Game of Thrones is over. Long live Game of Thrones. HBO’s fantasy mega-hit swooped in and changed TV as we know it, with many new shows now attempting to live up to its example.
And of course, we knew HBO wouldn’t let the end of Game of Thrones be…the end of Game of Thrones. The network set about developing spinoff ideas, and while they had at least one false start, a team is now hard at work on House of the Dragon, a show all about the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros, based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Now, Fire & Blood covers a lot of time, everything from Aegon Targaryen’s invasion of Westeros some 300 years before the story we all know begins up to the end of the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that tore the realm apart around 130 years later.
In theory, House of the Dragon could cover any of the events from the book (or its sequel, which will record events up through the fall of Aerys “the Mad King” II Targaryen), but from the start, I think most of us have assumed that this show was going to be about the Dance. It’s the most made-for-TV story of offer. There are a ton of interesting characters along with helping helpings of drama and conflict. Still, it’s good to have it confirmed…basically.
The latest on the series comes from Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman, who wrote classic episodes like “Kissed by Fire,” “The Laws of Gods and Men” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Happily for us, Cogman is a big fan of Twitter and seems to have few reservations about interacting with fans. As it ends up, he originally worked on the idea that became House of the Dragon, and it sounds like it will indeed be about the Dance.
Yes, as was reported, that was the storyline. HBO decided to go with Jane’s pilot and I moved on to Amazon. But I’m thrilled they’re doing it now. George and Miguel are dear friends and Ryan’s a terrific writer who has assembled a fantastic team. I’m excited to see it.
— It's Christmastime Again, Bryan Cogman! (@cogman_bryan) May 11, 2020
To be clear, when I say “doing it now” I mean the storyline, not my pilot. I have no involvement with it whatsoever apart from being a friend and fan.
— It's Christmastime Again, Bryan Cogman! (@cogman_bryan) May 11, 2020
To catch you up on the timeline, HBO hired a bunch of writers to spearhead potential Game of Thrones spinoff series a while back. We knew Cogman was among them, but I don’t think we knew that he was working on a show based on Fire & Blood.
In any case, as Cogman said, HBO ended up going with a show from writer Jane Goldman. That show would have been thousands years before the one we know, during the fabled Age of Legends. They filmed a pilot for this series, but ended up not going forward with it for whatever reason. Then, the exact same day HBO announced its cancelation, it pulled the curtain back on House of the Dragon. Good timing, that.
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: Producer Bryan Cogman attends HBO’s Official 2016 Emmy After Party at The Plaza at the Pacific Design Center on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
House of the Dragon will have two showrunners: Colony writer/producer Ryan Condal and Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, the guy behind great episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter.” HBO is also putting together a writing team.
But unfortunately, Cogman won’t be among them. HBO originally shelved his Game of Thrones prequel idea in favor of Goldman’s, and by the time it decided to go ahead with it after all, Cogman had already signed a development deal with Amazon.
Hi, I'm not involved in the show in any way, so I can't say for sure. Probably? That said, there's plenty of material to cover, so... (shrugs)
— It's Christmastime Again, Bryan Cogman! (@cogman_bryan) May 12, 2020
And that sucks, because Cogman was one of the best creatives on Game of Thrones, but the timing is what it is.
So what is Cogman doing instead? At one point we know he was working on remakes of The Sword and the Stone and The Haunted Mansion for Disney, although it’s possible the Amazon deal may have changed that. One thing he assures his followers he is not intimately involved with is Amazon’s massively expensive Lord of the Rings show, although he was around to help get things organized in the beginning:
I’m a consulting producer on LOTR. The job is exactly what it sounds like. I was involved heavily at the beginning, helping the incredible murderer’s row of writers get the thing off the ground before stepping away to focus on my own shows for Amazon...
— It's Christmastime Again, Bryan Cogman! (@cogman_bryan) May 11, 2020
Now I’m writing movies, developing my own series, and have returned to Twitter mainly to talk movies with my ‘talking movies’ pals. That kind of thing is, by far, the majority of what you’ll experience if you follow me. If that’s not for you, all good!
— It's Christmastime Again, Bryan Cogman! (@cogman_bryan) May 11, 2020
Like I said, Cogman was always very dependable and passionate when working on Game of Thrones, so I’m sure whatever he comes up with will be worth watching.
Working on it! :)
— It's Christmastime Again, Bryan Cogman! (@cogman_bryan) May 12, 2020
That said, if there’s any way to get him back over to House of the Dragon…well, you never know.
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