HBO announced this week that they currently have four “Game of Thrones” spin offs in development for when their golden goose concludes its successful run sometime next year.
Now, “in development” doesn’t mean all four of the shows will happen. HBO may only end up sending one or two to the airwaves. And we don’t know if these projects in development will be full run series, miniseries, or movies.
But let’s pretend that all four projects get the green light to go in production. What will these spin offs be about? What time periods in the history of Westeros will they cover? Here are my four front runners.
1. Robert’s Rebellion
“BOLD PREDICTION, EINSTEIN,” says all of those who follow “GoT” news on a regular basis. No prequel or spin off has been rumored longer than that the war that put Robert Baratheon on the throne 15 years before the start of Game of Thrones.
No show idea would include more characters from Game of Thrones. And no prequel idea has been referenced more than this one in GoT, making the question more of “When will this show up on the air?” as opposed to “if it will.”
2. The Dance of the Dragons
Set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, this family battle for the throne between dueling Targaryen heirs is loaded with enough political intrigue, battlefield drama, and interesting characters to set itself up for at least a run as a miniseries.
The battle is also set at a time when dragons were commonplace in Westeros and used on both sides of the battle. The dragon vs dragon warfare may prove to be the tipping point that pushes this story into production.
3. Aegon’s Conquest
Aegon, known as “Aegon the Conqueror,” was the first Targaryen king. And I would love to see the tale of how the first Targaryen king and his two (literal) sister wives flew on dragons and conquered all of Westeros. It would also be great for “GoT” fans to see the ancestors of all the families we see in the hit series and how those families came to be where they are and how they are when “GoT” begins.
4. Nymeria, The Warrior Queen
This one is my long shot. But Nymeria’s story (not Arya’s wolf, but the princess who led her people to Dorne to escape the Valaryians and conquered Dorne with her husband Mars Martell) would be perfect for this age of women being cast in stronger roles in movies and television.
It would also give HBO the chance to try again at their depiction of the land of Dorne, a storyline “Game of Thrones” totally butchered and wisely gave up on in season six.
I left out several great stories that could very well be included among the four (The Dunk and Egg Chronicles, The Arrival of the Andals, The Age of Heroes, and The Blackfrye Rebellions just to name a few). I also didn’t include any future story lines that might take place after the “GoT” timeline because I personally don’t think those would be as good as any of the other stories I’ve mentioned.
What other stories would you like to see included in the four potential scripted series in development for HBO?