House of the Dragon is HBO’s first Game of Thrones spinoff, but it wastes no time in setting up another. The series introduces viewers to Corlys “The Sea Snake” Velaryon, played by Steve Toussaint. While Corlys is a major player in House of the Dragon, he is also potentially the main character of another series in development.
House of the Dragon kicks off during the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen, and fans quickly meet his small council, including his appointed “Master of Ships,” Corlys Velaryon. We did not see much of House Velaryon in Game of Thrones as they were not as powerful or relevant at the time, but in this prequel they are one of the most economically and militarily dominant Houses in Westeros. They rule an island called Driftmark near Dragonstone, and they are one of the only other houses to claim descent from Old Valyria.
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All of that is enough to make Corlys central in the storyline of HotD, and Toussaint’s rendition of the character comes with all the proud yet practical cunning that fans were hoping for. However, in George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, this is one of the later chapters in Corlys’ life – and not necessarily the most exciting.
For those unaware, Martin’s “imaginary history book” describes Corlys’ remarkable life from the beginning. He was born at a time when Driftmark’s prospects were poor, and he gravitated toward the sea rather than the royal court. He became a sea captain at age 16, and in the years that followed he led bold but dangerous trading voyages all over the Seven Kingdoms and beyond.
Corlys’ life is described in “nine voyages” around most of the known world, as far as Westeros is concerned. He traveled to far-flung places on Martin’s map including Asshai, Yi Ti and Leng. These voyages brought his house unprecedented wealth, which is how he ended up as a political force to be reckoned with in the era of House of the Dragon.
Corlys’ old globetrotting days are already being developed into yet another HBO spinoff series. The latest news we have on this project comes from Martin’s blog, where he wrote about it back in June. At the time he wrote that the show’s working title had been changed from Nine Voyages to The Sea Snake – Corlys’ nickname throughout Westeros. The show is being written and helmed by Bruno Heller, best known for creating HBO’s Rome and CBS’ The Mentalist.
Martin revealed that The Sea Snake is “still in the script stage,” with multiple drafts of its script being written. Beyond that, we don’t know anything about the cast, crew or format of the show. In fact, we don’t know that it will be greenlit at all – HBO has four live-action Westeros shows in development right now as well as at least a few animated shows. The network has already developed and then canceled other shows without airing them, so there’s no guarantee that all or even some of these projects will reach our screens.
However, out of all of them The Sea Snake seems to have a huge advantage thanks to the character’s participation in House of the Dragon. Here’s a look at some fans’ hype for the spinoff after seeing Corlys on screen for the first time.
Excitement
Fans joked about what gave this show its dramatic tension, including some subjects that sounded objectively unexciting on paper. However, they felt that Toussaint’s performance lent the gravity needed.
The Wars to Come
After getting a glimpse of Corlys, fans were more excited than ever for the climactic events coming up in this story.
Toussaint
Many fans got the sense that Toussaint would not be the weak point in Corlys Velaryon’s story. However, they worried that the writers would struggle to do the whole thing justice — especially if the spinoff was greenlit.
Predictions
Fans who hadn’t read Fire & Blood had some bold predictions for Corlys and some preconceptions about what type of character he would be.
Correct
Viewers live-tweeting the show were quick to take Corlys’ side in the first Small Council scene. Many felt that his warnings paralleled the council’s conversations about Daenerys in Game of Thrones.
Book Fans
Fans of Fire & Blood were already hyped for Corlys, but they were extra excited to see how the general populous would feel about him.
Comic Relief
Finally, some fans were sensing early that Corlys and his wife Rhaenys (Eve Best) would be the comic relief for this show, in a sense, as their frank conversations together brought a little levity to these serious scenes. House of the Dragon airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: George R. R. Martin attends the FYC special screening for HBO Max's "House Of The Dragon" at DGA Theater Complex on March 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
