Game of Thrones is getting Marvel-ized—What now?

Game of Thrones fans got huge news this past month when we learned that HBO was in the early stages of developing not one but three new spinoffs: one that adapts A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg; another that depicts the events of Robert Baratheon’s Rebellion, which means we could see younger versions of characters like Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark and Tywin Lannister, not to mention Aerys Targaryen in all his mad glory; and an animated drama that will keep the tone of the original show. And it sounds like these are only a few of the projects HBO is considering.

This is obviously very exciting, but it’s also cause for alarm. Allow me to poop the party and explain why.

The Marvel-ization of Game of Thrones

HBO is already hard at work on another Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. Best case scenario: all of these shows turn out brilliant and we thoroughly enjoy adventures in Westeros for years to come. But there’s reason to believe that HBO — and its parent company WarnerMedia, and its parent company AT&T — are embarking on this expansion of the franchise for the wrong reasons, and that scares me a little.

A quick history lesson: HBO first announced that it was developing Game of Thrones spinoffs in 2017. The network had never made a spinoff to one of its shows before, but Game of Thrones was such an enormous success — and there was so much rich history and supplementary material, much of it already well-developed by Martin — that it seemed like the only logical move. HBO may be a network known for quality over quantity, one that wouldn’t milk a hot property just because, but it wasn’t stupid; of course it was going to take a stab at a Game of Thrones spinoff.

And for a while, it seemed like one spinoff was all we were going to get, with executives even saying it was possible we wouldn’t get any if none of the pitches worked out.

The network eventually made a pilot for a show codenamed Blood Moon, which would have explored the origins of the White Walkers. They decided not to go forward with it in October of 2019, and on the same day announced that they were making House of the Dragon, a series depicting the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, instead.

House of the Dragon is going full steam ahead and should start filming within months. And now, we learn of these new shows. Interestingly, George R.R. Martin previously poo-pooed the idea of either of them getting made, Dunk and Egg because he wanted to finish more of the novellas first (good luck with that) and Robert’s Rebellion because he thinks that all of the important events of that war will be effectively explored in A Song of Ice and Fire by the time it’s done (ditto). But we’re getting them anyway. What changed?

I don’t know for sure, but I have a good guess: in 2018, AT&T bought WarnerMedia and made clear that it was going to focus more on the bottom line. Absent new ownership breathing down its neck, HBO may have been content to develop only one spinoff and honor Martin’s request to stay away from Dunk and Egg and Robert’s Rebellion in the name of maintaining a good relationship with him. But AT&T, which has shown no qualms about ticking off its creative partners, decided to go ahead with those shows anyway, in the name of turning Game of Thrones into a mega-franchise that can compete with the likes of Star Wars and Marvel, both of which have a ton of new shows coming to Disney+.

I think AT&T made the call to create more Game of Thrones shows not because it thinks that it’s the best thing to do creatively, but because it sees an opportunity to stuff its new HBO Max streaming service with high-value content the same way Disney is inundating Disney+ with Star Wars and Marvel content. Does that mean that the resulting shows will be bad? No — obviously, I hope they’re all fantastic — but it does worry me that AT&T is leading with greed, not artistry.

Welcome to the Game of Thrones Universe

Of course, all companies lead with greed, so maybe I shouldn’t stress. But I’m concerned AT&T and WarnerMedia haven’t thought all of this through. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney has thus far managed to walk an impossible tightrope and produce content that is A) extremely popular, and; B) enjoyed by both critics and audiences. Even if it can get a little formulaic at times, I get why other studios would want to copy that model.

How has Disney done it? That’s a question for another article, but a lot of credit must go to producer Kevin Feige, who’s managed the whole thing with a deft touch, giving creatives enough slack to express themselves but not so much that the whole thing spins out of control. Warner Bros., on the other hand, has been botching the DC Extended Universe — which was clearly begun in an attempt to touch the success of the MCU — since it began, turning out bloated messes like Batman v. Superman and Wonder Woman 1984 on the regular.

And that is the team that will be in charge of the new Game of Thrones Universe (should we start calling it the GOTU?), and that’s worrying. They have not cracked this formula, and looking at some of the early indicators for House of the Dragon makes me think they’re still a ways off.

And even if Warner Bros. found a way to make the DCEU work, those lessons wouldn’t carry over to the GOTU (oh no, it’s starting). We’re talking about two very different kinds of series here. The DCEU are based on the adventures of DC superheroes, which like Marvel superheroes are always going on concurrent adventures in the comics. George R.R. Martin’s mythology is vast, but very different, with each new series showing us things that happened at different points along a very long timeline. The shows can’t be in conversation with each other the way that Marvel or DC shows can, and HBO shouldn’t try to force them.

If we’re going to have a Game of Thrones Universe of shows, at minimum, I’d like to see the studio try and put its own stamp on the idea. What if they gave us several Game of Thrones shows but showed them all in chronological order, starting with the Dance of the Dragons, going through Tales of Dunk and Egg and ending with Robert’s Rebellion? What an epic sweep of history that could be!

I also hope they choose a format that fits the material. The Dance of the Dragons is a complicated period in Westerosi history, but not so complicated that it can last eight seasons like Game of Thrones without things feelings stretched. I feel like three-four seasons should be plenty for that one. Likewise, Robert’s Rebellion might be better as a miniseries or even a couple of TV movies rather than a proper show. Flexibility will be key, and I hope whatever leaders oversee this project recognize that.

Sink or swim

We could be on the precipice of a glorious new dawn for the Game of Thrones franchise…or of a deep dark pit. It’s too early to know. I will hope for the best, and there are good signs: the light-hearted Tales of Dunk and Egg is absolutely the best choice for a TV show to follow Game of Thrones, and let’s be honest: if HBO waited for Martin to finish his novellas to make it, it would probably never get made. I would also watch the hell out of a Robert’s Rebellion movie, and I’m curious what they’ll do with the animated series.

If HBO/WarnerMedia/AT&T are determined to try and turn Game of Thrones into a never-ending cash cow, at least they’ve picked the right cattle for the job. And I wouldn’t mind seeing what writers could come up with in the form of sequels, either. What about a movie that follows Arya Stark after the end of the show? I’d watch it.

But the strategy is risky. This could all blow up in HBO’s face…or solidify Game of Thrones as a franchise that endures for decades. As Tywin Lannister once told Jaime, “We could establish a dynasty that would last a thousand years….or we could collapse into nothing, as the Targaryens did.” If it must be one or the other, I’m hoping for the former, and rooting for the creatives behind these projects all the way.