Back in 2024, Warner Bros. confirmed it was planning a film set in George R. R. Martin’s universe. For months, fans speculated about the film’s plot – and finally, during this year’s CinemaCon presentation, Warner announced the project’s working title. Brace yourselves: Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest is coming.
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 Penguin, a series spin-off of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Dune: Prophecy, a prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s films about Paul Atreides hit HBO Max in 2024. 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 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 Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest premiere?
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.
Work on the script is likely to move forward over the coming months. The filmmakers need around six months for pre-production (casting, finding locations, putting together wardrobe), two to three months for shooting and six months to a year for post-production and marketing. Taking all of that into account, a Game of Thrones movie could open in cinemas at the beginning of 2028 – at the earliest.
Warner Bros.
What could the plot of Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest involve?
In the upcoming film, Warner Bros. will once again delve into the history of the Targaryen dynasty. This time, the story will go back as far as the (in)famous conquest of Westeros, which took place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
The story of the Dragon Riders’ presence on the continent begins 200 years before the tragic Doom of Valyria. As Valyrians expanded their empire, they settled on an island off the coast of Westeros, named it Dragonstone, and built a fearsome castle there.
Just before the destruction of Valyria, warned by a prophecy, the Targaryens fled to the island with their dragons. They ruled Dragonstone for years, until Aegon I Targaryen, known as Aegon the Conqueror and Aegon the Dragon, decided to invade Westeros.
Together with his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, Aegon conquered the Seven Kingdoms – only Dorne retained its independence. Warner’s upcoming film will therefore tell the story of the famous conquest that changed Westeros’ history forever.
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) will look great on a big cinema screen.
HBO Max
Who could star in Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest?
For the time being, there’s no information on who will star in the film. The three main characters will be:
Aegon the Conqueror
Being the first king of the Seven Kingdoms, a rider of the colossal dragon Balerion the Black Dread, and a magnificent warrior wielding the Blackfyre sword, Aegon is a truly fascinating figure.
Therefore, casting an actor for the role of Aegon will be a difficult task – Warner will have to find someone charismatic, commanding respect at a glance. One of the actors most frequently fan-cast is Henry Cavill, who has vast experience in fantasy projects. However, the actor has a busy schedule – he is currently working on the video game-based series Warhammer.
Another popular name among fans is Alexander Skarsgård, renowned for his imposing physique, who has previously played the warrior Amnet in Robert Eggers’ gory fantasy, The Northman.
Another contender is Theo James, known for the second season of The White Lotus and Guy Ritchie’s series, The Gentlemen.
HBO Max
Visenya Targaryen
Aegon’s elder sister and, in accordance with Targaryen custom, his wife, was renowned as a fierce warrior, a powerful queen and a beauty.
Visenya rode the dragon Vhagar, which, as viewers of House of the Dragon will recall, was later claimed by Aemond Targaryen. She wielded a Valyrian steel sword known as the Dark Sister, which was inherited years later by Prince Daemon Targaryen.
Visenya played an active role in the conquest of Westeros and, after its completion, ruled the kingdom alongside her siblings.
Rhaenys Targaryen
Aegon’s younger sister and his other wife was known for being even more beautiful than Visenya – and also more kindhearted. She rode the dragon Meraxes, and took part in Aegon’s conquest, seeking, among other things, to vanquish Dorne.
After the invasion, she ruled the realm alongside her siblings, devoting particular attention to matters concerning women and the lowborn. Playful and graceful, with a passion for poetry and music, she was considered Aegon’s favourite.
HBO Max
Who is behind Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest?
The screenplay will be written by Beau Willimon, best known as the showrunner of Netflix’s House of Cards and a writer on the critically acclaimed series Star Wars: Andor.
Which other films could be made in the Game of Thrones universe?
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 Warner Bros could 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 reader 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.
Warner Bros.
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 second season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are in the works, while 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 in 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.
Warner Bros.
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 a globe, 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.
Warner Bros.
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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