Writer Brian Helgeland shares story and setting details of 10,000 Ships, the Game of Thrones spinoff he was developing that never came to fruition.
Brian Helgeland offers up more details about his Game of Thrones spinoff that didn’t end up moving forward. First airing on HBO in 2011, Game of Thrones adapts the book series of the same name by author George R.R. Martin. The mainline series concluded in 2019 with season 8, and it was announced not long afterward that a variety of spinoff shows were in production, including one called 10,000 Ships, which would follow Queen Nymeria.
In a recent interview with Inverse, Helgeland shares more information about the stalled Game of Thrones spinoff. According to the writer, 10,000 Ships would have been a significant departure from the mothership show, which may be why HBO didn’t take it further. Check out Helgeland’s full comment below:
It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original. That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead. My script was based on Queen Nymeria and this little blurb about her that was in a Westeros encyclopedia. Essentially, it was the story of Moses but swapping him out for Nymeria. Her country gets ruined and her people are forced to live on the water, which is why the show was called Ten Thousand Ships.
They end up having to leave and find a new home like the Israelites leaving Egypt. She’s leading all these people, trying to hold everyone together but things are always in danger of falling apart as they travel around a fictionalized version of the Mediterranean, looking for a new home to settle in. Their life was nomadic. Living in a raft city that was bound together, this big floating city.
Sometimes, the characters would come ashore, but they ultimately get driven off the land as they search for a home, their version of the promised land. I met with George R.R. Martin to pitch him the idea, which he signed off on. Sadly, I didn’t work with him closer, but I would have done if the show was picked up.
It was kind of like Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad films mixed with The Odyssey. In a way, Nymeria is Odysseus, but instead of a 12-person crew, she’s responsible for every citizen in this floating city-state. My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up. I enjoyed my time developing it, and you just never know.
What Is The Status Of The Other Game Of Thrones Spinoffs?
Not Many Expansions To The World Of Westeros Have Actually Moved Forward
So far, only one Game of Thrones spinoff has actually made it to air. House of the Dragon premiered in 2022, earning strong reviews and becoming a viewership hit. The spinoff was popular enough to earn a renewal from HBO, and House of the Dragon season 2 is due out this summer.
After a lengthy development cycle beginning in 2021, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight was confirmed to be moving forward in spring 2023. This spinoff, which follows the adventures of Dunk and Egg almost a century before the events of Game of Thrones, just recently got a major update in the form of some casting news. It’s now confirmed that Dexter Sol Ansell will be playing Ser Duncan the Tall and Peter Claffey will be playing the young King Aegon V Targaryen. Filming for the spinoff is expected to get underway this summer.
While a handful of other spinoffs remain in development, actor Kit Harington recently confirmed to Screen Rant that the reported Jon Snow spinoff is no longer in active development, citing the lack of a compelling story idea. Martin did recently tease, however, that three animated Game of Thrones spinoffs could be close to getting the green light, including Nine Voyages, which chronicles Corlys Velaryon’s journey across Esssos. While it doesn’t sound like 10,000 Ships will be moving forward anytime soon, Helgeland’s latest comment suggests it’s not yet off the table.
