"There’s no guarantee that anything’s going to go..."
With one series already on the way later this year, the TV network is quietly waiting to see how well the prequel series performs before committing to more 'GOT' content.
HBO has said there's "no guarantee" that more 'Game of Thrones' spin-offs will be created at future dates. The franchise, based on the fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, currently only has one greenlit production officially on the way.
'House of the Dragon' will arrive later in 2022 via HBO Max (Sky and NOW in Ireland/UK), and according to the author and executive producer, the series has finished shooting; he's already seen a rough cut of the 10-episodes, revealing he's "loving them".
However, this is currently the only 'Game of Thrones' spin-off officially in the works at HBO - for now. Season eight of the original series left a sour taste in fans' mouths back in 2019, with storylines feeling rushed and the general set-up of the season feeling off, to say the least.
This disappointing ending naturally plummeted viewers' interest in more 'Thrones' content going forward, and HBO is of course very aware of this cautiousness from fans. Do we invest in another 'GOT' series, and will the quality drop dramatically as the series continues?
According to HBO programming chief Casey Bloys, 'House of the Dragon' is currently the only spin-off that we'll see in the immediate future. Speaking to TVLine, Bloys said: "I’m not motivated here by any sort of, 'We need three 'Game of Thrones' spinoffs.' To state the obvious, we’ve got one 'Game of Thrones' show greenlit, and that’s 'House of the Dragon'. And we’re really excited about that.
"There are other ones in development. We will green light something when we feel like something is exciting and well done and tells a story that we care about. It’s like any development.
"So there’s no guarantee that anything’s going to go… [We’re] not trying to fill a schedule with a new prequel every year or anything like that. It’s just based on what stories we’re excited about telling."
It seems likely that if 'House of the Dragon' proves a success for HBO, more stories and productions will move further in development. The prequel series follows the Targaryen dynasty and stars Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine and Rhys Ifans.
Other productions rumoured to be in their early stages of development based within Martin's fantasy realm are 'Tales of Dunk and Egg', '10,000 Ships' and also an animated series. Naomi Watts' 'GOT' pilot was famously axed, which would have been an origin story about the White Walkers.