This weekend, we got a very promising sign that a Game of Thrones spin-off will happen. During a talk at SXSW, showrunner David Benioff said he thinks HBO will most likely do one. And of course, it makes all the sense in the world for HBO to pursue a new series sprung from Game of Thrones. The insanely popular show has a massive, built-in fan base, dozens upon dozens of fascinating characters to hone in on, and an incredibly intricate universe and extensive history to draw from. Indeed, the network is talking to writers about a potential spinoff. (“It’s such a big property we would be foolish not to explore it, but it’s a pretty high bar,” HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys told Entertainment Weekly in January.)
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But what would a GoT spin-off actually look like? Well, for starters, it could be a prequel, sequel, or classic spinoff. We could learn the backstory of the fan favorites or explore a little-known corner of Westeros. We could rewind millennia or focus on different plot lines in the same time-frame. Thanks to George R.R. Martin's literary genius, the options are truly endless. So, in the interest of helping move things along, we came up with a few killer ideas — you know, beyond the Everything Jon Snow show. You're welcome, HBO.
1. The straight-up, full-on, GoT prequel. As in everything that happened before GoT picks up, based on Martin's insanely in-depth history-writing. "I do have thousands of pages of fake history of everything that led up to Game of Thrones," he said at the 2016 Emmys.
2. Brienne and Tormund's love story. Who wouldn't want to see Brienne and Tormund explore their unfulfilled romantic potential? (In a parallel universe where both parties are alive and well.)
3. The life of Khal Drogo. Admittedly, this one's for the express purpose of devoting an entire show to Jason Momoa. But wouldn't you watch? (Alternatively: The afterlife of Khal Drogo.)
4. The world of Melisandre and the Red Priestesses. The mystical, devious priestesses must have enrapturing backstories of how they came to be. We know Melisandre, for example, was born centuries ago as a slave in Essos.
5. The Golden Age of House Targaryen. We're talking about the family's magnificent three centuries in power, and the day of the dragons in all their full-fledged glory. Plus, there's bound to be some incestuous intrigue, Daenerys-Viserys style.
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6. The life of Oberyn Martell. Again, we'd really just love a series revolving around Pedro Pascal. And the Red Viper certainly had his fair share of fighting and loving in Dorne. He would make a fantastic flawed hero.
7. The Lyanna Stark/Robert Baratheon/Rhaegar Targaryen triangle. The story behind R+L = J, which we saw bits of in the Tower of Joy flashback. But a show devoted to the intrigue that culminated in Robert's Rebellion? Yas please.
8. Hodor's alternate reality. In this world, Hodor is the unequivocal hero in all scenarios, and he says words other than Hodor sometimes.
9. The Long Night. In other words, the last time Winter came, 8,000 years befrore the Targaryen rule. In this generation of winter, people starved and froze Westeros while the White Walkers took over. Lovely, no?
10. The life of Olenna Tyrell. Don't you want to see how the "Queen of Thorns" honed her sharp tongue over the decades to become the baddest grandma around?