It seems that we’re witnessing a growing trend at Warner Bros Discovery – that is, the simultaneous development of a TV series and cinematic film set in the same fictional universe. The Hollywood Reporter has discovered that Warner is developing at least one feature set in the Game of Thrones universe, which has been adapted only as a TV series until now.
Is this a surprising move? Maybe not. After all, it fits in with other current Warner Bros releases. The Penguin, a series spin-off of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, recently hit Max. Dune: Prophecy, a prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s films about Paul Atreides, will drop on the platform this November. A new series adaptation of the Harry Potter saga is also on its way to the small screen. And let’s not forget that years ago, Warner made two theatrical Sex and the City films, which continued the story from the cult series.
Apparently, those in charge of Warner Bros have decided to develop their brands similarly to the way that Disney has grown the MCU or the Star Wars universe. Popular properties with both filmic and series storylines are likely to help Warner, which is beset with financial troubles, to compete with other corporations in the cinematic and streaming fields.
What can you expect from a feature film set in George Martin’s universe? We gather all the information and rumours about the new Warner Bros.project.
When could the Game of Thrones movie premiere?
As sources quoted by The Hollywood Reporter revealed, the project is in the very early stages of development – Warner Bros hasn’t yet chosen either a writer or director for the film.
Given that the script doesn’t even exist, fans of George Martin’s universe need to be patient – the movie certainly won’t be in cinemas any time soon.
Assuming that Warner Bros selects a screenwriter in the coming months, work on the script could take place in 2025. The filmmakers need around six months for pre-production (casting, finding locations, putting together wardrobe), 2-3 months for shooting and 6 months to a year for post-production and marketing. Taking all of that into account, a Game of Thrones movie could open in cinemas in late 2027 – at the earliest.
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What could the plot of the Game of Thrones movie involve?
For now, the plot of the film remains unknown. However, based on previous Warner Bros plans, fan expectations and Game of Thrones undeveloped threads, we have a few theories about the film’s subject.
Game of Thrones season 8 remake
Many fans believe that if Warner Bros wants to make a movie in the Game of Thrones universe, it should be a remake of the infamous season 8.
The problems in the series created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had already begun a few seasons earlier, but the bad decisions and rushed storytelling erupted in the final season.
It’s worth mentioning that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had initially planned to make three feature films instead of season 8 – George Martin himself was interested in that idea back in 2014.
A film remake of Game of Thrones’ eighth season is undoubtedly tempting; however, it’s unlikely. The studio heads and the writing duo maintained that they were satisfied with the series ending, and had no plans to remake it.
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The further adventures of Jon Snow
Some time ago, news broke that Warner Bros planned to create a Game of Thrones spin-off series titled Snow, but the project was quickly abandoned. However, perhaps there’s a chance that Warner Bros will resurrect the idea, not as a series, but as a feature.
Such a film could flush out some of the lingering fan distaste left by the series finale. We all remember too well how Jon turned out to be almost irrelevant after seasons of building his character as pivotal to the story. George Martin likes to play with readers’ expectations, and it’s probable that in the novels, Jon’s fate will also be sad and unfair. However, given all the weaknesses of the Game of Thrones finale, Jon’s arc feels particularly unsatisfying.
The movie could show Jon on a new mission beyond the Wall, in a land of many secrets. However, one has to consider that Jon’s new adventures will never be as thrilling as a high-stakes battle against the White Walkers. So maybe Warner Bros should go wild and revisit the Night King plot line in the film, giving Jon a second chance to be Azor Ahai? Well, that would be a bold move, however, not very probable.
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The origin story of the White Walkers
Besides the Jon Snow series, Warner Bros has been planning several Game of Thrones spin-offs. House of the Dragon season 3 and the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are in production, while Aegon Conquest, 10,000 Ships, Nine Voyages and an animation set in Yi Ti are in the early stage of development.
Warner Bros, however, shelved the series called Bloodmoon. This ambitious tale was to be set in the Age of Heroes, thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. The era began with the pact between the First Men and the Children of the Forest and was marked by the Long Night and the struggle against the White Walkers.
Interestingly, HBO had already prepared a pilot for the series, but eventually, the whole project was scrapped. However, bringing back Bloodmoon as a film would be a good idea – the film would take us to familiar places but at unfamiliar times. A story of the birth of the White Walkers would be directly linked to the Game of Thrones plot, but, at the same time, the scriptwriters could introduce new characters instead of exploiting the well-known ones again.
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The further adventures of Arya Stark
At the end of Game of Thrones, Arya decided to explore the world west of Westeros. George Martin’s books are silent about what lies there – the continent’s western shores are lapped by the Sunset Sea, which no one has yet crossed. It doesn’t mean, however, that no one has ever tried.
Thousands of years before Aegon’s Conquest, a King in the North called Brandon the Shipwright sailed to the West, but never returned. Several decades after the Targaryen appeal, a noblewoman, Elissa Farman, set off across the Sunset Sea. She discovered three exotic islands but decided to sail further west. Years later, Corlys Velaryon maintained that he saw Elissa’s old ship in Essos, which may prove that the Game of Thrones world is round, and that Elissa managed to circumnavigate it.
There are two other continents in George Martin’s world besides Westeros and Essos. Unexplored Ulthos is located in the far east, while Sothoryos, filled with many terrors, lies south of Essos. Therefore, a film about Arya’s sailing adventures has considerable potential and could expand the world created by George Martin.
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The tale of Aegon’s Conquest
Warner Bros likes to change plans, so there is a possibility that one of the announced Game of Thrones prequels may see the light of day as a film rather than a series. The story of Aegon Targaryen conquering Westeros with his sisters and three dragons would work best as a movie.
The story of Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys’ campaign in Westeros is relatively straightforward and, therefore, possible to present in a feature film. Besides, a war involving dragons (including Balerion The Black Dread and Vhagar!) would look great on a big cinema screen.
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