Game of Thrones ended in 2019, House of the Dragon is two seasons in, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is around the corner. And we know that HBO is always working on more Game of Thrones spinoff ideas behind the scenes. Executive Francesca Orsi said as much just the other day: “We have other spinoffs that we’re working on right now, one of which — which I won’t get into — is very promising, and it is still the Targaryen line.”
We think we know which spinoff Orsi is talking about: it's public knowledge that writer Mattson Tomlin has been working with Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin on a show about Aegon's Conquest, when Aegon I Targaryen took over the Seven Kingdoms with his sisters and their dragons. If HBO wants to keep making shows about Targaryens, a story about the Conquest, a foundational moment in Game of Thrones mythology, is the next natural step. I imagine it'll probably air after House of the Dragon wraps up its fourth and final season.
But there are other stories HBO could tell about the Targaryen family. Here are four of their best options:
1. Flight from Valyria
Long before the Targaryens were the most powerful family in Westeros, they were a minor noble house in the Valyrian empire, which dominated Essos hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones. A Targaryen woman named Daenys the Dreamer had a vision of a great calamity befalling the empire, so the family fled to the island of Dragonstone near Westeros. Sure enough, Valyria was destroyed in a cataclismic natural disaster, leaving the Targaryens as the only dragon-riders in the world. From there, they took over the Seven Kingdoms, and the rest is (fake) history.
Seeing the Valyrian empire at the height of its power would definitely be a trip, albeit a very expensive one on the production side of things. Still, this is a story HBO could consider telling, assuming they're willing to pony up the money.
2. Maegor the Cruel
Aegon I Targaryen is the first king of the united Seven Kingdoms. By and large, he rules well, at least compared to his rotten son Maegor Targaryen, known as Maegor the Cruel. Maegor had multiple wives he treated horribly, burned religious fundamentalists, killed his nephew during a contest for the Iron Throne, and was generally considered a merciless tyrant.
Maegor's story is not pleasant, but it could make for very exciting TV. It has dragon-vs-dragon elements that could keep fans watching.
3. The Blackfyre rebellions
Let's skip forward in time to after the events of House of the Dragon. The Targaryens are still in charge of Westeros, but their dragons have all died off. King Aegon IV Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Unworthy, makes the foolish decision to legitimize all his bastards on his death bed, resulting in a succession crisis. Now there are multiple lines of Targaryens who claim the right to sit the Iron Throne, and they will spend their entire lives fighting.
There were several Blackfyre rebellions over many years. Interesting characters like Daemon Blackfyre, Bittersteel, and Brynden Rivers all play a part in this drama.
The upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is actually set during this period of Westerosi history, although it only intersects with it glancingly. In theory, HBO could explore the Blackfyre rebellions through this show, even it didn't want to make a separate one.
4. Jon Snow
Of course, we have to mention that Jon Snow, last seen riding off beyond the Wall at the end of Game of Thrones, is the last living Targaryen. HBO and actor Kit Harington tried to develop a show revolving around him, although they ended up shelving it.
Still, that doesn't mean the idea couldn't be resurrected in a new form someday. And then we would find out what became of The Last Targaryen. Name pending.
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