Before knees were bent to the likes of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), a greater part of Westeros first bent the knee to their forebear, the patriarch of the Targaryen dynasty, King Aegon, First of His Name. HBO built its Westeros-set franchise beginning with the critically acclaimed series,Game of Thrones, and has since followed it up with a prequel,House of the Dragon. Given the intense appeal of the lore, even more spin-offs have been considered over the years, one of them being anAegon’s Conquestseries. While HBO is yet to officially greenlight an adaptation of Aegon’s story, writerMattson Tomlin— who recently just finished writingthe first official draft ofThe Batman Part IIalongsideMatt Reeves— is attached to write the television series.
Riding atop the biggest dragon Westeros has ever known, Balerion the Black Dread, Aegon, with help from his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and their dragons,Meraxes and Vhagar, subdued an entire continent and established their dominion. Given how explosive aspects ofHouse of the DragonandGame of Throneshave been, the possibilities for a prequel series centered on Aegon are massive. Tomlin took to social media to interact with fans, offering some exciting details about the proposed series. TheLittle Fishwriter took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal thatGeorge R.R. Martin, the acclaimed author whose novels are the basis for the adaptations, is involved inAegon’s Conquest. The screenwriter also suggested that “LOTS” of writing has been completed, and he is most excited to see the show’s opening scene come to life.
‘Aegon’s Conquest’ Has the Potential To Take Audiences on Entirely New Journeys
Aegon’s shadow has long loomed over his house and HBO’s two on-screen adaptations.Balerion the Black Dread’s skull has rested ominously in King’s Landingin both shows and the Iron Throne. There are several iconic moments that a potential series based on this character could cover, which would likely make it an instant hit with fans of the franchise. Seeingthe destruction of Harrenhallon screen is sure to be a highlight. Exactly whereAegon’s Conquestmight begin remains to be seen, but his victories in Essos seem like a decent bet. Launching him straight intohis conquest of the Crownlands, and beyond, all the way to the defiance of Dornemight come across as rushed.
In the meantime, HBO still hasthe third season ofHouse of the Dragonto contend with, plus the premiere ofA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knightcoming next year. ShouldAegon’s Conquestever receive the go-ahead from HBO, it will tell Aegon’s story from Martin’s incredibly detailed novelFire & Blood, which also forms the basis forHouse of the Dragon. Speaking in 2024,Tomlin detailed how he intends to bring the story to life, saying:
“For me, it’s about making sure that I respect George and I respect the text, 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.”
Aegon’s Conquesthas not been greenlit by HBO yet. A release date forHouse of the DragonSeason 3 hasn’t been announced either. All episodes of that show andGame of Thronesare available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
House of the Dragon
