Mere moments after Game of Thrones came to a conclusion, fans of the iconic HBO fantasy drama series already began clamoring for the various prequels and spinoffs that are currently in production.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ‘GAME OF THRONES’ SEASON 8 WILL FOLLOW.
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While the people at HBO have long been ardent about not pursuing any direct Game of Thrones spin-offs, the nature of the finale — particularly, the future of Arya Stark — had fans calling for a series focused her “west of Westeros” adventures.
However, in a recent interview with Deadline, HBO Programming President Casey Bloys rejected the idea of a potential Arya Stark spin-off and also delved into when fans can expect the first prequel series to hit HBO.
On an Arya Stark Spin-Off:
“I understand where that [the desire for an Arya spin-off] comes from, I totally get it. But in terms of wanting to be careful not overdoing it or not killing the goose that lays the golden egg, Dan and David’s show as it stands in eight seasons, I want to leave it as it’s own work of art and not have shows directly, having Arya do that,” Bloys says.
“I think it’s best to try the prequels in other areas of George’s massive universe — just feels like the right thing to do, let the show stand on its own,” he concludes. [Deadline]
On when the first prequel will air:
“I don’t know. I have to get a sense from production when we see scripts for a season, how big and involved it is. Shooting a pilot in June and having it on the air a year later feels a little rushed, but it’s too soon to tell,” Bloys says.
“I wanted to get through the final season and let that stand as a cultural moment. We have the pilot starting in June and then we will decide whether to want to do another one or not. I’m letting those things happen before we decide whether to do another one or not,” he concludes. [Deadline]
As for what that means for when fans can expect the first Game of Thrones prequel to be released, 2021 is probably the safest bet.
With Watchmen premiering this fall and Westworld returning for its third season in 2020, HBO is likely in no rush to usher in a new big-budgeted prestige drama, meaning they’ll give the minds behind the Game of Thrones prequel all the time they need.
HBO’s Emmy Award-winning fantasy drama ‘Game of Thrones’, which first premiered on April 17, 2011, concluded its record-shattering eight-season run on Sunday, May 19, 2019.