UPDATE: May 15, 2017 — HBO is mad for Westeros, reportedly working on not 4 but 5 (!!) potential Game of Thrones spin-offs. GRRM has also let us know which of these ideas is reportedly not in development. Read below for more.
Previously:
“We’d be foolish not to look at it.â€
— HBO President of Original Programming, Casey Bloys, speaking to Variety at this year’s TCA winter tour about a potential Game of Thrones spin-off.
When you have the most popular show on the planet—one with a massive fanbase already mourning the series’ end even with two seasons yet to go—you’d sort of be crazy not to discuss finding a way to continue on. And if there was ever a world begging for further exploration, it’s the one created by George R.R. Martin with his A Song of Ice and Fire series.
The history and backstory he’s provided—not just for the Seven Kingdoms but for beyond the Narrow Sea—is richer and more complex than the history of some real world nations, full of larger than life characters who are as dynamic, unforgettable, tragic, heroic, and dastardly as any that appear in the books and show. It’s all so massive you could spend a lifetime trying to learn all of it. (I know, I’ve been trying.)
So even though HBO says they don’t have any concrete ideas on what they could possibly do, either as a limited series or as a multiple season show, we certainly have a few prequel spin-offs we’d like them to consider. Aome which are obvious, a few should definitely be under consideration, and some lesser known stories that could make for intriguing options.
But no matter what they choose, we swear, to the old gods and the new, we’d watch any and all of them.
OBVIOUS CANDIDATES
Robert’s Rebellion
The uprising that set much of Game of Thrones in motion is the single most obvious choice. [Alicia/editor’s note: which is why they shouldn’t do it!!! Booooooooo and also hisss.] Practically it would work because many of the sets and shooting locations are already established, but emotionally it would be a winner because a number of characters we already know and love—and many legendary figures we would love to meet—are a part of the story. Action packed and framed by a forbidden love story, Robert’s Rebellion and everything that preceded it has all the elements of a compelling epic. Update 5/13: GRRM says this is not one of the spin-offs (good!).
The biggest problem is that it has few secrets left to reveal. Being so recent, with many of its participants still alive (or only recently deceased), much of the story is known to show watchers. And the elements that weren’t/aren’t, have been—or seem ready to be—told by Bran Stark and his magical tree-seeing abilities.
Additional Reading: Why Rhaegar Targaryen Fell in Love With Lyanna Stark and The Tower of Joy and the Most Important Game of Thrones Theory
Dance of the Dragons
This Targaryen royal civil war between half brother and sister for the Iron Throne gets its name as much from its combatants as it does from the fact it is full of dragons fighting other dragons. Yeah, dragon fights. We know a lot of the story already from two short novellas Martin has released, but it has enough unknown and debated moments that it would still have new things to reveal to even the most knowledgeable maester.
As much as we want (NEED) to see dragon fights and think this would make for an awesome show, the truth is there is a another Targaryen civil war that, despite not having dragon fights, is a better option in our humble opinion.
Additional Reading: Rhaenerya Targaryen, the First Woman to Sit on the Iron Throne
Dunk and Egg
The other novellas written by Martin set in this world tell the story of the most famous traveling duo in Westeros history—the famous knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, the Targaryen prince Aegon. After spending years wandering around Westeros, getting involved in an untold number of fascinating adventures, Aegon surprisingly ended up on the Iron Throne (after his brother, Maester Aemon from the show, turned it down).
It’s been reported that Martin himself thinks this is the best option for a spin-off series, and we can understand why. It would lend itself to single standalone episodes, multiple-episode mini stories, or even to season long arcs. And while we know about three specific adventures the pair had, there are many, many more that have only been alluded to, long before they became King and Lord Commander, meaning there’s so much of their story to tell, with no limits to where they could go or what problems they could face. Of course, their final story, The Tragedy of Summerhall, means it would always be destined to break our hearts. Update 5/13: GRRM says this is not one of the spin-offs.
Additional Reading: George R.R. Martin Says Brienne of Tarth Is the Descendant of Legendary Knight
WORTHY CONTENDERS
Blackfyre Rebellion
Remember that other dragon battle we mentioned before? Welcome to it—the other great Targaryen civil war over the Iron Throne happened after the last dragon died, but its story might be even more compelling than The Dance of Dragons because the family members that warred with each other had been far closer, making their fight far more tragic.
It’s a tale with more heroes than villains, with two heroic half-brothers at its center, but it also prominently involves some wonderful, complicated, less moral Targaryens—including the fascinating and mysterious Lord Bloodraven, who (at least in the books), would one day become a certain tree man who beckoned Brandon Stark beyond the Wall. There are lots of other connections to the Game of Thrones we know, and could logically lead in to yet another spin-off in the form of Dunk and Egg.
Additional Reading: Brynden Rivers, The Three-Eyed Raven of King’s Landing
The Night’s King
Considering how much the end of Game of Thrones might influence any spin off, its hard to guess exactly what we might still learn about the Night’s King, but the mystery surrounding the original man/White Walker with that title (unless he’s the same we know today!), the former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch that is said to have bedded a female White Walker and ruled from a castle along the Wall, would make for a dark and fascinating series. The Long Night brought to life? What would it be like to have the villain as the main protagonist?
Considering we’re likely to see a showdown between the armies of the dead and the living with Game of Thrones, this would be a more interesting angle to take for this time period that the Long Night itself. We’d still get to see the world of the First Men and the Children of the Forest, while also getting more clarity on exactly when all of this took place, how the White Walkers were pushed back deep into the cold but weren’t eliminated, all while learning about one of the most fascinating figures in all of Westerosi history.
Additional Reading: The Long Night and Identifying Enemies and Heroes and The Children of the Forest and the White Walkers
The Life of Oberyn Martell
If there is any character from the show we wish we got to spend more time with, it’s the late Red Viper of Dorne, Oberyn Martell. His world travels and tastes for all that life has to offer makes him the perfect leading man with a perfect set up for a series.
A handsome, bisexual trained killer with a quick tongue and even quicker spear, who could let us see new and exciting places we’ve never gone to on the show, and to meet fascinating people, both friend and foe, would be able to run for 20 seasons.
WINNING UNDERDOGS
Rhoynish Wars
What about getting away from Westeros, and going somewhere with all new cultures and stories? That’s why we’d love to see the centuries long wars between two important civilizations in Essos, the dragonlords of the old Valryian Freehold and the cities along the mighty Rhoyne river.
With roughly 250 years of stories to tell, full of heroes and huge, sweeping battles and vengeful gods, the possibilities are endless, and it all ultimately ends with the fleeing of Queen Nymeria, who along with her 10,000 ships, would flee the Rhoynar and go on her own series-worthy adventures before finally settling in Dorne.
The Attempted Conquests of Dorne
Aegon’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms is a misnomer—it was really six, since he didn’t manage to get Dorne to bend the knee (House Martell: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken). But he still tried, with devastating results. And he wouldn’t be the last, as future Targaryen kings also tried to bring the southern kingdom into the fold numerous times, often with tragic results.
Aegon’s Conquest was relatively swift and easy, and wouldn’t make for a good show, but his failure would be the start of a great one. Dorne’s story on Game of Thrones has been…ahem, underwhelming…but the tales about Targaryen attempts to conquer it would make for a wide-ranging, interesting series, one where each season could focus on a different era.
The Travels of Lomas Longstrider
Lomas Longstrider is a famous travel writer who wrote two iconic books, Wonders, about seven natural beauties in the world, and Wonders Made by Man, about nine glorious human constructs.
A series following him would open up the entire, massive known world, from the Wall to Qarth to tons of never before seen places in between, giving writers and viewers a chance to explore any and all cultures from A Song of Ice and Fire, with a limitless potential of people and problems to encounter.
These ideas cover thousands of years over entire continents, involving some of the most famous figures to ever live to some of the lesser known. And we want to see them all. So here’s our number one best suggestion to HBO: make them all.
And then we’ll happily come up with some more.
What spin off ideas are your favorites? What other people or events would make for a great series? [Alicia/editor’s note: THE DOOM OF VALYRIA!] Remember, valar dohaeris, so help us serve up some great suggestions by telling us your thoughts in the comments below.
Images: HBO
