Since Game of Thrones became a phenomenon, HBO has been trying to replicate its success with more shows in that universe as the George R.R. Martin books expand centuries. There are many more stories to tell. House of the Dragon is the first show released since the ending of the original series, but there have been other projects announced that didn’t happen. Here is all Game of Thrones prequels and sequels canceled by HBO.
The Sea Snake
Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) has been one of the most memorable characters from House of the Dragon’s first season. With that in mind, it makes sense that HBO would want to tell more of his story and how he became “The Sea Snake”.
The prequel series, written by The Mentalist’s Bruno Heller, would’ve told the adventures of Corlys aboard the Sea Snake ship when he was a younger naval warrior. His travels would’ve taken him all over Westeros: from Pentos to Dragonstone, from Lys to Tyrosh, and even to the unknown lands of Yi Ti and Leng. All those travels would’ve brought glory and riches to the character explaining the position where viewers found him when House of the Dragon started.
10,000 Ships
Set a thousand years before Game of Thrones, the show would’ve told the story of Nymeria, a warrior princess and founder of a unified Dorne. The title references the 10.000 ships with all the remaining survivors of the Rhoynish Wars, who accompanied the princess on fledging Essos for a new, better life on another continent.
If the name Nymeria sounds familiar, it’s because it was the name of Arya’s Dire Wolf, and it was in honor of this princess. Dorne was a unique place in Westeros, as it had its own rules, culture, and way of doing things (women could be the rulers), and Game of Thrones didn’t do it enough justice, so a show where it explained how they became who they became would’ve been interesting.
Blood Moon
Set 8000 years before Game of Thrones, this series would’ve shown a winter known as the Long Night, which lasted an entire generation. During this long night, it was the first time the White Walkers tried to exterminate the humans in the Battle for the Dawn. After that encounter, The Wall and the Night’s Watch were created.
Of all the shows, this one was the one that went the farthest, as a $30 million pilot was shot. That first episode starred Naomi Watts, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Naomi Ackie. The TV series wasn’t green-lighted as it felt too far removed from everything fans know about Westeros and expect in a Game of Thrones show: there weren’t any dragons or any of the families they know, and in the books, the events of this show are only briefly mentioned, so HBO decided to pass on it.
Two other Game of Thrones shows were also in development but were canceled before producing a single episode:
- Untitled Flea Bottom series: the poorest and most vicious neighborhood on King’s Landing was supposed to have a series of its own, showing the life of those less fortunate, and how they made their own luck.
- The Golden Empire: an animated show set in the Yi Ti dynasty of Essos, focusing on the part of the Westeros world loosely inspired by Imperial China.
Not that you know everything about the Game of Thrones prequels and sequels canceled by HBO, be sure to check out more news and guides about Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon on Twinfinite. As you can see below, we have all the answers.
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