Ha! If you thought that HBO was going to loosen its stranglehold on the GAME OF THRONES business, well, you'd be dead wrong. It's been announced today that HBO is in the process of developing four different GAME OF THRONES spinoff ideas from four different writers. Obviously, this is a monumental move by the network, that if greenlit, would be hailed as the first time HBO has ever produced a follow-up to one of its flagship series.
So far, we've learned that the concepts for the proposed spinoffs hail from writers Max Borenstein (KONG: SKULL ISLAND, MINORITY REPORT); Jane Goldman (KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) in a writing partnership with George RR Martin; Brian Helgeland (A KNIGHT'S TALE, LA CONFIDENTIAL); and Carly Wray (MAD MEN) with Martin.
As of the moment, no details regarding the any of the spinoff series have been revealed, though HBO has stated that each program will, “explore different time periods of George R. R. Martin’s vast and rich universe.” Furthermore, GAME OF THRONES showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have previously stated that they do not intend to be actively involved in any of the follow-up projects, but as it happens will be attached to the new shows as executive producers. “Weiss and Benioff continue to work on finishing up the seventh season and are already in the midst of writing and preparing for the eighth and final season,” says HBO. To which they then stated that, “We have kept them up to date on our plans and they will be attached, along with George R. R. Martin, as executive producers on all projects. We will support them as they take a much-deserved break from writing about Westeros once the final season is complete.”
For the moment, the manner in which these projects will be presented is anyone's guess. One of them could turn out to be a full series while others are produced as a miniseries or otherwise. The primary goal of this exciting announcement is for at least one of the spinoffs to become a major hit, and carry the torch left by the original GAME OF THRONES once all is said and done. For now, HBO is simply saying that, "There is no timetable set for these projects. We’ll take as much or as little time as the writers need and, as with all our development, we will evaluate what we have when the scripts are in.”
Which characters or families would you like to see receive their own GAME OF THRONES spinoff series? Let us know in the comments section below.
Meanwhile, Season 7 of GAME OF THRONES will premiere on July 16, 2017.