PRESS RELEASE SOURCE: VARIETY (JOE OTTERSON)
COVER IMAGE: Priscilla Grant/Everett Collection
A new “Game of Thrones” prequel about Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros is being actively discussed at HBO, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.
As the project is in its very early stages, no writer is currently attached, though sources say that the search is underway as HBO is keen to move forward and get it into development. Sources also say that there may be a feature component to the project, i.e. HBO and Warner Bros. would produce a feature film that would then lead into the potential series, though plans remain in flux at present.
The show would tell the story of how Aegon and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, used their army and their three dragons to conquer six of the seven kingdoms on Westeros with the exception of Dorne. In doing so, Aegon I became the first king of Westeros, the first to sit on the Iron Throne, and the founder of the Targaryen Dynasty. Those events took place approximately 300 years prior to the events of “Game of Thrones.”
HBO declined to comment.
This would be the latest Westeros-based project at HBO. Following the global success of “Game of Thrones,” the premium cabler moved to develop a number of series set in the world created by author George R.R. Martin.
Of the numerous projects announced over the years, the only one to move forward to date has been “House of the Dragon.” That show premiered its first season in August 2022, earning a speedy Season 2 renewal less than a week after it launched. Season 2 is currently in production.
The only other “Game of Thrones” project to film any footage to date was the abandoned pilot about the Long Night starring Naomi Watts. That project was ultimately scrapped in 2019, on the same day that “House of the Dragon” was greenlit.
The move to expand the “Game of Thrones” world — and potentially tie in a film — is not surprising, as the show remains one of the most valuable pieces of IP in the Warner Bros. Discovery library. Legacy media companies have also been working for sometime on building interconnected film and TV universes around their biggest titles, with Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe being the biggest example. Warner Bros. Discovery is also currently working on a rebooted DC Universe under the guidance of James Gunn and Peter Safran.