Ask any Game of Thrones fan what they’re desperate to see adapted for screens and without fail, they’ll all give you the same two answers: Robert’s Rebellion, specifically when the House Baratheon heir turned “Usurper King” defeated Prince Rhaegar Targaryen in single combat during the Battle of the Trident; and Aegon’s Conquest.
Now, after years of rumours and industry whispers, the latter is finally happening at HBO.
Some of you may recall such a project reportedly being in development last year, according to Variety, which simply indicated the prequel to end all prequels was in “very early stages.” Fast forward to 2024 and it’s officially been confirmed, complete with a a scribe to adapt George R.R. Martin’s best-selling mythology: Mattson Tomlin.
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Tomlin is currently quite the in-demand talent who’s most notably undertaken some uncredited work on Matt Reeves’ The Batman; he’s also currently co-writing the hotly-anticipated sequel The Batman Part II starring Robert Pattinson. Other credits include Keanu Reeves’ action comic adaptation BRZRKR and the upcoming video game adaptation Mega Man.
Set 54 years before the events of House of the Dragon — and almost 300 years before Game of Thrones kicks off — Aegon’s Conquest is the defining moment of the country’s modern history. Within two years, Valyrian invaders Aegon Targaryen alongside his sister-wives Rhaenys and Visenya would unify six of the Seven Kingdoms (all but Dorne) in a bloody and brutal campaign.
This not only established the Targaryen dynasty that governed the land for centuries but also set the main storyline in motion. One inside source describes this spin-off as taking a “back to basics” approach to Martin’s epic fantasy universe.
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The Aegon’s Conquest series currently represents one of six Game of Thrones spin-offs in development next to the untitled Jon Snow sequel; The Sea Snake (centred on Lord Corlys Velaryson); 10,000 Ships (centred on founder of Dorne, Princess Nymeria); A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight (centred on Ser Duncan the Tall and young Aegon V Targaryen); as well as the Golden Empire animated series (centred on Yi Ti, a fabled kingdom loosely based on Imperial China).
In related news, despite the SAG-AFTRA and Writers’ Guild of America strikes that plagued 2023, House of the Dragon season 2 is still on track to make its 2024 premiere date.
While a premiere date has yet to be locked in, HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys has indicated the earliest possible window would be summer 2024 (the American summer, of course, meaning June / July / August). Check out the trailer below.
