George R. R. Martin’s next series,House of the Dragonis set to premiere next month. The Targaryen-centered series will serve as a prequel to Martin’sGame of Thrones, which starred Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen throughout its eight-season run. Martin’s new series will adapt hisFire & Bloodnovel and focus on the dragon-blooded family’s initial history, including the “Dance of Dragons” civil war.
In preparing forHouse of the Dragon’s release, Martin has expressed how he hopes the franchise continues to develop. Aside from the upcomingHouse of the Dragonseries, HBO also has severalGame of Thronesspin-offs in the works,including a Jon Snow serieswhere Kit Harington will reprise his role. With several other live-action and animatedGame of Thronesprojects in development, Martin hopes he will continue to have a creative voice within each project.
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As Martin continues to write the novels these HBO series are based on, he has begun to question where he will fit in the franchise as it continues to grow. “Sometimes I sit around trying to figure out who the hell I am in this whole scenario,” Martin said. “Am I George Lucas? Am I Gene Roddenberry?Am I Stan Lee?” When asked which of the three creators he’d like to be, Martin admitted that he wasn’t sure, but knew which one he didn’t want to be like. “Not Stan Lee at the end,” Martin said. “He had no power, no influence. He wasn’t writing any stories. He couldn’t say, ‘Don’t do this character.’ He was just a friendly person they brought to conventions and who did cameos. To be sidelined on the world and characters you created, that would be tough.”
Despite Martin’s concerns over ending up in a predicament like Stan Lee, Martin did acknowledge that he would want theGame of Thronesfranchise to end up like the MCU. “The MCU hasThe Avengers, butthey also have something offbeat likeWandaVision,” Martin said. “That’s what I hope we can do with these otherGame of Thronesshows, so we can have a variety that showcases the history of this world.” With this flexibility Martin hopes to find in his franchise, he hopes to avoid creating anything that feels repetitive. After all, “There are only so many times you can do a competition for the Iron Throne.”
Martin will begin to test theGame of Thronesfranchise’s flexibility withHouse of the Dragon. The series features a fresh cast that includes Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, and a number of others. The Targaryen series will follow the regal family through a number of difficult periods, two centuries before Daenerys began her quest for the Iron Throne inGame of Thrones.
House of the Dragonwill be a test of how futureGame of Thronesspin-off series may be received. Afterthe backlashGame of Thronesexperiencedafter its final season ended, many viewers of the series have vowed to never watch any projects associated with the fantasy series. However, with three years having passed since theGame of Thronesfinale, it has given fans plenty of time to work through their anger and potentially giveHouse of the Dragontheir undivided attention.
Game of Thronesis now available on HBO Max.
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