Don’t get your hopes up for a Game of Thrones spin-off just yet!

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It’s a commonly bandied-about idea in fandom- the notion of another series based on the A Song of Ice and Fire world after Game of Thrones has run its course. The most popular suggestions include a Robert’s Rebellion-era prequel and a series centered around George R.R. Martin’s Dunk & Egg novellas, which are also set in the Seven Kingdoms. Given how much HBO counts on Game of Thrones as its biggest show, it seems likely the network would want to find ways to prolong that magic (and money).

Unfortunately for fans’ hopes, today Entertainment Weekly is reporting that no spin-offs are in the works for Game of Thrones – yet.

“No,” HBO programming president Michael Lombardo has apparently told EW when asked. The exec explains, “If that were to happen it would have to come from [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] really feeling something, or [author George R.R. Martin] really feeling that it was the right thing to do. Not knowing how this particular story ends, I don’t know. There are plenty of characters, secondary characters, [that] you could build a world around. We’re always going to be drawn to a strong creative vision. But we are not going to do that unless we feel their passion.”

The showrunners have discussed the possibility of spinoffs before with EW, based on how rich Game of Thrones is with characters.  Benioff discussed the subject with EW during the making of the third season, mentioning Bronn as a subject with potential. He also said, “We could do a great half-hour comedy with Sam [John Bradley] and Gilly [Hannah Murray]. It’s an embarrassment of riches.”

Currently it’s a different story, however. Weiss recently told EW that, “The job at hand is too enormous and challenging to be further diffusing ourselves by thinking about spin-offs.”

I think the key word here is yet. Benioff and Weiss are clearly swamped with Game of Thrones right now, and have some other work lined up. But HBO is going to be extremely reluctant to let go of the cash cow that is GoT, and we’d all love to see other aspects of ASOIAF brought to life onscreen.

What are your thoughts on this, readers?

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

106 Comments

  1. I think there is scope for an entire new series purely based around the house of black and white and the exploits of the faceless men.

  2. The Coldplay songs. And dreadfort fever: the musical. Iwan Rheon singing flayin’ alive and Carice can Houten singing Shireen Inferno (burn baby burn) and channeling Vanessa Paradis’ “be my baby” reworded as “Shadow baby” (all you’re asking me for, is to win me this war, giving birth to a shadow baby).

  3. I think it is cart before the horse sort of thing. I just want to get through this first and then see if there is enough energy to go further. The undertaking that is still ahead is too great to contemplate spin offs. Maybe after a time, then it could be explored. I think it is helpful to remember that the largest majority of the show watchers are not book readers and maybe never will be….so little references like Dunk and Egg or Robert’s Rebellion would have little meaning to the average viewer.

    Just my two cents. There seems to be a large fan-base HERE that want to see this. While I am an avid book lover, I guess right at this point I am more focused on THIS show coming to a perfect and right completion.

    (there are so many other worlds to explore out there as well, I would love to see HBO take on some of those with the same excellence as GoT’s has been.)

  4. I think they will happen eventually. Not to the level of Disney’s Star Wars but there’s bound to be something to come after the series end.

  5. I rather they go further back and tell the story of House Dayne, Stark and the first long night, we know most of Robert’s rebellion and will more likely get a truer answer on it by next year, but we don’t know about the treaty or how it affected the Houses after the long night , the wars between Starks,Boltons etc.

  6. Make it happen. It doesn’t need to be right away or oversaturate the market but another quality HBO series is always welcome. It doesn’t matter if people have read the Dunk and Egg novelas or not. How many show fans read ASoIaF books before GoT aired? Not a very big % compared to what the show’s fanbase is now. If the story is good a fandom will grow. And they already have the huge success of GoT to piggyback from.

  7. Dunk & Egg would be my choice. But I’d love to see any and everything, going all the way back to Queen Nymeria leading her people to Dorne, spending many years as refugees before that.

  8. I will continue to believe lol

    The Dance of the Dragons, Dunk and Egg, and Robert’s Rebellion are my personal favorites.

  9. Benioff discussed the subject with EW during the making of the third season, mentioning Bronn as a subject with potential. He also said, “We could do a great half-hour comedy with Sam [John Bradley] and Gilly [Hannah Murray]. It’s an embarrassment of riches.”

    Currently it’s a different story, however.

    Is anything really different now? They weren’t floating actual spin-off ideas in that S3 interview, they were talking about how challenging it is that they don’t have enough hours to do justice to all their characters. The context of that quote in the interview makes it obvious – it’s not like they were responding to the question “what’s next?”

  10. Maybe put the characters in modern reality show situations. Hot Pie and Cersei could travel Westeros in search of the best food and wine. They’d have a hate/hate relationship, but their on screen chemistry would be off the charts.

    Sansa and Loras could be the hosts for Say Yes to the Dress.

    Jaime could coach Brienne through Westeros Ninja Warrior.

    Sansa would kick ass on Survivor.

  11. I would love another series of the same, of course, but if I were D&D and still wanting to adapt, I would try to consider the best source material out there. Dunk & Egg is good, yes, but is it as rich (which is what makes me love GoT) as some other stories out there? I love that the Patrick Rothfuss “Kingkiller Chronicle” is being adapted already, and I’m excited about it, but there is also she-who-shan’t-be-named on this site if you want posts not to be blocked. This story appeals to me more than a GoT spinoff.

  12. I think an animated prequel series writteb by grrm thats super faithful and has no limits in terms of scope would be great. I mean look at the histories and lore videos theyr great something like that but with actual motion. That way we could see something like the tower of joy again with a new interpretation.

  13. HotPinkLipstick:
    Maybe put the characters in modern reality show situations. Hot Pie and Cersei could travel Westeros in search of the best food and wine. They’d have a hate/hate relationship, but their on screen chemistry would be off the charts.

    Sansa and Loras could be the hosts for Say Yes to the Dress.

    Jaime could coach Brienne through Westeros Ninja Warrior.

    Sansa would kick ass on Survivor.

    Yara, The Hound, Tyrion, and Bronn go on an epic pub crawl in all the areas of Westeros. From Dorne to the Wall, no pub or brothel is left untouched.

  14. Problem is they’ll need a new show runner. It would surprise me if Benioff and Weiss wanted to dive into that right away. They already have other things lined up. An who would this be that HBO would be willing to trust? Bryan Cogman is a good option and as a secondary hand to the show runners has enough experience to be given a shot at the top job. That’s a pretty good option actually, because I sincerely doubt D&D will have any part in a spin-off, at least on the timetable HBO would seek.

  15. D&D have a massive task ahead to close out the show in the manner it so richly deserves. I’d say HBO comments simply echo that. To think about prequels, sequels or spin-offs while working on the big finish would be completely wrong prioritisation.
    Perhaps others should take the lead in developing such things, and, of course, GRRM will have his say too.
    Maybe something different could be considered too. There’s a wealth of potential in GOT History, other than Robert’s Rebellion or Dunk & Egg. How about going back to Aegon’s Conquest?

  16. crabber son,

    I would love love LOVE an animated series. I think it could be done for just about everything, including another take on the main story. 2D, of course – not that god awful 3D animation used for Star Wars.

  17. A 6-8 episode, Dunk, mini-series is my bet.

    Dance of dragons would require to much CGI.

    And RR I doubt will see for some time. With TOJ coming this season I just don’t think there’s a point.

  18. I don’t see HBO letting this cash cow go, especially considering their well publicized problems launching a new dramatic show that has the impact of GoT, Sopranos, and The Wire. I mean, at the very least, it’s years down the road, and I’ll wager GRRM will have more control over it. Also I doubt D&D will be involved, unless what they have planned next doesn’t pan out. Maybe Cogman could run it.

  19. I could see Cogman taking up the mantle when D&D are done with it. But g-damn, so much bad news in 24 hours! At least I’ll have something to drown my sorrows in 8.5 days.

  20. Dunk and Egg itself would probably only be suited for a movie or miniseries. But a spinoff series set during that period in Westeros could be very interesting if they expanded the scope and followed other characters in addition to those two. Would love to see the Targaryens explored on screen before their downfall. The Blackfyre Rebellion(s) period would be more feasible than the Dance of Dragons period (soo many dragon fights…)

  21. I believe GRRM has said in the past that if there is a spin-off, it will not be centered around Robert’s Rebellion. The Dunk and Egg stories are a good read, but they are not compelling enough to make a show about, IMO. The Targaryen civil war is where it’s at.

    On a side note, I wonder how soon the negotiations between HBO and D&D will wrap up regarding the longevity of the show. I’m guessing it has to be done in the next couple of months, considering they begin pre-production before the current season ends, normally.

  22. I don’t care for the spin-off.

    I want good ending and then I will rewathh the show for 4532 times.

  23. Well, even if they do a spin-off it won’t be anytime soon. GOT ends in 2018 and then they have the “Dirty White Boys” feature film to do. They signed the contracts for the adaptation. That would take them 1,5/2 years and then they could start thinking about a spin-off. Deals, negotiations, casting, contracts – should take some time as well. Then the actual writing and production. I’m thinking 2021-2022 is when we might get a spin off. IF we get one.

  24. Flayed Potatoes: Yara, The Hound, Tyrion, and Bronn go on an epic pub crawl in all the areas of Westeros. From Dorne to the Wall, no pub or brothel is left untouched.

    I would watch the fuck out of that. And buy every bit of merchandise.

  25. Gravemaster,

    Lol I had no idea what dirty white boys was. Just Googled it. It’s a film so it should be quick.
    Would it have to be D&D doing the potential spinoff?

  26. mau,

    I have to agree. It is very easy to say that spin-offs are a great idea, but how many spin-offs are actually any good (particularly for TV series). I will be sad when GoT finishes, but I will continue to re-watch the series for many years and will enjoy all the fantastic moments over and over again.

    D&D won’t be involved with the series (apart from maybe a token exec producer credit). I also have a feeling that Cogman would steer away too. I just think he’ll want to do something different instead of trying to emulate D&D who he would be compared with if he was a showrunner on a spinoff. D&D and Cogman should develop other interesting ideas in the future, and not try to rehash GoT. They’re all fantastically talented so I have no doubt they will all succeed.

    RR would be an absolutely shocking idea for a spinoff, and I’m really surprised that people keep on mentioning it. Dunk and Egg would be OK, but to be honest I’m happy for GoT to be the beginning and the end. I don’t want to have lots of knowing winks in a spinoff, with a rehash of what has come before it which would inevitably happen.

  27. I’ll put this out there; I’ve been watching TWD on force of habit at this point and one of the frustrating things imo about the show is that there’s no endgame. That’s not the case with GoT and that”s good

  28. And that’s how it should be done. Complete the main body of work first before laying down any plans of a spin-off. Now if I only could find an example of a person who has done things differently..

  29. There are so many stories that can be made out of it, an anthology works too where they work on different story arcs every year. But I guess that would be expensive with changing sets and actors every year

  30. I think if they do a spinoff, it would be best to separate themselves from the current story, which means no Roberts Rebellion or even Dance of Dragons. People, even TV only viewers, have seen an heard that. They know how it ends and what happens to the major players.

    I think they could go WAY back into the history of westeros – stuff that even the Maesters aren’t clear on because it predated their written histories. Depict the days of Andal invasions, the children of the forest, the long night, etc. That way you could latch on to characters who have their own epic fates being revealed in this series only, without already generally knowing what would become of them. You wouldn’t deal with the same issue that writers and viewers deal with even the greatest spin off series — the fact that you already know that character X is alive in the main series or is going to die in 30 years so you aren’t worried about them being killed during the spin off, or you know that the big mission they are going on has to fail because of some other facts you already know from the main series.

    That said, I could definitely do with some mini-series or even animated tellings of the Roberts Rebellsion, Blackfyre rebellion, etc. I just don’t think it would be great as an epic series.

  31. Personally, I just hope GOT comes to a proper ending, staying as great as it is now right to the very end.
    Although I have not read the books it kind of scares me that they don’t have a “roadmap” to follow now.
    Let’s hope the finale won’t be a guy waking up in an ic unit having dreamt all that while in coma.

    And if they are in search of a script… there was this fantasy series I liked when I was a teen, about a guy named Elric of Melnibone.

  32. I have zero interest in a spin-off show. It would suffer the same fate as the Hobbit movies. Just like LotR, GoT is the big thing. It’s a gigantic and epic story for the fate of the entire realm. Every other story compared is pointless. What impact have Dunk & Eggs stories on the history of Westeros? None. What is interessting in a show about Robert’s rebellion? Nothing, we already know how every major event ends. There would be zero tension in a show like that.

    You can’t follow a story on the epic scale of Got/aSoIaF with a much smaller and less relevant one. It will always end in disappointment!

  33. I am not sure it would work but I think the Dunk and Egg stories could be very nice in a more conventional type of TV series. You have two main characters, several recurring ones (the Targs and maybe a few other Lords and Bloodraven, of course) and then you have the local settings of each episode or two. At best George could add a few more places on the way (we never heard about Dorne between D&E 1 and 2, for example) and if not D&D and Brian are very familiar to come up with their own ideas.
    I would watch it. On the other hand, no dragons (at least literal ones).

  34. Yeah most people instantly jump to the obvious stories: Dunk and Egg, Robert’s Rebellion, the Dance of the Dragons. But a true spin-off would be on other areas that were hardly touched in GoT. That way the outcomes of characters are better. Someone mentioned a show about the House of Black and White or Bronn are fantastic ideas. Maybe follow a group of Sellswords in Essos.

  35. Did Westworld go down the toilet?
    It was scheduled to start again last month, nothing.
    HBO renewed Vinyl but it’s ratings went down down.
    HBO gots no much right now.

  36. As a show watcher only, I have no interest in the ideas for spin-offs that most book readers propose, things that already exists in the GoT/ASOIAF lore. I don’t want to go backward. I would much rather go forward. Let GoT come to an awesome conclusion, and then in a couple of years’ time, if someone wants to develop a series set in the future, with a few current characters aged up supplying connectivity, that would be great. Sort of like the Star Wars sequel, and its enormous viewer appeal. This could be D&D, or someone else.

  37. thoughts…

    – a show focused on Bronn which is more lighthearted/funnier and less broad in scope than the main series, but features some cameos from main-series characters, and it is called “Better Call Bronn”.
    – just a show where Mace Tyrell goes around to different places singing
    – a show all about different types of dogs, I guess
    – an interactive show where each episode is just a 30-minute shot which starts as an ECU and sloooowwwwwwwly pans out; viewers use Twitter to guess what flayed body part they’re looking at.

    In real life though, I have to grudgingly agree with this:

    batfan: Every other story compared is pointless. What impact have Dunk & Eggs stories on the history of Westeros? None. What is interessting in a show about Robert’s rebellion? Nothing, we already know how every major event ends. There would be zero tension in a show like that.
    You can’t follow a story on the epic scale of Got/aSoIaF with a much smaller and less relevant one. It will always end in disappointment!

  38. D&D’s temper tantrum continues. It almost feels like they are really pissed of by the spoiler leaks.

    STUPID PEOPLE WHO LOOK SPOILERS UP! SHORTER SEASONS! NEVER ANY SPINOFFS!

  39. D&D work really hard on the show and it seems very tiring. They might need a bit of an extended vacation with their families after GoT is done. I would be all right without a spin-off. They rarely get me pumped up anyway. Though I would love to see something involving the Targaryens and their dragons back in their days of glory in Valyria or the conquest of Westeros.

  40. I don’t see why D&D or GRRM have to be involved, HBO now owns the tv/screen rights to the ASoIaF world, with the exception of D&E which George retained. HBO can assign any producer(s) with passion and scope for a spinoff and use Bryan as co-creator. They have the freedom to pick and choose whatever story to use, even wholly original ideas set in that world.

  41. Hoyti Von Totiy: Don`t know what to make of that. Maybe they threw the filler out and stepped up the pace or it was a budget issue?

    With all of the returning characters and storylines I’m surprised at the runtime.

  42. I’d love to see dance of the dragons as a spin-off, although all those mid-air dragon battles may prove a little expensive for HBO to pull off. A more likely one would probably be Robert’s Rebellion, as it is only the immediate history to the current story. As long as the plot isn’t over-simplified, I’ll be happy. 😮

  43. If they were to do a spin off would it have to be based off something GRRM wrote? Would GRRM allow another writer to play in his world with it not being based off something that he has written?
    I don’t think any of the short stories set in Westeros that GRRM has written would work as multiseason TV shows but there is a lot of potential for new great stories set in Westeros. Obviously GRRM wouldn’t be crafting the story but he could give ideas and concepts for a new TV show set in Westeros. David and Dan don’t have to do it either and I doubt they would want to anytime soon. There are a lot of great writers who could create new characters and stories for Westeros but I’m not sure if GRRM would allow that.

  44. I disagree, I think D&D are tired as fuck. Check their Pictures fom 2010 and now, in the last six years their stress levels got them 20y older.
    Also from their interview and statement, they are way more cynic and harsh, clear signs of ‘giving up on this crap’. We’ve all been there.
    They wont touch the ASOIAF universe ever again.
    And I hope GRRM finished the books before another attempt at a pilot.

  45. Wilber's Forza Danza,

    Yea I agree about doing something like aegons conquest….I think they should do a prequel that goes back far enough that we have a whole new cast of characters that we’ve never seen or heard of…maybe the war between the andals and first men…or maybe they could explore sothoryos….some place we’ve never seen and don’t have any prior knowledge about…

  46. Guys it’s not happening. There was never, ever any indication that it was. This was always just a ridiculous notion by the fandom assuming it would happen, similar to Mads Mikkelsen playing Euron yadda yadda yadda. HBO have just confirmed this. And I highly doubt D&D are gonna want to go down this road (especially after the last post as they’re clearly pretty burned out by ASOIAF). It’s amazing after all of these facts that most of us are still assuming it will happen. Let’s just enjoy the rest of Game of Thrones at least, Sheesh.

  47. Boojam:

    HBO is stuck at the moment because none of their new tv shows have gathered a large following. Vinyl was a disappointment and it had a GoT-sized budget. I don’t think they’d want giving up the ASOIAF world just yet.

  48. I reeeeally really hope they aren’t gonna do a spin-off with any of the current characters or actors. A short series of Robert’s Rebellion* or some other story during the Targaryen dynastic era would have been great.

    * SPECIALLY since there’s a serious Charles Dance (in his fourties) lookalike in Swedish actor Peter Eggers. (Google him, it’s creepy!)

  49. I want a Dorne (done right) spin-off with Princess Arianne Martell. There are no Martells in this show. There is a crippled guy with a son who is basically a background prop.

  50. I dont see a “spinoff” ever happening..what I can see happening at some point, because HBO is a business and its job is to make us want to buy subscriptions, is another series based on the ASOIF world and my vote would be Aegons Conquest. Its made for HBO..you got sex(incestuous love triangle even) ,battles,drama..pretty much Rome+GoT have a baby . They could tout it as a “prequel” but it would be a stand alone show, and since it is so far in the past from the happenings during GOT it would be starting with clean slate. There would be comparisons at first of course, but new cast, crew,show runners would be able to make it there own.

  51. orange:

    Problem is they’ll need a new show runner. It would surprise me if Benioff and Weiss wanted to dive into that right away. They already have other things lined up. An who would this be that HBO would be willing to trust? Bryan Cogman is a good option and as a secondary hand to the show runners has enough experience to be given a shot at the top job. That’s a pretty good option actually, because I sincerely doubt D&D will have any part in a spin-off, at least on the timetable HBO would seek.

    Absolutely agree. If D&D are burned out, Bryan would be their natural successor. He’s as passionate about the material and is probably pretty proficient in running things by now. If HBO wants something quickly (≤5 years post GOT), Bryan’s their best bet. He also might inspire others involved in production to stick around.

  52. Apollo:
    Guys it’s not happening. There was never, ever any indication that it was. This was always just a ridiculous notion by the fandom assuming it would happen, similar to Mads Mikkelsen playing Euron yadda yadda yadda. HBO have just confirmed this. And I highly doubt D&D are gonna want to go down this road (especially after the last post as they’re clearly pretty burned out by ASOIAF). It’s amazing after all of these facts that most of us are still assuming it will happen. Let’s just enjoy the rest of Game of Thrones at least, Sheesh.

    If two or three years after GOT ends none of their new shows take off, HBO will inevitably try to do it.

  53. The nasty bits:
    I’ll put this out there; I’ve been watching TWD on force of habit at this point and one of the frustrating things imo about the show is that there’s no endgame. That’s not the case with GoT and that”s good

    Agreed but then there’s the converse of that: Lost. One of, if not THE, first shows to be given the opportunity to end when they wanted, on their own terms. We all know how that worked out.

  54. George: If two or three years after GOT ends none of their new shows take off, HBO will inevitably try to do it.

    But you have nothing to base that opinion on. And HBO have said it won’t happen. So- it won’t happen. We all need to accept that.

  55. Sure, HBO could make 100 shows without D&D and GRRM. They own the rights to make shows out of that world. However, it would be a PR disaster if they tried, so they won’t. Until D&D and/or GRRM decline involvement but give their support to someone else going through with it.

    Also, HBO will not dive head-first into unknown territory with a spin-off. They will do exactly what Lucasfilm is doing with Star Wars. First it’s the known stories, or anything surrounding a known story. You won’t see something like “Knights of the Old Republic” (a Star Wars story set thousands of years before the movies) for a decade, because it would involve completely new characters and situations. Lucasfilm is going to first get the audience used to going to see the continued Skywalker story, then spin-offs about characters and situations we already know, and THEN spring brand new things.

    HBO will do the same thing with the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. First you do the saga. Then you do spin-offs about characters and situations people already know (and since we’re getting flashbacks to a few things this season, it would seem a perfect setup to the next spin-off, which would have younger versions of characters we already know). And then, after years of that, perhaps in another decade, you drop “From the creators of GAME OF THRONES and WAR OF THE USURPER comes DANCE OF THE DRAGONS! A new series from the mind of George RR Martin. Produced by [insert brand new executive producers who have some major credentials from other shows or movies].”

  56. I don’t really dig the ideas about prequel spin-offs but some kind of sequel spin-off could be ok.

  57. About what are the Dunk and Egg stories? Are they the sort of stories that successful cable TV series tell?

    That really is the only possibility. Everything else would just be faux history, and if there was a market for that, then some shows would have done it.

  58. I would be shocked if they didn’t plan for another show in a few years. It’s too big of a property for Time Warner to just drop it after the GoT Finale….

  59. Wimsey:
    About what are the Dunk and Egg stories?Are they the sort of stories that successful cable TV series tell?

    That really is the only possibility.Everything else would just be faux history, and if there was a market for that, then some shows would have done it.

    Dunk & Egg could be done as a mini-series. It would have to be less intense, but with the right actors could be awesome.

  60. Wimsey:
    About what are the Dunk and Egg stories?Are they the sort of stories that successful cable TV series tell?

    That really is the only possibility.Everything else would just be faux history, and if there was a market for that, then some shows would have done it.

    How is that the only possibility? It’s one of like a dozen possibilities. NO ONE outside of the book reading fandom knows who those characters are, unless they paid very close attention to one line of dialogue on the show. And ALL OF THIS is faux history.

    As for shows doing it… ummm… so… ummm… Walking Dead… is… doing… it.

  61. Laura:

    Agreed but then there’s the converse of that: Lost. One of, if not THE, first shows to be given the opportunity to end when they wanted, on their own terms. We all know how that worked out.

    That’s not true. The Lost showrunners wanted to end the series sooner, but the network wanted to milk the cow longer and kept it on. So the writers had to delay endgame and write filler to keep the schedule. That’s where and when Lost got derailed.

    And I vote for Dunk and Egg as a spinoff. I really like those stories. That, or a spinoff set during the Age of Heroes, when the Wall was originally created.

  62. GeekFurious: And ALL OF THIS is faux history

    No, it is not a faux history: it is a story that uses faux history for some of it’s plot. That is all history (fictional or real) is: plot. And you cannot sell a show with plot only.

  63. JamesL: Obviously GRRM wouldn’t be crafting the story but he could give ideas and concepts for a new TV show set in Westeros.

    If the stories are any good, then they do not need to be set in Westeros. Conversely, if it somehow needs Westeros to interest anybody, then it’s probably going to interest only fans: and fans are not enough to sustain a show.

    We should take this and be glad of it. It probably will be the only telling of the story that gets to the end. After this is done, Westeros and Essos will have served their purposes. If people really crave “world-building,” then they should read real history books or watch historical documentaries: real history is infinitely more interesting than any fictional history!

  64. And yet still everyone carries on assuming it’s a foregone conclusion that a spin off will happen… when in fact the opposite is the case. Hilarious.’

  65. I don’t think D&D will be up for it, and I don’t see the point in doing it if they aren’t involved.

  66. HBO really needs to stop tonguing D & D. There are plenty of other capable producers and writers out there who could easily handle George’s material. The ASOIAF world shouldn’t always have revolve around those two. I mean hell, why not give Bryan Cogman the opportunity to steer a Robert’s Rebellion mini series?

    And given the current landscape of HBO’s programming you’d think they’d be keen on mining more of George’s world. I mean Vinyl isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, and Westworld has just been recently delayed due to re-writes. HBO have really dropped the ball lately, networks like Starz are on the verge of overtaking them unless they drastically improve their future line up.

  67. I have zero interest in a spin-off. The show is great and they’ve done a great job, but anything else within the universe I’d rather just read it.

  68. Flora Linden,

    I didn’t watch “Lost” but the two best examples of shows that stayed too late at the party were “Dexter” and “The Simpsons”. I could also make an argument that Downton Abbey should’ve ended after four seasons, and True Blood after three.

  69. Ravyn,

    I’d also add “The X-Files” to the list; it should have ended at seven seasons (although I thought season 8 was interesting with the addition of Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish).

    Long-running TV shows are like movie franchises. In both, the studios and networks run them into the ground to keep profit rolling in as long as possible. Good storytelling doesn’t interest them. That’s why there’s too many tent-pole franchise movies and TV shows. And why most of them suck.

  70. In truth I have thought about this many times and would love to see a spin-off, but I doubt it would be anything Dragon Heavy as CGI is to costly so scratch off (“The Dance of Dragons”)-(“ Aegon’s Conquest”)-(“ The Ice Dragon”) (“ The Long Night”) It would have to be something relevant to current show watchers knowledge base which to me would be (“Roberts Rebellion”), Maybe (“The Long Night”) Those are stories the Show watchers would be semi-familiar with and that is how to gain instant viewers.

    That said with the popularity of GOT with good marketing I could see some spin-offs getting views and if done with proper marketing the Pilot could be great but will take great directors in the future to keep it going.

    Personally I would want to see
    1. Whores would go crying from Dorne to the Wall – The story of Tyrion, Bron after The Great battle where they go on a major Party. Really anything with Tyrion or Bron playing off each other is pure Gold. It’s like the Odd-couple gone bad. (Executive Producer =Chuck Lorre)
    2. The Hedge Knights- / and or Dunk & Egg (Executive Producer =Brian Helgeland)
    3. The Budget Buster- of all Budget Busters – The story of Valyria including Aegon’s Conquest. (Executive Producer = Peter Jackson) If you are going to bust the budget goo all the way.

    I really don’t not want to see D&D involved anymore they did good but the more interviews they give the more they seem frustrated and burned out and that can only end bad for the show and fans. If HBO was smart the final two seasons they could easily and secretly film a story about (“The Long Night”) at least the first season of it or even the newest Spin-off. It would throw fans off the “spoiler” trail using the same sets currently with the new series actors.

  71. Wimsey,

    It’s straight up an adventure story where Duncan the Tall (future commander of the KG, currently an aspiring knight) and Egg (Maester Aemon’s brother who is hiding his identity) travel through Westeros and go through all sorts of mischief (sword fights, trials by combat, Greyjoy raids etc.). Young Bloodraven also appears. With good writers, show runners and a talented child actor to play Egg, the show would be awesome. Think of the Arya and Hound pairing, except they’re not alone all the time and it’s less depressing.

  72. Jack Bauer 24,

    WTF! Season 6 is only going to be seven episodes? So that’s why they mentioned seasons 7 and 8 to be possibly 13 episodes, they’re spreading out two seasons over three, devious bastards.
    Then again, if this season is 7 ep. and they spent an extra month of filming just for seven, imagine all that’s going into these episodes.

  73. Then again D&D spent an extra month of filming last year, if it is for only 7 episodes, imagine all the material that will be in those episodes.

  74. It could be the HBO schedule is released only till the first week of June and that is why there are only seven episodes. Well this will be proven true if by next week, eight episodes are listed for season 6.

  75. tyjon: WTF! Season 6 is only going to be seven episodes?

    No it isn’t. It’s 10 episodes. That has been known for a long while now. The schedule only goes so far, though. It’s updated each week.

  76. tyjon:
    Jack Bauer 24,

    WTF! Season 6 is only going to be seven episodes? So that’s why they mentioned seasons 7 and 8 to be possibly 13 episodes, they’re spreading out two seasons over three, devious bastards.
    Then again, if this season is 7 ep. and they spent an extra month of filming just for seven, imagine all that’s going into these episodes.

    Every Friday the HBO schedule is updated with another episode. It only goes 7 weeks out, so that’s why it only lists up to Episode 7.

    Through the first seven episodes this is the shortest season though, which is weird because of all the returning characters and new characters and locations.

  77. Like many fans, I’ve fantasized about a 10-episode Robert’s Rebellion.

    Episode 1:

    The tourney at Harrenhal, ending with Rhaegar giving the crown of blue winter roses to Lyanna

    Episode 2:

    Rhaegar abducts Lyanna. Rickard and Brandon Stark go to King’s Landing where King Aerys kills them.

    Episode 3:

    Robert’s Rebellion begins. Robert, Ned, Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully call their banners. Ned marries Cat. Jon Arryn marries Lysa.

    Episode 4-7:

    Various battles in Robert’s Rebellion. The Reach supports the Targaryens. The Lannisters, Freys and Greyjoys are notoriously neutral. Rhaegar and Lyanna have a few shortlived months of happiness in ToJ. Lyanna becomes pregnant. Stannis Baratheon holds Storm’s End against Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne. Davos swims in with his onions. Jon Connington has a chance to burn an entire village to kill Robert but refuses, a failure that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

    Episode 8:

    The great battle on the Trident. Robert smashes his warhammer into Rhaegar’s chest. The tide of the war turns irrevocably.

    Episode 9:

    Tywin Lannister sacks King’s Landing. Jaime Lannister drives his sword through Mad King Aerys’ back. Amory Lorch and Gregor Clegane massacre Elia Martell, Princess Rhaenys and Prince Aegon. Quellon Greyjoy attacks the Reach on behalf of the rebels. The Late Walder Frey finally sends his troops to the Trident.

    Episode 10:

    Ned cleans up the spoils of the war. The famous ToJ scene happens. He also lifts the siege on Storm’s End before returning to Winterfell with an infant son. Cat is waiting for him with another infant son. Stannis sails to Dragonstone to kill Viserys and Daenerys but Varys whisks them across the Narrow Sea. Robert ascends the Iron Throne. Tywin cements his hold on King’s Landing by marrying Cersei to Robert. A new era begins.
  78. Anthology series are pretty popular both critically and in popular culture right now.

    How about “The World of Ice and Fire” run by Cogman. Each season is an eight-episode season detailing another story from history (or perhaps future) of Westeros.

  79. Gooderson:
    Anthology series are pretty popular both critically and in popular culture right now.

    How about “The World of Ice and Fire” run by Cogman. Each season is an eight-episode season detailing another story from history (or perhaps future) of Westeros.

    That’s an show I’v been dreaming of for quite some time now! I’d love a season about Tywin and his story with house Reyne. He can be made a bit older so we get to see young Jaime, Cersei, Oberyn, Elia and baby Tyrion. What a thing that would be!

  80. The wolves will come again,

    I’d love to watch this! Is there any possibility for you to be the showrunner ? 😉
    Seriously, I don’t care that I know how it ends. I love the story and the characters and that’s all that matters to me.

  81. A spinoff based in old Valyria before the doom. The battle between magic and logic. Training dragons, working magick to forge swords, the politics of the rich and the stufferage of the poor. People are deeply into these topics, awesome costumes and sets, special effects infused with good old fashioned sex and fighting scenes, how could it fail?

  82. Maybe HBO is working on some different materials written by GRRM, for the future. I thought I read something like that on old G’s notablog. May sound blasphemous to some but I think they should start a franchise, with the Wild Cards anthology book series. Massive amounts of original unique material there… Could be EPIC!

  83. HotPinkLipstick:

    Flayed Potatoes: Yara, The Hound, Tyrion, and Bronn go on an epic pub crawl in all the areas of Westeros. From Dorne to the Wall, no pub or brothel is left untouched.

    I would watch the fuck out of that. And buy every bit of merchandise.

    Oh yessss. Simon Pegg could play the tour guide.

    In fact…never mind the TV series, this should be a theme park!

  84. Wimsey: If people really crave “world-building,” then they should read real history books or watch historical documentaries: real history is infinitely more interesting than any fictional history!

    To you, perhaps. Not to all.

  85. I’d like to see a Dunk & Egg series. There are only 3 stories so far, but I believe that GRRM has said that he has about a dozen figured out. They could be made on a far smaller budget than GoT with fewer ‘epic’ action scenes, but that works for me. I’m more interested in the character byplay anyway.

    Somehow a Robert’s Rebellion story doesn’t excite me. I feel like we’ve been there, done that already. And trying to cast younger versions of characters we already know will inevitably give rise to ‘odorous’ comparisons, as Constable Dogberry would say.

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