Let’s take a trip back in time. We’re going back to the distant era of April 13, 2019. Oh, dear reader, those were hopeful times. We were on the precipice of the final season of “Game of Thrones.” What did HBO and the show’s creators have in store for us? We had no clue, but one thing was for certain — it was going to be epic.
But that all changed, as the next day saw the premiere. And from that first episode until now (and perhaps beyond), all the fan enthusiasm that was at a fever pitch has mostly eroded into various social media battles, lighting controversy, storyline debates, and a coffee cup fiasco. This is not the victory lap that HBO had in mind.
Now, the remaining two episodes are being looked at in an apprehensive, fearful way. Do we really want to end this almost-decade-long story on such a sour note? Of course not. But yet, we are four episodes in and most fans are completely underwhelmed. Or worse, distressed. This really doesn’t make us welcome the idea of spin-offs. Alas, spin-offs (yes, plural) are seemingly on their way.
READ MORE: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spin-Off Brings On Several New Cast Members As Series Regulars
Look no further than the man behind it all, George R.R. Martin, for your spin-off answers.
“We have had five different ‘Game of Thrones’ successor shows in development (I mislike the term ‘spinoffs’) at HBO, and three of them are still moving forward nicely,” wrote Martin on his blog. “The one I am not supposed to call ‘The Long Night’ will be shooting later this year, and two other shows remain in the script stage, but are edging closer. What are they about? I cannot say.”
As he mentions, one of the spin-offs has already been announced, co-created by Martin and Jane Goldman (who will continue as writer/producer/showrunner), and is supposed to be set thousands of years before the events of the current series. And yes, we already knew that HBO had signed off on development of five spin-offs total. But, as far as we knew, the only one that was going forward with any hope is what Martin refers to as “The Long Night.” What the hell are the other two?
Well, we don’t have any details, obviously, but WarnerMedia executive Bob Greenblatt recently said that the bigwigs behind HBO are trying to figure out how much ‘Thrones’ is too much ‘Thrones.’ And honestly, fans that were hoping for three total spin-offs might not be in luck. If the end of this season goes over like the first four episodes, we could be looking at a “Star Wars” situation, where executives pump the brakes on development and reassess.
So yeah, Martin is sure that one series is getting filmed, and two more are progressing “nicely,” but it may just be out of his hands. It might just come down to who sits on the Iron Throne come May 19.