HBO boss talks Game of Thrones legacy, spin-offs and franchise future

Despite ending with a divisive final season in 2019, the legacy of Game of Thrones continues to be felt throughout the industry. For years to come, it will be the gold standard by which all new fantasy shows — and there are a lot — will be measured.

Recently, HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys talked about the show and its legacy with Parrot Analytics. What’s the future of the franchise look like?

Game of Thrones only concluded in 2019, although it feels like it’s been much longer. Nevertheless, people still talk about it plenty, to the point where it was the most in-demand show of 2020 despite being a year gone. And the wave of fantasy shows that have come in its wake — The Witcher, His Dark Materials, the upcoming Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings series — show how much the rest of Hollywood wants to follow in its footsteps.

“I don’t think it’s too soon to call it a classic,” Bloys said. “I think it’ll go down as a classic TV show. I think with any kind of classic, the number one criteria [is] it happened to be very well written, directed, acted, produced show. I do think that…HBO was kind of first to the party in terms of really taking cinematic scope and translating it to television. If you believe that this was kind of the first show that did that, so it was the most well-known. [There’s a] first-mover advantage there. I think it certainly did change the way people think about TV and what TV could be. So I think that those qualities will make it something that people refer to…But number one, it usually comes down to quality.”

House of the Dragon and other Game of Thrones spin-offs

Game of Thrones may be over, but the network intends to leverage its popularity into new shows. We’ve known about House of the Dragon — about the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons — for a while now; that one is managed by Colony writer Ryan Condal and Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik. There have also been reports of other spin-off series in early development, including one based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg series, one that tells the story of Robert’s Rebellion, and a mysterious animated drama. And there may be more in the pipeline.

Is the Game of Thrones universe in danger of getting overexposed? Bloys explained the network’s approach:

"Everybody has to go into it understanding that Game of Thrones was what it was. I don’t think you can go into this thinking that if you just put on something with a Game of Thrones title on it that everybody is gonna come back to it and it’s gonna enter into the culture in the same way that the original one did. There are certain things you can’t control. That said…you have to be aware of the original show, the qualities it had, but you also have to be aware of, ‘This is a new show.’ It shouldn’t be designed to do the same things. We’re not just remaking the original show…It should feel of the Game of Thrones world, and this is definitely part of the canon…the fall of House Targaryen. But I think it’s a balance of all those things…It’s gonna be a learning process…Miguel and Ryan have a vision for what they want the show to be that stands apart from whatever the original was, so you both honor the original and understand that you’re doing something wholly new."

House of the Dragon is based on Martin’s “fake history” book Fire & Blood. That show will have a lot of pressure to prove that shows set in this universe can be successful even after the original show is over.

While House of the Dragon has a lot of the hallmarks Game of Thrones fans have come to expect — high-stakes drama, lots of death, incest — Tales of Dunk and Egg is smaller in scale. It follows the two titular characters — a good-hearted knight and his squire, who just so happens to be a Targaryen prince — as they wander around Westeros having adventures. If done correctly, it could be for Game of Thrones what The Mandalorian is for Star Wars.

A Game of Thrones universe?

And given how many Star Wars shows Disney is prepping, that and other franchises are surely on HBO’s mind when they’re coming up with these ideas, especially given that parent company WarnerMedia is looking for ways to make its streaming service HBO Max competitive. Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel…these franchises are committed to putting out new material pretty much year-round. Just look at Marvel for an example: WandaVision is airing now, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier starts in March, and later this year we have Loki, What If…? and Hawkeye to look forward to. It’s a constant cycle of content.

Bloys is aware of the risk of creating too much and saturating the making. However, he assures viewers that the team is careful about not overdoing it:

"I don’t like to overdo it in any area…HBO as a whole is a brand, so every show that HBO puts out…means something to people…It’s always a balance. I don’t know what too much is, that’s something that maybe research will tell us, but I do think it’s a big advantage for us, having these meaningful brands, meaningful franchises. Hopefully we get the mix right. Subscribers will tell us if we’re doing it right. But I think we’re thoughtful about it and don’t overdo it in any on area."

The DC Universe expands on HBO Max

Game of Thrones shows aren’t the only thing WarnerMedia intends to use to lure people to HBO Max. It’s also amping up its DC content, with shows like Peacemaker — a spin-off of James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad movie — on their way to the service.

And we can expect more DC shows, which up to now have mostly been associated with the Arrowverse on The CW. “CW did a really good job with a lot of these shows, and movies of course have always done a great job with DC, but could we do some more ambitious and cinematic DC material for Max? And that’s the idea there,” Bloys said. “DC fans don’t necessarily overlap with HBO viewers, so that’s one big area that you can add to.”

Sounds like the Arrowverse could get expanded further on HBO Max. Superman & Lois, the latest drama in their DC universe, is due to premiere later this month on both The CW and HBO Max.

It’s clear the Casey Bloys and HBO have a plan for the future of Game of Thrones. Whether people will want to hear the stories they’e going to tell remains to be seen. We’re eager to see what they do with the opportunity.

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