Rejected Game of Thrones Spin-Off Writer Gets Candid About It: ‘Nothing Is Dead’
HBO might have sunken the promising Game of Thrones prequel about a legendary warrior-queen and her fleet, but what is dead may never die, its writer claims.
Summary:
- 10,000 Ships, a Game of Thrones prequel show, was rejected by HBO at the current stage.
- The spin-off was supposed to follow the warrior-queen Nymeria and her people, the Rhoynar.
- Brian Helgeland, the show’s writer, believes his idea may yet come to fruition later when HBO is ready.
Game of Thrones’ overwhelming popularity inevitably led to HBO wanting more TV shows set in George Martin ’s captivating world. Countless projects have already been pitched and rejected, but while some of them were questionable at best, others were promising and spectacular even based on their premises — and still ended up in the red-lit pile with the rest.
10,000 Ships Almost Sailed with GRRM’s Approval
One of the best ideas for a Game of Thrones prequel show was 10,000 Ships. In the original TV show, the legendary warrior-queen Nymeria was Arya Stark’s favorite historical figure and the deliberate namesake of the girl’s direwolf because of that. In George Martin’s lore, Queen Nymeria is among the most interesting characters.
Queen Nymeria and her people, the Rhoynar, lost their native country and were forced to live on the water. They had a massive fleet of thousands ships that effectively created a floating city for these unwilling nomads, and their warrior-queen was leading them for a “promised land,” seeking a new home for the Rhoynar.
George Martin himself got behind this TV show idea, approving the plan, and 10,000 Ships looked like one of those Game of Thrones spin-offs that could definitely sail.
HBO Sunk 10,000 Ships, but There’s Hope Still
Brian Helgeland, the writer of 10,000 Ships, recently spoke to Inverse about his Dead-on-Arrival project. The writer knows exactly why his spin-off was rejected but doesn’t believe it will stay like that forever: as the world of Ice and Fire expands on the small (and maybe even big) screens, there will yet be a place for his series.
“[10,000 Ships’ script] came out great, but I think [HBO] felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original. That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead. <...> I met with George R.R. Martin to pitch him the idea, which he signed off on,” Helgeland explained.
The 10,000 Ships writer sticks to the good old Greyjoy saying, “what’s dead may never die,” and rightfully so, seeing how his TV show is all about living on the water. We think that a Queen Nymeria show could become the new big thing, so whenever Brian Helgeland gets another chance to pitch it, we wish him the best of luck.
Source: Inverse