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The second season of HBO’sHouse of the Dragonis officially underway, transporting fans back to the lands of Westeros once again. The show is one of many spinoffs fromGame of Thronesthat entered development after the landmark series concluded its run in the late 2010s. So far, however,House of the Dragonis the only spinoff show to actually materialize and be released. It seemedlikeBloodmoonwould be the first spinoffseries to premiere followingGame of Thrones, as that prequel set during the Long Night was fully written, cast, and even filmed a pilot episode back in 2019. However, the plug was ultimately pulled on that series before it got too far along, and HBO instead shifted its efforts to focus onHouse of the Dragon.
Of all the other announced and reportedGame of Thronesspinoffs, which range from a prequel about Aegon the Conqueror to a sequel series centered on Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow, it seems that few of them will actually come to fruition. TheJon Snowseries has been completely shelved, and another series about the residents of Flea Bottom in King’s Landing has also been scrapped. It looks likeA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knightis themost likely to actually hit screens, as it has also been cast and received a straight-to-series order from HBO.
Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess whichGame of Thronesspinoffs will actually happen. However, there is one particular spinoff that HBO is developing, which we are most hopeful will come to fruition. That isNine Voyages,an animated series centered on the character of Corlys Velaryon, who has been portrayed by Steve Toussaint throughoutHouse of the Dragon. This series entered development in 2021 as a live-action spinoff fromHouse of the Dragon,but it has since shifted into an animated prequel to the show. We believeNine Voyageshas the potential to provide some of the most exciting worldbuilding from anyGame of Thronesseries so far. Here’s why.
The Nine Voyages of Corlys Velaryon
As we have seen in the first season ofHouse of the Dragon,Corlys Velaryon is one of the most talented seamen in all of Westerosand beyond. He spends much of the first season away on various adventures that we do not get to see. These adventures, however, pale in comparison to the voyages he took as a younger man. From what we know about the character, whose tales have been largely told in various stories andwritings from George R. R. Martin, he spent the majority of his younger years at sea, going on one great voyage after another. His greatest journeys were recorded by Maester Mathis in a book titledThe Nine Voyages.
Across these nine voyages, which occur primarily when Corlys is in his 20s and 30s, he travels to the furthest reaches of the Known World. He goes far beyond the seas of Westeros, even surpassing the lands of Essos, where Daenerys Targaryen would spend much of her time hundreds of years later. His journeys bring him to some of the most interesting, fantastical, and terrifying lands in any of Martin’s writings. This includes Asshai, a dark and mysterious city that lies in the Shadow Lands in the far East. Little has been said of Asshai in either theGame of ThronesorHouse of the Dragonseries, but it is one of the most ominous cities in the world, where the people practice witchcraft, and even the Dothraki fear them.
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Asshai is just one of the places that Corlys travels to on his Nine Voyages. He passes the Jade Gates and enters the region of Yi Ti, and he also travels to the far north of Essos through the Shivering Sea and to the Thousand Islands, where the native people supposedly have green skin and aren’t so friendly to travelers. If HBO were to fully develop and release thisNine Voyagesseries, fans ofGame of Throneswould be treated to a broader exploration of this fantasy world than has been shown in any series to date. It would allow the franchise to introduce countless new lands, characters, civilizations, and ideas. BothGame of ThronesandHouse of the Dragonhave done an excellent job with their worldbuilding, butNine Voyageswould take it to a whole new level.
The Game of Thrones Universe Should Embrace Animation
Another reason we are so excited by the prospect of thisNine Voyagesspinoff show is because it has been retooled into an animated series. This isn’t the first time that HBO has shown an interest in expanding theGame of Thronesfranchise into the realm of animation; the canceledFlea Bottomshow was reportedly an animated series, andseveral other unannounced animated showsare in development as well.
We believe that the story of Corlys Velaryon’s Nine Voyagesis a fantastic fit for an animated series precisely because of how vast and fantastical it can be.In the realm of animation, there are no limits to what can be portrayed on-screen. The handcuffs would be off, allowing the creatives behindNine Voyagesto bring whatever they could imagine to the screen without worrying about the budgetary and technical hurdles of presenting this story in live-action.
Even Martin echoed this sentiment when he confirmed the show had transitioned to animation earlier this year. He said, “We have movedNine Voyages, our series about the legendary voyages of the Sea Snake, over from live-action to animation. A move I support fully. Budgetary constraints would likely have made a live-action version prohibitively expensive, what with half the show taking place at sea and the necessity of creating a different port every week, 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. Andwe have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation.”
Game of Thrones: The Time Has Come for a Movie Set in Westeros
House of the Dragon has successfully brought Game of Thrones back to life on HBO, and now it’s time for the series to make the jump to the big screen.
Working in the medium of animation is something that theGame of Thronesfranchise could benefit from tremendously. We’ve already seen a number of other major franchises, fromStar WarstoThe Lord of the Rings, findsuccess in animation. Of course, a lot of this would depend on the animation style that the show exists in. While 3-D animation seems to be the most dominant course these days, we believeGame of Thronescould be a better fit for a more traditional 2-D animated approach. PerhapsNine Voyagescould even take a page out of theLord of the Ringsplaybook and tell its story in a Japanese anime style.
Building Off House of the Dragon
Finally, we believe thatNine Voyagesis one of the better ideas for aGame of Thronesspinoff show precisely because it’s a strange spinoff of a spinoff. Since its lead character has already been seen extensively inHouse of the Dragon,Nine Voyageswould operate more as a prequel/spinoff to that newer show than it would toGame of Thrones. It would likely earn a lot more goodwill from fans because it would be building on a story that is almost universally loved rather than one that was tainted by a lackluster conclusion.
WhileNine Voyageswould not likely set up any direct major events inHouse of the Dragon, it would provide a more thorough backstory for one of themost interesting characters. While there is no word on whether Steve Toussaint would return to voice the role in the spinoff show, he’s such a great fit for the character that it’s hard to imagine anyone else stepping in for him.
House of the Dragonhas gotten off to an incredible start. It has almost entirely repaired the poorreputation thatGame of Thronesestablishedin its final seasons, and it has actually managed to bring new fans aboard at the same time. While we are excited to see what the various otherGame of Thronesspinoffs will be, building directly off the one that has already proven itself is a solid bet on HBO’s part. IfNine Voyagesmanages to cross the finish line, then it could be one of the most interesting and excitingGame of Thronesstories we’ve seen on screen yet.House of the Dragonis streaming onMax, with Season 2 hitting the streamer on June 16.
