Game of Thrones spin-off based on House Targaryen gets greenlight

HBO has axed its first Game of Thrones prequel and greenlit an entirely new one. But fans won't be complaining, with the spin-off closely linked to the story we already know and love.

HBO has axed its first Game of Thrones prequel and greenlit an entirely new one, which is closely linked to the story - and characters - we already know and love.

Second piece of good news: You can expect a lot of dragon action, with the show officially titled House of the Dragon. Chills friends, chills.

The initial pilot-ordered spin-off Bloodmoon, which starred Naomi Watts in the lead role, was sensationally killed off today in favour of House of the Dragon, which is set 300 years before the events of the hit fantasy series. It will focus on the rise and fall of House Targaryen.

House of the Dragon is based on the book Fire & Blood, which was written by GoT author George R.R. Martin who co-created the show alongside Ryan Condal, who also serves as showrunner on the series, which will be exclusive to Foxtel in Australia.

The spin-off will focus on Dany’s ancestors during a time when dragons ruled Westeros. Picture: HBO

The pilot and several other episodes will be directed by veteran GoT muse Miguel Sapochnik, who directed some of the most epic episodes in the show's history including ‘Battle of the Bastards’, ‘Hardhome’ and ‘The Long Night’.

Bloodmoon, which was set tens of thousands of years before the events of GoT and chronicled the beginning of the White Walkers, finished shooting a pilot in Italy last month and didn't get the go ahead. Reports suggest HBO bosses preferred the idea of House of the Dragon because it “established history penned by Martin to serve as a backbone for the story,” Entertainment Weekly reports. The other pilot only had some “vague references to build on.” 

News of this new prequel will be particularly exciting for fans, given it’s not too far removed from our beloved GoT characters.

Game of Thrones, which is available to stream on Foxtel, touched on the fascinating history of House Targaryen, but by the end of the show, which aired its eighth and final season in May, it had almost died out.

The new series will explore the height of the Targaryens’ power after Jon Snow and Daenerys’ ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror, invaded Westeros with his dragons and united it under the Iron Throne, becoming the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.

The book details Aegon united the Seven Kingdoms because he predicted Westeros would need to defend itself from the White Walkers.

You can also anticipate some weird incest shenanigans, with Aegon having married both of his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys. And we thought Jon and Dany being aunty and nephew was gross.

Martin wrote a blog post in May confirming there were several other shows in development, hinting one based on Fire & Blood would be one.

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Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. Picture: HBO/Foxtel

“We have had five different Game of Thrones successor shows in development at HBO, and three of them are still moving forward nicely,” he wrote on his blog.

“Two other shows remain in the script stage but are edging closer.

“What are they about? I cannot say. But maybe some of you should pick up a copy of Fire & Blood and come up with your own theories.”

HBO has not confirmed any details about when the spin-off will air.

Fire & Blood, a companion to Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, went on sale in November last year.

Fans have been poring over every detail. One excerpt reveals Silverwing, the dragon belonging to Daenerys’s ancestor Queen Alysanne, refuses to cross the Wall.

Dragons. Everywhere. Picture: HBO/Foxtel

The narrative, told from the perspective of Archmaester Gyldayn, reads: “Thrice I flew Silverwing high above Castle Black, and thrice I tried to take her north beyond the Wall,’ Alysanne wrote to (King) Jaehaerys, ‘but every time she veered back south again and refused to go. Never before has she refused to take me where I wished to go. I laughed about it when I came down again, so the black brothers would not realise anything was amiss, but it troubled me then and it troubles me still.”

This links with the theory the dragons have certain gifts when it comes to sensing good and evil, hinting at a looming threat.

“If you read Fire & Blood, you’ll know there’s definitely a bond between the dragons and their riders and the dragons will not accept just any rider,” Martin said. “Some people try to take a dragon wind up being eaten or burned to death instead, so the dragons are terribly fussy about who rides them.”

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