The now cancelled Game of Thrones prequel series Ten Thousand Ships writer explains the basic plot in a recent interview. Brian Hegeland was tasked with penning the story for this proposed prequel show. In a recent interview with Inverse about his career, Hegeland opens up a little about what his pitch was like. Whilst there are no current plans to move forward with this series, you never know what the future may hold?
Here’s how Hegeland explained the situation;
“It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original. That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead. My script was based on Queen Nymeria and this little blurb about her that was in a Westeros encyclopedia. Essentially, it was the story of Moses but swapping him out for Nymeria. Her country gets ruined and her people are forced to live on the water, which is why the show was called Ten Thousand Ships. They end up having to leave and find a new home like the Israelites leaving Egypt. She’s leading all these people, trying to hold everyone together but things are always in danger of falling apart as they travel around a fictionalized version of the Mediterranean, looking for a new home to settle in.”
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Sigh, this sounds like a damn interesting story I’d have watched. I get that from a studio point of view there are no Targaryens, Starks or Lannisters, at least not prominent. You can see how HBO would view this as a bigger risk than House of the Dragon or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. However, for me this story sound far more self contained and original. You’d also have the majority of the show set at sea so surely sets would be much cheaper than most Westeros based shows.
Some more information from Hegeland.
“Their life was nomadic. Living in a raft city that was bound together, this big floating city. Sometimes, the characters would come ashore, but they ultimately get driven off the land as they search for a home, their version of the promised land. I met with George R.R. Martin to pitch him the idea, which he signed off on. Sadly, I didn’t work with him closer, but I would have done if the show was picked up. It was kind of like Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad films mixed with The Odyssey. In a way, Nymeria is Odysseus, but instead of a 12-person crew, she’s responsible for every citizen in this floating city-state. My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up. I enjoyed my time developing it, and you just never know.”
What can I say? The story itself we haven’t read, but as a pitch I absolutley love this idea. I think I’d have pushed this idea a little farther was I working with HBO.
What do you think of this idea as cancelled Game of Thrones prequel series Ten Thousand Ships writer explains the basic plot? Thoughts below as always.
