Westeros. A continent with seven kingdoms, ruled by upper and lower houses who are united in deadly disputes by greed, loyalty, and often times treachery. That is, however, before the arrival of Aegon the Conqueror and his Targaryen sisters. HBO’s adaptations ofGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragonhave both, to varying degrees, linked back to Aegon’s story. Aegon’s Dream, the Iron Throne, the skull of Balerion, the Black Dread beneath King’s Landing and, of course,the ruins of Harrenhalare all pointers to the conquest that united the Seven Kingdoms behind one House. HBO has yet to officially greenlight anAegon’s Conquestseries. However, theGame of Thronesprequel series is set to be in the works with writerMattson Tomlin, attached to write the television series.
In Westerosi history, Aegon’s conquest of Westeros plays a pivotal role in how the Seven Kingdoms will ultimately come to be. With the aid of his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys, the Conqueror would mount his dragon and subdue an entire continent. This tale is captured inGeorge R.R. Martin’s incredibly detailed novelFire & Blood.During a chat withNexus Point News, writer Tomlin was quizzed on his approach to adapting this new series. Tomlin explained that the key to getting it right lies in working in close quarters with George and respecting his extremely detailed work. Tomlin’s comments read:
“It starts with what George R.R. Martin has done.I’ve now gotten to spend quite a bit of time with him … going through ‘Fire & Blood’, highlighting passages, and asking him, What did this mean? What is this? What I think it is … Sometimes really grilling him.It’s really taking that text and treating it like it’s real history … my approach to it was [that] Fire & Blood is written like a real history and these things happened … but we don’t know everything… Also, there’s that great quote …‘History is written by the people who won’ … so then there’s that as well.”
Given that much of Martin’s text inFire & Bloodis written as history, Tomlin understands that he has to bring these characters out from the past and make them as relatable as possible. “For me, it’s about making sure that I respect George and I respect the text,“The Batman Part IIwriter said. “And then also,it still has to be a dramatic story. Those characters have to go on a journey; they have to change; they have to go from a beginning to a middle to an end. Figuring out how to do all of that with the clues that that textbook has left for me and go, okay,I’m going to interpret this very real history and attempt to make it a really vivid show that hopefully people love and don’t hate, doing the best I can.”
HBO Hopes To Bring More Spin-offs
HowAegon’s Conquestends up remains to be seen, but it is certain to be a thrilling ride. From his victories in Essos, tohis conquest in the Crownlands, and beyond, all the way to the defiance of Dorne. The would-be prequel series isn’t the only spin-off series in development at HBO. Despitethe Jon Snow spinoffbeing shelved, HBO has already greenlit and is looking ahead to the premiere ofA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knightcoming next year. There is alsoa planned adaptation of Queen Nymeria’s exploitsin the upcoming spin-off,10,000 Ships.
Stick with Collider to find out moreGame of Thronesnews as soon as it is announced. You can streamGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragonright now on Max.
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
WATCH ON MAX
