It’s probably no longer news to anyone that HBO are planning to have a prequel show ready to follow the conclusion of Game of Thrones, a show that has just started filming it’s eighth and final season over in Belfast.
There are currently five different shows being actively developed, and all with some involvement from author George RR Martin himself. Now, that’s not to say there are going to be five shows, but what HBO are doing is developing five different ideas for shows, in order that they can choose to go ahead with the best of the bunch. You can see our own story below for further details.
RELATED: Game Of Thrones HBO Head Talks Spinoffs
As someone who has read up on the varied and detailed histories of the fantasy world designed by Martin, (who I will refer to as GRRM from here on), I thought it would be a good idea to detail some of the most famous time periods and the events we fans know about from his world. In doing so, we hope to predict which of these histories are most likely to be used for the five competing ideas.
I should preface by saying that there are so many historical gaps in this world, and with GRRM involved. they could just as easily be covering events we do not currently know about. GRRM has been and remains quite happy to write the histories of his creation and expand upon what he already has.
Here is what George RR Martin had to say himself on the matter of the ideas being developed:
“None of these new shows will be ‘spinning off’ from [Game of Thrones] in the traditional sense. We are not talking Joey or AfterMASH or even Frazier [sic] or Lou Grant, where characters from one show continue on to another. So all of you who were hoping for the further adventures of Hot Pie are doomed to disappointment. Every one of the concepts under discussion is a prequel, rather than a sequel. Some may not even be set on Westeros. Rather than ‘spinoff’ or ‘prequel,’ however, I prefer the term ‘successor show.’ That’s what I’ve been calling them.”
How To Date Events In Westeros
Before we start, it’s necessary to explain the dating system used in the history of GRRM’s world, as this will inform you of how close or far away from the time period in which Game of Thrones is set, these events take place. It is similar to our own dating system, which revolves around the birth of Jesus Christ, as I am sure we all know. We of course use BC (Before Christ) or BCE (Before Common Era) and count backwards from zero, and use AD (Anno Domini) and count forwards from zero. Therefore, If a historical event happened around 4000 BC that would be roughly just over 6000 years ago.
In Martin’s world, the recorded history actually goes back even further than our own, despite our civilization being far more advanced than the one we see in Game of Thrones. And it all revolves around the conquest of Westeros by Aegon Targaryen, the day he was accepted as the new King by the High Septon is essentially the start of 1 AL (Aegon’s Landing) and previous periods are classified as BAL (Before Aegon’s Landing) and counted backwards in the same way we do with our own dating system.
Ok… That all feels a bit too educational for an entertainment site, so let’s move on quickly.
Famous Periods We Can Rule Out?
There are some periods of history that are mentioned heavily in Game of Thrones, and I think this in itself is the main reason we will not see any of these timelines developed further. Although fans may be disappointed by some of the events we are ruling out here, it make sense that they would avoid events fans may already have preconceived notions about.
The Long Night – 8,000 BAL
A period of time that essentially pre-dated recorded history, where the stories of each generation were passed into the next verbally. Much like our own history this leads to many myths, exaggerations, and also dismissing of events, which seem far too alien to have occurred in modern times.
The Long Night occurs not long after the Children of the Forest initially made peace with the First Men of Westeros after a long war between the races. Of course, we know from Game of Thrones already that the main reason for this alliance seems to be the rise of the White Walkers, whom we also know were created by the Children of the Forest to help fight against the First Men. Realizing they made a terrible mistake the warring parties joined together to repel the invasion of the dead. We still don’t know exactly how the White Walkers were defeated and whether the stories of Azor Ahai, Lightbringer and the Age of heroes were really true, either literally or metaphorically.
Likelihood?
Very unlikely, but not dead — We are talking about a period of time before much civilization had happened in Westeros, before any of the great fortresses were built, and the only House we would be familiar with are the Starks. Also the story is of course very similar to the events of Game of Thrones and it’s why we have all the prophecies and myth that have sprung up around Jon Snow and Daenerys over 8000 years later. Writing had not even been brought to Westeros yet, and the final nail in the coffin could be that we may well have some of the events of this period explained at the end of Game of Thrones Season 8. We can surmize that Jon Snow will somehow have to deal with the invasion of the dead again like they did in The Long Night, after all GRRM said it would not end in a Zombie apocalypse. Sam has been looking for information about the Long Night for the last 2 Seasons to help Jon defeat the White Walkers, I would be surprised if we did not find out more before the end.
In short, this particular story is too tied in with the current one in Game of Thrones to stand on its own, and would only make for an unfulfilling standalone. With Season 8 on the way, we’re likely to delve even more into it.
Dunk and Egg – 209-233 AL
These are a series of unfinished stories by GRRM about Ser Duncan the Tall and his Squire “Egg,” who is really Aegon Targaryen, the man who will one day unexpectedly sit on the Iron Throne. Egg is also the younger brother of Maester Aemon Targaryen of the Night’s Watch, the character who passed away in the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones, and was instrumental in making sure Jon Snow was elected Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
GRRM has currently written three books about the adventures of Dunk and Egg, and plans to finish the series at some point. He has also said that this period would definitely not be used for any spinoff prequel series, due to the fact he wants to finish the stories himself, and he has also been quoted in the past as saying the Dunk and Egg books would be great for adapting into feature films due to their size and much lighter tone…Once they are finished!
Likelihood?
Definitely not – Here is a quote from GRRM on this very matter:
“We all know how slow I am, and how fast a television show can move. I don’t want to repeat what happened with Game of Thrones itself, where the show gets ahead of the books.”
Robert’s Rebellion – 280 – 282 AL
The end of this story was 17 years before the start of Game of Thrones Season 1. This is probably the period most fans think they want to see adapted into a story, but the reality is we really don’t, and GRRM understands this better than fans do right now. Simply put there would be no surprises left for fans, as this story directly leads into Game of Thrones and we know the end point for almost every character who would appear in this show. We also have the fact that all the parts, even the flashback’s we have seen would have to be recast with younger actors and would seriously put a dent in the continuity for certain prominent characters. Ultimately, it’s just not going to happen, as GRRM has the same feelings towards this period and said so, as quoted below. Essentially, by the time Game of Thrones ends, we will already know all there is to know about Robert’s Rebellion.
Liklelihood?
Definitely not – Here is GRRM again on this matter:
“I know thousands of you want [Robert’s Rebellion], I know there’s a petition. But by the time I finish writing ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ you will know every important thing that happened in Robert’s Rebellion. There would be no surprises or revelations left in such a show, just the acting out of conflicts whose resolutions you already know. That’s not a story I want to tell just now; it would feel too much like a twice-told tale.”
So where does that leave us? Actually, with a massive amount of time and famous periods that can still be covered, I have detailed the ones I think are most likely in the next section. Though also feel free to add your own ideas to this list in the comments below!
Go to page 2 for a list of the most likely settings for spinoff shows!
Page 2:
Most Likely Periods For Successor Shows
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