The various challengers for the Iron Throne of Westeros will be back on our screens next month when Game Of Thrones returns. But with the huge success of the show, there’s clearly room for more Thrones action, and given the expansive scope of George R.R. Martin’s universe, plenty of possibilities for new stories. Now, asked by IGN about prequel rumblings at the Season Three premiere in Los Angeles, Martin has admitted that he’s been considering the idea.
Right now, it’s all just that: thoughts and conversations with the HBO brass. But Martin, who recently signed a deal to develop other shows for the channel, has clearly also targeted what he thinks might make a good spin-off, bringing up the Dunk and Egg series of novellas.
“I have been writing for a number of years a series of novellas set in the same world, the world of Westeros, but a hundred years earlier, about two characters called Dunk and Egg,” Martin tells IGN. “And I published three of those novellas, The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight, and I have in mind about nine or ten more novellas about the adventures of Dunk and Egg.
“So we have been playing with the idea of doing those as prequels. They would be prequels, in a sense, they’re a hundred years earlier but in the same world. They’re somewhat lighter in tone than the main series, a little more adventurous. But my fans love them and I love the two characters too, and it all ties into Westeros history.”
Dunk is Ser Duncan the Tall, a legendary figure in the Kingsguard before the time of the Song Of Ice And Fire, while Egg is a nickname for Aegon V Targaryen, a prince destined to become king of Westeros.
Of course, thinking up the ideas is one thing but getting them made is another matter, especially since the production of just 10 episodes a season on the regular show is a costly, demanding business. And the path for any prequel must be trod carefully, lest spoilers about the current series slip out. But who wouldn’t want to see more Thrones goodness?
Game Of Thrones returns across the pond on HBO March 31, and invades here via Sky Atlantic on April 1. For more from Martin, check out the Webchat with the man himself. And for those who don’t know their Daenerys from their Cersei can find the necessary info on our introduction to the series.
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