The Batman Part II Writer To Helm Game Of Thrones Spinoff, Aegon's Conquest
After the success of "Game of Thrones," HBO seems to be taking the same approach as AMC with "The Walking Dead" and doubling down on spinoffs of their flagship program. Season 1 of "House of the Dragon" was met with critical and audience acclaim, and the series premiere was watched by over 10 million on the first day, the biggest in HBO history. There's been talk of a film centered on Aegon Targaryen for quite some time, but news today seems to imply that HBO has decided to deliver a full-on series, rather than a singular film.
According to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter, HBO is developing a series called "Aegon's Conquest," and has tapped Mattson Tomlin to helm the series. Tomlin is one of the most sought-after writers currently working, having contributed uncredited work to Matt Reeves' "The Batman," co-writing the sequel "The Batman Part II," co-writing the adaptation of Keanu Reeves' "BRZRKR," and the upcoming "Mega Man" video game movie.
By focusing on Aegon Targaryen's conquest of Westeros, the series will serve as a direct prequel to "House of the Dragon," and focus on Aegon's invasion of the Seven Kingdoms with his sister wives (as in his literal sisters, not as in polyamory), Rhaenys and Visenya, and of course, their dragons. Rhaenys Targaryen is known as the "Queen Who Never Was," and played a pivotal role in season 1 of "House of the Dragon" as portrayed by Eve Best. Aegon united six of the Seven Kingdoms in under two years, but not without unleashing a reign of brutal terror in the process. This series would presumably cover those years.
The series will go 'back to basics'
According to one of the sources who spoke with THR, the series will apparently take a "back to basics" approach, which doesn't exactly make sense as the "Game of Thrones" universe is rich and complex. "Basic" is certainly not a word one would use to describe anything going on in the Seven Kingdoms. However, this could be because Aegon the Conqueror's story, while bloody, is not all that difficult to follow. It's pretty easy to take over a kingdom when you're armed with three fire-breathing dragons. Alas, Aegon is responsible for some of the most memorable iconography from "Game of Thrones," namely, the Iron Throne.
What could be extremely interesting, however, is seeing what went down between the start of the Targaryen dynasty and the unowed, unbent, and unbroken kingdom of Dorne, the only land that did not bow to the dragon riders. Admittedly, Dorne is my favorite of all of the Seven Kingdoms, so any excuse to see more of this sovereign land is all right by me. Aegon Targaryen I's story is little more than brutality, bloodshed, and a lot of sister-banging, but with someone like Tomlin behind the keyboard, this could be the perfect person to help expand the story into a series-long adventure with more meat on its bones.
No release window has been estimated for "Aegon's Conquest" as of publication.