HBO isn't slowing down on its Game of Thrones output any time soon. The US TV network is already pressing ahead with its House of the Dragon series and a reported Dunk and Egg novella adaptation, but reports are now suggesting that three other Game of Thrones spin-offs are also in early development.
According to outlets including Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, HBO is developing three more projects set in George R.R. Martin's fantasy world. One series - working title 9 Voyages - is said to be the most fully formed idea of the trio, with Rome creator Bruno Heller believed to have been tapped as showrunner.
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The two other potential series, known as Flea Bottom and 10,000 Ships, don't currently have showrunners attached. However, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter claim to have verified that all three projects are moving forward, despite HBO declining to comment to both outlets.
At this time, though, it's unclear if HBO has officially greenlit all three shows or if they are simply being developed up to the pilot episode stage. HBO pulled the plug on a separate Game of Thrones spin-off in November 2019 (h/t TVLine), which was set to star Naomi Watts, so it remains to be seen if any of these projects will come to fruition.
It is likely that at least one of these productions will join House of the Dragon, as well as Dunk and Egg's potential spin-off, in expanding HBO's Game of Thrones universe. In February 2021, HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter that the network was hard at work on developing new properties based in Martin's world.
"The way we try to approach it is not by [saying], 'We need five shows within three years,' but 'What are the stories worth telling?'" Bloys said. "We've been developing multiple takes on different worlds. The one I want to do is the one that I think is best creatively. I prefer to make it about the stories and the showrunners and their vision as opposed to hitting some arbitrary target for the right number of shows."
What are these Game of Thrones spin-offs about?
As you might expect, the reported spin-off shows are set across different time periods and world regions. 9 Voyages, which is also being referred to as Sea Snake, will follow Lord Corlys Velaryon - aka The Sea Snake - on his grand trips across the oceans.
Velaryon's journeys took him to places including Pentos and Dragonstone, and it's the latter of those destinations that is most intriguing. Lord Velaryon is set to appear in HBO's House of the Dragon, with actor Steve Toussaint portraying the head of his house in the prequel series. If 9 Voyages is confirmed by HBO, it may well be there's some crossover between these two series at some point.
Meanwhile, 10,000 Ships will explore the journey made by Princess Nymeria, who founded the kingdom of Dorne after travelling to new lands from her home of Essos. Nymeria's tale takes place 1,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, so don't expect to see any characters from HBO's Game of Thrones adaptation here. If the name 'Nymeria' sounds familiar, though, it's because one of Oberyn Sand's illegitimate daughters was called Nymeria in Game of Thrones.
Finally, the Flea Bottom series is set in the slum districts that live in the shadows of King's Landing. These mean streets were home to the likes of Ser Davos Seaworth and Gendry Baratheon, and were home to Arya Stark for a spell early on in Game of Thrones.
It's not known if these potential shows will come to HBO Max, the company's streaming service, alongside - or instead of - HBO. Given the popularity of Game of Thrones, despite its lackluster finale, we would expect any series to land on both platforms to draw in as big an audience as possible.
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