HBO is looking to recreate the success of Game of Thrones with various spin-offs, though HBO has already canceled several. Based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, the show became a cultural phenomenon in the 2010s, finding a middle ground between imaginative fantasy and prestige political drama. Martin’s world has a multi-faceted appeal, with heroic adventure, political intrigue, romantic drama, and more. While Game of Thrones was an all-encompassing show, spin-offs may look to capture more specific elements, like House of the Dragon’s focus on politics and family drama and the upcoming The Hedge Knight focusing on a more light-hearted adventure.

House of the Dragon awaits its second season as The Hedge Knight begins working on its first, kicking off an era of Game of Thrones spin-offs. But the road to these shows’ releases hasn’t been clean. The vernacular disappointment with the Game of Thrones ending and the long wait for The Winds of Winter created widespread cynicism toward the franchise, much of which instantly evaporated due to House of the Dragon’s popularity. Aside from that, the road to a big-budget project being green-lit is never easy, and many ideas never made it out of the drawing room.

8Bloodmoon

The first Long Night.

Bloodmoon is perhaps the most well-documented of the failed Game of Thrones prequels. HBO announced the production of the series before Game of Thrones ended, with the exciting inclusion of the fantastic Naomi Watts as the show’s lead. The series was set to take place during the Age of Heroes in the first Long Night and was set to be produced by writer Jane Goldman, who’d previously worked on Kick-Ass and the Kingsman films. The pilot was shot on a roughly $30 million budget but obviously never saw the light of day as HBO canned the project

One of the most significant concerns for the series was a lack of source material for the era. The early days of the White Walkers are purposefully left mysterious in George R.R. Martin’s text so far, likely building toward whatever he has planned for The Winds of Winter. Thus, making a show that would de-mystify the era was a challenge. Especially after the difficulties Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss faced attempting to adapt Martin’s world without source material, Bloodmoon seemed like too risky of a launch-off point for the show’s spin-offs.

7House Of The Dragon (Before Ryan Condal Took Over)

The Dance of the Dragons.

Contrary to why Bloodmoon was a risk, House of the Dragon was easily one of the most well-documented periods in Martin’s world, making it highly suitable for adaptation. However, before Ryan Condal was attached to the project, two other showrunners were approached to attempt the show. Carly Wray, a writer with a fantastic resume, including Watchmen and Mad Men, was approached but couldn’t agree on a starting point for the story. Game of Thrones co-executive producer was also involved, but HBO passed on his version of the Dance of the Dragons

The Dance of the Dragons was a story George R.R. Martin desperately wanted to be told on TV, and he continued pushing for it. Going from Game of Thrones to House of the Dragon initially felt too obvious to HBO, as the shows have similar premises. Director Miguel Sapochnik of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragons added, “So I think they were less hot on it because it was like, “Well, who wants to see more Game of Thrones?’ And then the irony, of course, is: lots of people.”

6Aegon The Conqueror

The tale of Aegon’s conquest of Westeros.

Aegon the Conqueror is a fabled figure in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, known as the Targaryen, who arrived from Valyria and forced the great houses of Westeros to their knees. A prequel about Aegon’s conquest was written by screenwriters Rand Ravich and Far Shariat. The script apparently portrayed Aegon as a drunken ruffian, something he’d never been described as in the books. The pitch was rejected, though Variety has since revealed another attempt at the story is being worked on. An Aegon the Conqueror spin-off is more exciting after House of the Dragon.

5Flea Bottom

A story set in King’s Landing’s infamous slum.

Referenced several times in Game of Thrones as one of the lowest-income areas of King’s Landing, Flea Bottom is the home of Davos Seaworth and Gendry. A series based on life in the slum was discussed at one point, though it was reported as not moving forward as of July 2021 . Pitches attempted to explore several different angles of the Game of Thrones universe, though it’s not entirely surprising the Flea Bottom show didn’t have the traction to progress forward.