George R.R. Martin Reveals Promising Update on New ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff

House of the Dragon Season 2 is underway, and other projects in Westeros are taking shape as well. In a new blog post last week, author George R.R. Martin casually dropped some big news – the Game of Thrones spinoff series Ten Thousand Ships is back in development. The series was suspected to be canceled, but Martin revealed that it is being re-worked by writer Eboni Booth.

Martin’s post began by congratulating Booth on winning the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for her play Primary Truth. For fans unfamiliar with her work, he explained: “She’s an amazingly talented young playwright, and a joy to work with; when not writing and producing her prize-winning plays on- and off-Broadway, she has been kept busy by me and HBO, working on a new pilot for TEN THOUSAND SHIPS, a GAME OF THRONES spinoff about Nymeria and the Rhoynar.”

“We’re all very excited about this one,” Martin went on, “though we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for ten thousand ships, three hundred dragons, and those giant turtles.” As previously reported, Ten Thousand Ships would tell the story of the Rhoynish Queen Nymeria, a nearly mythical figure in Westeros’ history who lived an estimated 1,000 years before the events of the main series.

In Martin’s reference book The World of Ice and Fire, Nymeria was one of the last rulers of the Rhoynar, a civilization who lived on the continent of Essos and practiced mysterious forms of water magic. They were targeted by the Valyrian Freehold – the civilization of dragon-riders and fire mages that House Targaryen is descended from. The Valyrians tried to conquer the Rhoynar in wars known as “The Turtle Wars,” which lasted for over two centuries. In the climactic battle, Valyria sent 300 dragons to decimate the great Rhoynish city-states. As for the turtles Martin mentioned, the Rhoynish reportedly worshipped a gigantic turtle known as “The Old Man of the River,” who was killed by the Valyrians.

This show would be Nymeria, the last surviving ruler of her doomed civilization who chose to lead her people in an exodus rather than continue fighting. They equipped all 10,000 ships still at their disposal and sailed around the world looking for a new home. After a few unsuccessful settlements, they landed in Dorne – southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros – and integrated with the people there. Nymeria married Mors Martell to secure their future there, possibly bringing unique magic to that desert civilization.

This show would have far less source material to work with than House of the Dragon or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but in many ways, that makes it more exciting. It would delve into the foggy history Martin has set up in his writing and shed light on one of the most mysterious parts of his worldbuilding. Previous reports had indicated that Ten Thousand Ships had been dropped, and at the very least, it has undergone a major overhaul. Initially, the show was helmed by writer Amanda Segal, and Martin’s post was the first time Booth has been officially linked to it.

Sadly, Ten Thousand Ships is still in the development stage with no guarantee that it will get a series order or make it to air. There are several other spinoffs in the same boat, and only two are in production. House of the Dragon Season 2 is airing now on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is filming now and is expected to premiere in 2025. Martin’s books are available now in print, digital and audiobook formats.