voyages of the Sea Snake, over from live-action to animation,” he explained in the post, noting that it’s a change in the concept that he “fully” supports given the magnitude of the series.
“There’s a whole world out there. And we have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation,” he added. “So we now have three animated projects underway.”
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2
“House of Dragons” kicks off 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and 100 years after the House of Targaryen brings together the Seven Kingdoms.
The show’s sophomore season is expected to take off after the events of Season Two, which debuted in August 2022.
The first season ended with the brutal deaths of some major characters and Daemon’s push for Rhaenyra to launch the civil war between the Blacks and the Greens.
‘Snow’
In 2022, Martin confirmed news from Hollywood Reporter that a sequel centered around the character Jon Snow was in the works at HBO.
“Yes, there is a Jon Snow show in development,” Martin wrote in his blog “Not a Blog” at the time. “Our working title for the show is ‘SNOW.”
According to Martin, Kit Harington, who originated the role of Jon Snow in “Game of Thrones,” who brought the concept of a sequel series to Martin and his team.
“I cannot tell you the names of the writers / showrunners since that has not been cleared for release yet … but Kit brought them in too, his team, and they are terrific,” the author explained before adding that Harington’s team has worked with him and his team of writers and consultants to flesh out concepts for the show.
Harington has remained tight-lipped about the potential spin-off series. In February 2023, he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and said he “couldn’t say anything” about rumors about the series. During a red-carpet interview with ExtraTV in March 2023, Harington said he couldn’t comment on a potential sequel.
However, according to Entertainment Weekly, the official Game of Thrones convention in Los Angeles, Harington did touch on how the final episode of the “Game of Thrones” series left more to be desired.
“I think if you asked (Jon Snow), he would’ve felt he got off lightly,” Harington said at the time. “At the end of the show, when we find him in that cell, he’s preparing to be beheaded, and he wants to be. He’s done. The fact that he goes to the Wall is the greatest gift and curse.”
“So I think where we leave him at the end of the show, there’s always this feeling of like … I think we wanted some kind of little smile that things are OK,” he continued. “He’s not OK.”
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’
In 1998, Martin published “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” part of a fantasy novella series in the world of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels. The series served as a prequel to the events of the stories and revolved around the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall (the character Dunk), and the future King Aegon V Targaryen (the Egg).
In April 2023, Martin confirmed on his blog that a “Dunk & Egg” series was likely coming to HBO.
“It won’t be called ‘Tales Of Dunk & Egg’ or ‘The Adventures Of Dunk & Egg’ or ‘Dunk & Egg’ or anything along those lines,” the author wrote in his blog noting that the planned series’s working title at the time was “Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.”
According to Martin, HBO gave Martin’s team the green light to film for a premiere season — with potentially six episodes — which will adapt the first of the three “Dunk & Egg” novellas.
According to Deadline, HBO issued an official logline for the series in April 2023.
“A century before the events of ‘Game of Thrones,’ two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg,” the logline reads. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
‘Ten Thousand Ships’
In June 2022, Martin confirmed on his blog that “Ten Thousand Ships” was in development at HBO.
According to the author’s description of the series’ source material, “Ten Thousand Ships” dives into the final, fatal war between the princes of the river and the dragonlords of old Valyria.
In his blog, he referred to this as the “Nymeria” show. Oberyn Martell speaks about Nymeria in the “Game of Thrones” novels, calling her a “warrior queen” who “crossed into Dorne from Essos, fleeing the dragonlords of Valyria. After she landed, she burned her ships, all 10,000 of them, so no cowards could slink home.”
‘Flea Bottom’
Westeros.org, a site constructed by “Game of Thrones” enthusiasts, describes Flea Bottom as “the poorest slum in King’s Landing.” Fans of the series will recall various characters in the HBO series having to descend to the region at different low points in their lives. In Season One of the series, Arya Stark flees the Red Keep and takes refuge in Flea Bottom. In Season Three, Margaery Tyrell agitates Cersei Lannister when she visits the slum to provide charity to orphans living there.
Though Martin has not shared anything official about a “Flea Bottom” inspired series on his blog, Deadline and Variety have reported that a series set in the area is in the works.
