'Game of Thrones' Spinoff Update: 2 More Shows in the Works
HBO reshuffled its Game of Thrones spinoff plans again this week, adding two new shows in the [...]
HBO reshuffled its Game of Thrones spinoff plans again this week, adding two new shows in the process. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both of the new projects are animated series, which would be set in far-flung parts of George R.R. Martin's fantasy world, beyond Westeros itself. Meanwhile, one of the previously announced spinoffs has now been dropped.
The first of the new animated spinoff shows will reportedly be set in Yi Ti, a nation on the opposite end of the map from Westeros in far-distant Essos. Yi Ti was hardly mentioned in the original Game of Thrones TV show, and it has rarely been referenced in the main A Song of Ice and Fire books. Most of what fans know about it comes from the encyclopedia-style companion book The World of Ice and Fire — available here in print, digital and audiobook formats. Yi Ti is based loosely on imperial China, and some fan theories contend that it is essential to unraveling the mysterious history of dragons.
The content of the other animated spinoff has not yet been revealed, but sources at HBO did tell THR that one of the live-action projects has now been squashed. It was tentatively titled Flea Bottom, and would have been a prequel drama set in the slums of King's Landing. HBO never commented on that project at all, so no announcement was made.
As it is, the only spinoff that's filming is the prequel House of the Dragon, which is expected to premiere in the spring of 2022. Other live-action shows include 10,000 Ships — a prequel about the Rhoynar mass-migration to Westeros — and 9 Voyages — a prequel about the Westeros sea captain explorer Corlys "The Sea Snake" Velaryon. The latter may tie into the Yi Ti series, since Velaryon was one of the few Westerosi to supposedly trade with the YiTish people.
According to The World of Ice and Fire, Yi Ti is "a large and diverse country... the land of a thousand gods and a hundred princes, ruled by one god-emperor." Its recorded history goes back thousands of years — supposedly even further back than that of the Starks of Winterfell and the Night's Watch on The Wall. The "Golden Empire of Yi Ti" claims descent from "The Great Empire of the Dawn," which many fans believe is the ancient ancestor of Valyrian dragon-riders.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of Yi Ti is "The Five Forts," a massive wall made of magically fused black stone along Yi Ti's northeastern boundary, which seems to mirror The Wall of Westeros. In addition to dragons, many fans think that this aspect of Yi Ti could reveal more about the White Walkers and the ancient myth of "The Long Night" in Martin's work.
All of this has fans especially excited for this new proposed spinoff, but so far nothing is set in stone. Game of Thrones is streaming now on HBO Max and House of the Dragon is slated to premiere in 2022. Beyond that, the rest of the spinoffs are just hopes for now.