House of the Dragon Almost Got Shelved—Here’s How That Near Miss Paved Way for Its Success!

Discover how House of the Dragon's potential shelving ignited a wave of creativity, ultimately leading to its success as a captivating Game of Thrones prequel.

Believe it or not, House of the Dragon almost failed. HBO was ready to cancel the Game of Thrones prequel before it started. Crazy, huh? The show is killing it today because of that near-miss.

HBO has many Game of Thrones spinoffs in the pipeline, but only sometimes. After Game of Thrones finished in 2019, the network took its time—maybe too long—releasing new content. They even spent $30 million on a prequel pilot called Blood Moon about the Long Night to cancel it. Talk about brutal.

But it wasn’t just Bloodmoon that faced the axe. According to co-showrunner Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon was also close to being shelved. Condal revealed, “HBO was going to shelve it” until George R.R. Martin stepped in. This was the story Martin wanted to tell most, and his passion saved the project from fading into the archives.

Martin’s fingerprints are all over House of the Dragon. Even though he didn’t write the episodes like he did for Game of Thrones, his deep involvement alongside Condal as co-creator made a huge difference. Let’s not forget this is Martin’s world—he knows it better than anyone. His oversight ensured that the adaptation of Fire & Blood, the book House of the Dragon is based on, was more than just a rough guide. Martin helped bring the necessary nuance and depth to a story that could have quickly gone astray.

Without Martin’s investment, we could’ve seen another botched prequel attempt or a mediocre product that failed to live up to Game of Thrones’ legacy. But with Martin guiding the way, House of the Dragon made it through its rocky development and became a refined, character-driven success.

This near-cancelation also highlights HBO’s careful approach to the Game of Thrones universe. They aren’t rushing. They’re not just cashing in on a beloved franchise—they’re ensuring they get the story right. This level of restraint was shown when they scrapped Bloodmoon, and it was reinforced again with the potential scrapping of House of the Dragon.

And the future of the franchise? Martin’s involvement is critical. If he’s guiding the spinoffs, like The Tales of Dunk and Egg, there’s hope these stories will stay true to his vision. Let’s be honest—if he’d been more involved in Game of Thrones’ later seasons, maybe that divisive ending would’ve hit a little differently.

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