[ad_1]
There are multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works, but while HBO’s plans for expanding the franchise are smart, there are also more than a few issues in how the network is going about it. It was clear even before Game of Thrones‘ ending that Westeros would live-on in some way on HBO, and after some struggles – including an expensive failed pilot for Bloodmoon, or The Long Night – things are really starting to come to fruition. House of the Dragon season 1 was a big success, but that’s only the beginning.
There are multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, ranging from those with confirmed series orders such as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, to several that are in a more exploratory stage, including a Jon Snow sequel. All the upcoming Game of Thrones shows have merit, and it’s understandable why HBO would be pursuing them as options. At the same time, however, there are specific problems with all of them that will need to be addressed.
10 Jon Snow’s Spinoff Doesn’t Have An Obvious Story
On the one hand, Jon Snow’s spinoff makes perfect sense: after all, if looking to continue a major IP like Game of Thrones, why not start with its main character, especially if the lead character (Kit Harington) is up for coming back? From a business point of view, it’s a smart choice, but from a creative standpoint there are massive question marks over what the show’s story will actually be.
Jon’s time in Westeros was given a proper end, and he was given the chance to live a more peaceful life with the Wildlings. There could be new threats emerging or conflicts between different groups of Wildlings, but it will be interesting to see exactly what story demands to be told here, should the Jon Snow sequel show go ahead.
9 Jon Snow’s Sequel Has To Overcome Game of Thrones’ Ending Backlash
As well as its story, the Jon Snow sequel has another major issue: the backlash to Game of Thrones‘ ending. The show’s conclusion – or really, the second half of season 8 – proved extremely controversial due to its surprising character choices and rushed pacing, and that will be a hurdle for Jon Snow’s spinoff. This is true of any Game of Thrones spinoff – House of the Dragon had to prove itself to viewers who felt burned by its predecessor – but it’s doubly hard for Jon Snow specifically. This is a direct continuation, and means it’s inextricably linked to Game of Thrones‘ ending, with less to clearly delineate it (whereas most spinoffs have several decades at the very least).
8 The Corlys Velaryon Spinoff Has To Contend With House Of The Dragon Ending His Story
One Game of Thrones spinoff that’s long been mooted is a prequel about Lord Corlys Velaryon, telling the Sea Snake’s story before the events of House of the Dragon. This would be his famous Great Voyages, which contained nine different journeys where he went further than anyone from Westeros had before, and returned with vast riches. Corlys is an interesting character, and it’s a story worth telling, but viewers will already know where it all ends up because of House of the Dragon’s story, which could dampen enthusiasm (and more so if the show drops the ball with the character).
7 10,000 Ships Has To Convince Viewers After Game Of Thrones Ruined Dorne
Among the planned Game of Thrones spinoffs, 10,000 Ships is – relatively speaking – a bit of a lesser-known story, since it’s not concerned with an already introduced character or a Targaryen who has been heard about a lot. Instead, it will tell the story of Princess Nymeria, who led her people the Rhoynar to Dorne after defeat in war, with the title coming from the number of ships that supposedly brought them over to Westeros. Nymeria ultimately took control of Dorne, establishing many of its important customs. It’s a strong story that has inspired some other notable characters – Rhaenyra Targaryen and Arya Stark both idolize Nymeria – but isn’t without issues.
The biggest would be that the story has a lot to do with Dorne, rightly regarded as one of the worst-handled aspects of Game of Thrones. Much like Game of Thrones‘ ending, enticing people to be prepared for a Dorne story could be a difficult task when it left such a sour taste in people’s mouths. The advantage of 10,000 Ships is that it’s set around 1,000 years earlier, so is a very different landscape; at the same time, that could also be too far out to be tangible for viewers (especially when so much rests on the familiar with this franchise). This could and should be one of the best Game of Thrones spinoffs, but won’t come without challenges.
6 Aegon’s Conquest Isn’t THAT Interesting… But Has To Span A Movie & Show
With Targaryen stories proving popular, then it makes sense HBO would look to tell that of Aegon’s Conquest, which is the Targaryen story in many ways. It’s the defining origin of the house coming to Westeros, and sets the stage for the 300 years of events that follow. Game of Thrones‘ Aegon the Conqueror prequel plans reportedly include a movie and TV show, suggesting a scale even more epic than that of the other shows, which also fits: this is one where there is so much dragon action that a huge budget is inevitable.
Therein lies the problem, though: while there are many fascinating Targaryen stories, Aegon’s Conquest isn’t the best of them. That isn’t to say it is bad, but Aegon and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, ride the Westerosi equivalent of nuclear weapons, and it’s incredibly hard to stop them. Only Dorne can truly resist, with Aegon otherwise conquering all of Westeros in just two years. There is potential to dive deeper into his character, of course, though Aegon’s dream was revealed in House of the Dragon and could be the most interesting twist. The possible spectacle is undeniable, but creating real stakes could be the trickiest part when doing it across a movie and TV show.
5 Yi Ti Spinoff Has To Prove Animated Game Of Thrones Spinoffs Can Work
Animation has proved to be one of the most viable options for franchises looking to expand TV output, with everything from Star Wars to the MCU, DC to Star Trek releasing animated TV shows in recent years. It makes sense as a means to offer something different, be creative without the same filming constraints, and attract fresh audiences. Done right – say, Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels – it can be incredibly enriching to the lore while telling a great story of its own, but getting people to invest can be extremely hard and will be a challenge for Game of Thrones.
Animated spinoffs are often seen as lesser (and sometimes not canon) and thus don’t get the same interest. That’s unfair to the medium, but is the reality as shown with the likes of Marvel’s What If…? or Star Trek: Lower Decks. HBO plans to expand to animated spinoffs for Game of Thrones, seemingly starting with one set in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti. That’s an interesting choice as it’s so unique to anything else, and animation could be an inventive way of portraying it, but it also means it will immediately face an uphill battle to get the same level of hype as the “bigger” spinoffs.
4 It’s Unclear If Multiple Game Of Thrones Spinoffs At Once Will Work
HBO obviously has big plans for Game of Thrones spinoffs and, so far, it’s shown admirable restraint in rolling those out. The network is prepared to take its time, rather than quickly trying to expand the franchise and get as many shows as possible on the air. Nevertheless, it may come to a point where HBO is producing multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs at the same time, and airing several in the same year.
It’s easy to envisage that, by the time of House of the Dragon season 4, there’ll be another couple that could be releasing. This has caused problems with some franchises, notably Marvel and Star Wars, for having a dilution of content and audiences growing fatigued. It’s a problem this is further down the line in this case, but it’ll be interesting to see if and how HBO has to navigate this issue with Game of Thrones.
3 House Of The Dragon Season 2 Splits Its Best Character Pairing
House of the Dragon season 2 will properly get into the Dance of the Dragons, which means a lot more epic battles, dragon action, and plot twists as Westeros descends into all out war. That’s going to be great in a lot of ways, but one of the downsides to the greens vs. blacks split is that it means Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen will likely be separated for the entire season. Thanks to House of the Dragon season 1’s timeline, the show truly became the story of their relationship above all else; it resulted in so much of its emotion, drove its story, and gave it an intimacy that balanced the massive scale.
Alicent and Rhaenyra’s friendship-turned-rivalry is the beating heart of House of the Dragon, but barring major changes they won’t share the screen for much of season 2 (in the book, they don’t reunite until Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, which will presumably come in season 3). House of the Dragon season 2 set photos did reveal Emma D’Arcy was in the same Spanish city where King’s Landing scenes with Alicent were being filmed, so it’s possible a reunion happens earlier in some way (maybe through visions/dreams). That would be smart because, for all House of the Dragon has going for it, losing Alicent and Rhaenyra as a pairing would be a major shame, albeit one dictated by story.
2 A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Doesn’t Have Enough Source Material
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: A Hedge Knight is expected to be the next Game of Thrones spinoffs to hit HBO after House of the Dragon, serving as an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s The Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas. The books are fun adventures that should translate well to screen and offer something tonally different to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but the problem lies in there not yet being enough of them. Martin has so far released three Dunk & Egg books, but has previously suggested he could write as many as twelve [via Not A Blog]. That poses some questions for how HBO will handle it.
As it stands, HBO plans for three A Knight of the Seven Kingdom seasons, one for each book. That’s logical in terms of what source material exists, but then creates problems with where the stories of the characters go. It’s known where they do ultimately end up, but that’s long after the third book, meaning it’s hard to see how a three-season plan can give a satisfying ending to the show. Alternatively it could try to carry on without the books being finished by Martin but – while there’s more to go on here – that backfired with Game of Thrones and may be best avoided too.
1 House Of The Dragon Season 2 Has To Avoid Pacing Problems
House of the Dragon season 2’s episode count will be different to season 1, with just eight episodes rather than 10. It’s a surprising change that is ostensibly driven by story rather than budget, but nonetheless raises narrative concerns – especially given how shortening the seasons worked out for Game of Thrones. It would be a shock if things changed that drastically for House of the Dragon, but having only eight episodes to tell the next chunk of story does, on the surface, make things look like a tighter squeeze.
House of the Dragon season 2 could have multiple massive events – at the very least, Blood & Cheese and the Battle at Rook’s Rest are both confirmed – which would not only take up chunks of the episode they happen in, but the fallout of which needs to be fully explored. There are a lot of big moments that could easily dominate, but the strength of season 1 came in the more intimate scenes, most of which were invention and fleshing out what’s on the page.
Giving these characters and storylines room to breathe was key to season 1, and even that suffered a little by skipping ahead through major events and could arguably have benefited from more episodes. House of the Dragon season 2 jumping from big event to big event, without really pausing, could lead to significant pacing issues and things feeling rushed like in Game of Thrones, and/or crucial character beats being missed. The writers have earned faith after season 1, but such a change certainly could upset things in House of the Dragon season 2.
[ad_2]
Source link
Armessa Movie News