There Will Only Be One 'Game Of Thrones' Spinoff Series

There is no brand in the HBO stable more valuable than “Game Of Thrones.” The fantasy series phenomenon has been an unprecedented success for the network, and as they head into the final two seasons of the show, they’re now thinking about how to retain that viewership and keep the money train rolling. Naturally, a prequel series is being conceived, and in an effort to get the possible idea onto the small screen, HBO has an extensive development process underway.

Max Borenstein (“Godzilla,” “Kong: Skull Island”), Jane Goldman (“Kick-Ass,” “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), Brian Helgeland (“L.A. Confidential”), and Carly Wray (“Mad Men,” “The Leftovers,” “Westworld“) are all working on their own prequel series ideas, and there’s even a still unnamed fifth writer involved, with author George R. R. Martin collaborating with all of them. However, if you think you’ll be getting multiple prequel series for “Game Of Thrones,” guess again.

Speaking with EW, HBO Programming President Casey Bloys made it clear that the network is essentially only going to take the best idea, and run with it.

“I want to put the prequels in context,” he explained. “It should go without saying I love having a show with this much intense interest around it. Even the smallest bit of information is a big deal and I appreciate that. But I wanted to make sure fans know this is a really embryonic process. I haven’t even seen outlines. In the press at large, everybody said, ‘there are four spinoffs’ and they assume that means each one is happening and we’re going to have a new ‘Game of Thrones’ show per quarter. That’s not what’s going on. The idea is not to do four shows. The bar set by [David Benioff and Dan Weiss] is so high that my hope is to get one show that lives up to it. Also, this is a long-term plan. Our No. 1 goal is the seventh season this summer and getting the eighth season written and aired.”

That approach makes a lot of sense because you don’t want to oversaturate your brand, and from a pragmatic point of view, “Game Of Thrones” is crazy expensive to make, so it only makes fiscal sense to be measured when it comes to the spinoffs.

But as Bloys says, that’s all down the road. “Game Of Thrones” season seven kicks off on July 16th.