Even before the end of Game of Thrones , in May 2019, HBO, the producer of the series, had started to plan what would come next.
The goal is to find a way to continue to benefit from the vein by producing one or more series derived from the original.
At HBO, however, managers are dubious about the idea of tackling such a challenge.
If everyone dreams of a new success, few believe it is possible to reproduce the masterstroke of the original series.
But they will still try.
In July 2016, two years before the final episode of Game of Thrones aired , HBO began discussions with George Martin, the author of the books that inspired the series, to consider ideas for a spinoff series.
Martin then offers them two ideas. The first is an adaptation of his short story The Adventures of Dunk and the Egg , a fairly light-hearted short story about a knight who travels across Westeros with his young squire.
The second is the story of the civil war between Daynerys Targaryen’s ancestors. These events take place 180 years before Game of Thrones . The story is called The Dance of the Dragons.
HBO quickly rejected the idea of Dunk and the Egg but liked the idea of Dance of the Dragons .
However, as the stakes are enormous, the channel wants to be offered other ideas, so as not to have to choose between just two pitches.
Many authors are called upon and delve into the work of George Martin to find ideas for series.
Fifteen projects will result from this research phase.
Of these fifteen pitches, four will be selected for the next stage, that of development , where a scenario will be written.
Among these four pitches, we find a project by Max Borenstein ( Kong: Skull Island ) which tells the story of the destruction of Valyria, the ancient Targaryen empire, a project by Bryan Helgeland ( LA Confidential ) about the Dornish queen Nymeria, a project by Jane Goldman entitled Bloodmoon , which we will talk about in a moment, and a project by Rand Ravich and Far Shariat ( The Astronaut’s wife ) on the conquest of Westeros by Aegon.
Meanwhile, HBO and Martin are also moving forward with the Dance of the Dragons project.
A first showrunner is then tested, Carly Wray ( Watchmen and Westworld ), but it doesn’t work with George Martin, who doesn’t like her vision. A new candidate is hired, Bryan Cogman, former producer on Game of Thrones . He’s apparently doing a good job, but HBO isn’t totally convinced. The Dance of the Dragons project was then put aside.
For now, it’s the Bloodmoon project that excites decision-makers at HBO the most, because it looks less like Game of Thrones than Martin’s pitch, Dance of the Dragons .
A pilot episode of Bloodmoon was then ordered.
It’s 2018, a year before the final episode of Game of Thrones airs.
Bloodmoon takes place before Game of Thrones , during the Age of Heroes, during The Long Night. The showrunner is Jane Goldman, known for Kick-Ass and Kingsman .
The problem with Bloodmoon is that Jane Goldman had to invent almost the entire plot, because George Martin only wrote a measly eight lines about this period in his books. This is also a problem for the famous author, who fears that the series will not resemble his work because it is invented from scratch by a third party.
A pilot episode was nevertheless filmed, with Naomi Watts in the lead role. The production costs are monumental: $30 million.
However, HBO would not be satisfied with the end result and ultimately decided to bury the project. We won’t even show George Martin the pilot…
Following the cancellation of Bloodmoon , HBO resurrected Dance of the Dragons , realizing that it is ultimately better to stay true to the spirit of George Martin by adapting one of his works rather than asking a screenwriter to conceive a work news inspired by his own.
A new showrunner is hired, this time chosen by Martin: Ryan Condal. And in 2021, an agreement is signed between George Martin and HBO, for around $15 million.
The series has since been renamed House of the Dragon. It will begin on August 21, 2022 on HBO, after six years of discussions, testing and development…
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