The Game of Thrones universe is going strong all over again on HBO thanks to the hugely successful launch of House of the Dragon in 2022, with a second season on the way. Now, another prequel spinoff is reportedly being discussed that would expand on the Targaryen arrival in Westeros, with the potential to extend to the big screen beyond HBO.
The potential new spinoff would take the action even further back in time than House of the Dragon and tell the story of Aegon Targaryen's arrival in Westeros with his sisters/wives to create a kingdom through fire and blood on the backs of their dragons. Variety reports that the project is in very early stages of development without a writer attached, with the possibility of starting as a feature film before leading into a TV.
At the time of writing, HBO has not officially commented on the reports of a developing spinoff with feature film potential. While that would be an unconventional way to launch a new project, the success of House of the Dragon and lingering cultural impact of Game of Thrones suggest that any project set in the world of Westeros could have a built-in fandom.
I can't help but compare the concept to HBO Max developing The Penguin as a TV spinoff of The Batman, simply with the plan already in place to continue telling the story on the small screen. Plus, as anybody who has read George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood that tells the story of Aegon's Conquest could probably attest, there are some sequences that would be spectacular on the big screen before the action moves to television... assuming that there would be a theatrical release, anyway.
As a reader of Fire & Blood, I definitely have questions about Aegon's Conquest as the choice for a prequel that would span a feature film as well as a show. A lot would likely depend on how long before and after the actual conquest would be covered, and how many liberties would be taken with the source material a la House of the Dragon. If nothing else, it would certainly help fill in some context to the Targaryen family tree!
Of course, the project is currently only in development without any confirmation or comment from HBO, so Game of Thrones fans shouldn't start counting on seeing Aegon, Visenya (presumably on the back of a much younger version of House of the Dragon's Vhagar), and Rhaenys in a feature film and TV show. In fact, this is just the latest spinoff to enter development.
There is a fairly long list of potential upcoming Game of Thrones TV shows in the fantasy franchise, even though House of the Dragon has so far been the only one to score a series order and premiere on HBO. Arguably the most exciting to be announced since the end of the parent show is Snow, which would see Kit Harington reprise his role as Jon Snow to tell the story of what happened to Jon after his Game of Thrones ending.
Other potential spinoffs include Dunk & Egg (based on a series of novellas by George R.R. Martin), a series about the Sea Snake prior to the HOTD timeline, a show about the warrior queen Princess Nymeria, and an animated series about The Golden Empire, to name some. House of the Dragon also wasn't the first spinoff to begin filming, but the first attempt at a prequel starring Naomi Watts was cancelled after the pilot was filmed.
For now, we can only wait and see if another Game of Thrones spinoff does indeed move beyond the development stage. Fans can always revisit all eight seasons of Game of Thrones and the first season of House of the Dragon streaming with an HBO Max subscription.
