George R.R. Martin gives an update on potential animated Game of Thrones spinoffs

Animation feels like its entering a new age. With shows like Invincible, Love Death, and Robots, Blue Eye Samurai and more, the medium is finally moving away from the 'just for kids' stigma it's always been burdened with. Now, even the biggest franchises want to include animated offerings. Look no further than Game of Thrones, which has a number of animated projects in development.

In his latest blog post, Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin rhapsodized about his love for animation after watching the Netflix show Blue Eye Samurai, one of the most gorgeously animated shows ever created, if I do say so myself.

"BLUE EYE SAMURAI has the most gorgeous art that I have ever seen. The story is terrific as well. Set in Japan during the Edo period, it is violent, visceral, sexy (and more than a little kinky in spots), with amazing action sequences and a cast of well-developed characters, colorful and complex and real. Flawed heroes, villains who are more than cartoons (though they are cartoons, being drawn, after all)."

Martin's love for Blue Eye Samurai has reignited his desires for HBO to green-light animated shows set in Westeros. The bar has been set incredibly high. "As it happens, HBO and I have our own animated projects, set in the world ofA SONG OF ICE & FIRE. None of them have been greenlit yet, but I think we are getting close to taking the next step with a couple of them," he wrote. "When this last round of development started a few years back, we had four ideas for animated shows, with some great talents attached.   Writers rooms and summits, outline and scripts followed in due course… but, alas, two of the original projects were subsequently shelved."

One project that's still going is Nine Voyages, which follows Corlys Velaryon (played by Steve Toussaint in House of the Dragon) as he traverses Essos in his younger days. Martin reveals that the project has moved from live-action to animation, citing budgetary restraints as a primary reason.

"We have moved NINE VOYAGES,our series about the legendary voyages of the Sea Snake, over from live action to animation.   A move I support fully.   Budgetary constraints would likely have made a live action version prohibitively expensive, what with half the show taking place at sea, and the necessity of creating a different port every week, from Driftmark to Lys to the Basilisk Isles to Volantis to Qarth to… well, on and on and on."

All things considered, animation is a fantastic way to continue to build out the Game of Thrones universe. "There’s a whole world out there," Martin wrote. "And we have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation."

Are you down for animated projects? Or do you prefer live-action shows? Let us know!

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels