In a recent interview, writer Brian Helgeland confirmed that HBO is no longer developing his Game of Thrones spinoff series, ‘Ten Thousand Ships‘. The prequel series, which would have been set around 1,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, was inspired by the Old Testament tale of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, Ray Harryhausen's ‘Sinbad' films, and ‘The Odyssey'.
‘Ten Thousand Ships' would have followed the story of Princess Nymeria, ruler of the Rhoynish, a civilization under attack by Valyrian dragons. The series was reportedly in development as far back as 2017, with Helgeland working alongside author George R.R. Martin to plan out the prequel. However, the project was not picked up due to its perceived distance from the core of the original series.
Helgeland revealed that his script was based on Queen Nymeria and a blurb about her in a Westeros encyclopedia, and he met with Martin to pitch the idea, which the author signed off on. Despite the series being shelved, Helgeland expressed hope that it could be revived in the future, stating, “My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up”.
While HBO is currently focusing on other Game of Thrones projects, such as House of the Dragon Season 2 and the spinoff series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the potential revival of ‘Ten Thousand Ships' remains an intriguing possibility for fans of the franchise.
What do you think about the concept of ‘Ten Thousand Ships' as a Game of Thrones spinoff, and would you like to see it revived in the future?
