New Game Of Thrones Show In Development From Creator Of Fantasy Masterpiece Will Change The Franchise Forever

Game of ThronesThe upcoming show taps the creator of another beloved fantasy masterpiece, and its new spinoff is bound to change the franchise forever. Over the years, many fantasy series have left their mark on the genre. However, few have had such a lasting experience impact like Game of Thrones.

The franchise has continued to grow since the original series began. Two spin-offs have been released, Dragon House And A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The former has two seasons with a third on the way, and the first season of the latter has just been released.

However, many others Game of Thrones fallout are in development at HBO. Keep in mind that any of these could be abandoned or pushed aside. However, a few have been discussed in more depth and appear more likely to come to fruition. One of these projects is the spin-off Sea Snake, which has been in the works for four years.

Genndy Tartakovsky Reportedly Linked to a Sea Serpent Spinoff

Rumors of a show centering on a young Corlys Velaron, aka the Sea Serpent, and his nine voyages first surfaced in early 2021 in the form of a live-action TV show with the working title Nine Journeys. Fans were absolutely thrilled with this idea, considering the popularity of the character and the many directions the story could take.

A year later, author George RR Martin confirmed on his blog entitled Not a blog that the project was in development. However, the title was The sea serpent to avoid any confusion with two Game of Thrones shows that use numbers in their titles, referencing the Ten Thousand Ships project.

Then, in December 2023, George RR Martin announced the Not a blog that the Sea Snake project in development would move from live-action to animation and return to the title Nine Journeys. He gave the following reason for the format change:

“We moved Nine Voyages, our series about the legendary voyages of the Sea Serpent, from live-action to animation, a decision I fully support. Budgetary constraints would probably have made a live-action version extremely expensive, with half the show taking place at sea and the need to create a different port every week, from Driftmark to Lys to the Basilisk Isles to Volantis to Qarth and… well, on and on. There’s a whole world there. And we have much better chance of doing that showing it all with animation So now we have three animated projects in the works.

However, details have been scarce so far. On January 30, 2026, Deadline shared that Genndy Tartakovsky is attached to the Sea Snake animated spinoff, although it’s important to note that the interviewee, HBO and HBO Max Content Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys, did not want to speak to Game of Thrones projects that were in development, so this could not be confirmed.

Genndy Tartakovsky is the perfect person to join the project, given his incredible career. He’s the brilliant mind behind some of Cartoon Network’s most memorable shows. He created, produced, directed and wrote Samurai Jack, Primitive, Star Wars: Clone WarsAnd Dexter’s Laboratory. He also produced and directed Powerpuff Girls. His incredible work has earned him numerous awards, including 5 Primetime Emmy Awards. He won:

• The 2021 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Project for Primitive
• The 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Primitive
• The 2005 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Project (for programming of one hour or more) for Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 2
• The 2005 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Project (for programming of one hour or more) for Samurai Jack
• The 2005 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Project (for programming of one hour or more) for Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume 1

Tartakovsky’s shows are the ones that people continue to talk about years and decades later. Not only are they clever and captivating, but they are visually stunning. Samurai Jack, in particular, is considered a fantasy masterpiece by most critics and many viewers. The action sequences are well choreographed and animated, which would benefit the Nine Journeys TV show.

Nine Voyages would be the first animated Game of Thrones spin-off

According to George RR Martin, three animated characters Game of Thrones shows are in preparation. They originally had four unnamed projects, and two were abandoned. Back in 2021, The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that an animated show could be about Yi Ti’s Golden Empire, but it is unclear if this project is among the non-shelved projects referenced.

The third active animated show is Nine Journeyswhich is the only one with a publicly shared name and description. It is therefore very likely that Nine Journeys will be the first animated Game of Thrones derived series. The only animated project before this one is the featurette called Game of Thrones: Conquest and Rebellion: An animated history of the Seven Kingdoms.

If the show moves forward, Nine Journeys could potentially be used as an indicator in deciding whether or not to move forward with the other two animated shows, although this is just speculation on my part.

Animation is the perfect way to expand the Game Of Thrones universe

When it comes to live TV broadcasts, the Game of Thrones the franchise is limited in the storylines it can pursue. It’s been 15 years since the series ended, so the show’s cast has aged or moved on to new projects. The actors’ careers exploded thanks to the success of the original television series.

As such, creative minds working on Game of Thrones must consider whether the original cast can be involved in the project. For example, Emilia Clarke said she would no longer work in fantasyso they can’t make live-action prequels or sequels without recasting Khaleesi, which might upset fans. However, the animation opens the Game of Thrones universe with a whole world of scenarios.

They don’t have to worry about the actors’ availability, appearance, or willingness to join the project. They could simply get permission to use the actors’ likenesses and have someone else voice them. Alternatively, they could make the characters as accurate as possible without worrying about finding an actor to match the appearance.

Additionally, animation allows HBO to produce more shows with less investment. Although the format is generally extremely expensive, Game of Thrones is one of the few shows where live action would cost more than animation.

THE budget for the original Game of Thrones ranged from approximately $50 million to $100 million per season. It was one of the most expensive TV shows of all time. The budget for Dragon House season 1 soared to $200 million. The most recent spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsreduced the budget at around $60 million per season

Relatively, Esoteric broke the record for the most expensive animated TV show of all timecosting around $250 million for 2 seasons. However, Esoteric only came to that price because it was made by a video game company rather than a Hollywood animation studio, which would have cost less (via Collider).

Even if for some strange reason Game of Thrones went this route, it would put the seasons on par with the original series. However, it is more likely that it would cost closer to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms based on Iconic animationThe breakdown of typical production costs for animated shows.

In reality, the animation route is much more sustainable for a franchise like Game of Thronesand that opens up way more opportunities than they could have stuck to just live action. HBO would be able to produce several additional television shows and potentially explore existing characters.

Release date

2011 – 00/00/2019

Showrunner

David Benioff, DB Weiss

Directors

David Nutter, Alan Taylor, DB Weiss, David Benioff

Writers

DB Weiss, George RR MartinDavid Benioff

Franchise(s)

Game of Thrones

Cast

• 
• 

  Isaac Hempstead Wright

  Brandon Bran Stark

Creator(s)

David Benioff, DB Weiss