Worried that HBO going to “Marvel"-ize the Game of Thrones world? A chief executive addressed that very concern in a recent interview.
Speaking to Deadline, HBO CEO Casey Bloys was asked about the upcoming Game of Thrones spinoffs and if he could comment about any of the specific spinoffs Arya Stark and Jon Snow. Bloys didn't want to get into the specifics of the shows they have in development, but he was quick to point out that fans shouldn't expect multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs every year, like Marvel did on Disney+ recently.
The conversation turned to how there are hopes for another Knight-style hit. However, Bloys was quick to clarify that it won’t be as huge as some fans believe.
“Sometimes, because of the intense interest in development, I think people get confused and believe that development means something is actually in production. So I just want to be clear about that we’ve been very, very judicious about shows that we produce. We’ll develop a lot because we want to give ourselves the best chance of finding a show that makes sense, but we have not produced all that much. This is not Marvel level, four series a year, or anything like that. So sometimes people confuse development speculation with actual shows being produced.”
As soon as Game of Thrones became a phenomenon, it was expected that it’d become a franchise. It only made sense given how popular the show was, not to mention the rich history of Westeros courtesy of George R.R. Martin’s books.
That’s grown with House of the Dragon and now A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, with more shows being planned. That may be worrying some fans about the series getting a bit too large for its own good.
Bloys’ words may soothe the worries of fans about the world of Westeros growing too much. After all, Marvel fans know full well how that franchise has faltered in recent years thanks to problems and it’s not alone.
How Game of Thrones shows hope to avoid the MCU trap
One of the biggest mistakes the MCU made was expanding way too far while announcing scores of movies and TV shows that ended up hitting major delays. There were also changes in the overall planned story arcs and other problems that set that franchise back.
Likewise, Star Wars and Star Trek fans argue that those franchises have been hurt by far too many projects happening at once. So, fans of Martin’s works can be concerned about HBO wanting to cash in on the franchise at the cost of actual good storytelling.
Thankfully, Bloys indicates this won’t be the case. He’s not easily green-lighting any dragon-themed project that crosses his desk, and they are taking the time to see which can work. As he points out, there’s a key difference between a show in development and one that can blossom into a true hit. He does think Knight can pave the way for more success.
“I do think that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was instructive in that it does show that the interest in the Game of Thrones universe is there, whether it is huge set pieces or more intimate character piece. So that was instructive. But the way we develop is from the stories. And like I said, from the beginning, George’s conception of the Dunk and Egg novellas was on a small scale. So I don’t think I would take what would otherwise be a giant show and try to produce it smaller. The creative has to lead.”
That last line is the key one, as Bloys acknowledges that it’s always about the creative forces behind these shows more than the brand name, which makes them a hit or not. That’s worked so well with Knight and hopefully will with any spinoffs to come.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on Sunday nights on HBO.