HBO is doubling down on its Game of Thrones franchise. Not only will House of the Dragon return in summer 2024 for season two. But HBO is also developing several other spin-offs of the fantasy series.
These spin-offs, which consisted mainly of live-action projects, include Ten Thousand Ships, Snow, and The Sea Snake. However, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin recently revealed in a blog post that he and HBO are currently working on some animated series in unofficial development. Meaning that these projects are still in their infancy, but the author believes that they will be greenlit by the studio. He further stated on his Not a Blog blog that one of the live-action spin-offs will be transferred over from live-action to animation.
According to Martin, the Nine Voyages series is moving from live action to animation, a move he “supports fully.” This shift is a result of budgetary concerns. Martin noted that a live-action version will be “prohibitively expensive” because the show’s events mostly occur at sea. He added that while animation can also be expensive. The medium provides a much better chance of fully realizing the show.
Voyages will focus on Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), who commands the most famous ship in the Velaryon fleet. According to Martin, the show is set to span “from Driftmark to Lys to the Basilisk Isles to Volantis to Qarth to… well, on and on and on. There’s a whole world out there.” However, he’s not completely certain that Voyages will happen. But he believes that if things go well, it and the other two unannounced animated shows will be in active development and premiere on HBO and Max in a few years.
Animation is currently undergoing a renaissance as studios continue to invest in the medium. And Martin’s intent for these animated projects is that they be as great as Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai. The author praised the Netflix project on his blog, stating that “I hope we can make them as good as gorgeous and gripping as that.” Even if you don’t normally watch animation, give it a try. It’s terrific. If you like my own stuff, I think you’ll love it.”