HBO Boss Won't Greenlight A Game Of Thrones Spin-Off Just For The Sake Of It

HBO programming boss Casey Bloys has provided an update on the Game of Thrones spin-off House of Dragons, while he also spoke about the network's grander plan regarding its approach to spin-offs.

During a Television Critics Association appearance, Bloys started off by confirming House of the Dragon--which recently added four more cast members--will start filming in April overseas. There is still no release date for the show, however.

House of the Dragon may be joined by other Game of Thrones spin-offs later on, Bloys said, following on from reports that the network is considering a show based on the Tales of Dunk and Egg and other ideas like an animated Game of Thrones show.

Bloys shared his high-level thoughts on why HBO is pursuing so many different spin-off ideas, and he also confirmed the report about the animated show. However, he acknowledged it's only in the "really, really embryonic" stage, according to Collider.

"We are talking about other areas that make sense as well. George R.R. Martin's world is so big and what’s interesting about it, not only is it big but he's got a lot of road maps in terms of history. So one of the great things about House of the Dragon is that's an established history that leads you to Game of Thrones the show, and there is a lot of little branches. There is a lot of opportunities and stories to tell."

He went on to say that he doesn't have any hard and fast rules about how many Game of Thrones shows must be in production by a certain time or what type of shows they should be.

"I've never wanted to do this with a mandate that you must have three series by this time or you must exploit adult animation or you must do that," he said. "It's really coming from, would that be interesting, is that good, do we have a writer we believe in. That's kind of the approach we are taking. I think you have to because if you don't do that, it would lead to putting shows on for the sake of it."

Not all of HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off ideas have worked out, however, as the network canceled the Naomi Watts show before it ever aired.

While its last season was divisive, Game of Thrones Season 8 proved to be massively successful in terms of viewership, so it's not hard to see why the network is trying so hard to get additional shows off the ground.

Outside of the shows, George R.R. Martin continues his work on the newest book, The Winds of Winter, and he's making good progress despite the impact of losing close ones to COVID-19.