As the premiere of “House of the Dragon” Season 2 approaches, Mattson Tomlin, the writer behind the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off centered on Aegon’s Conquest, shared exciting updates about the new series. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tomlin discussed the development of the show and his sources of inspiration. “House of the Dragon” is the first spin-off from the acclaimed HBO series “Game of Thrones,” which won 59 Emmys over its eight-season run. Several other spin-offs are currently in development, expanding the rich universe created by George R.R. Martin.
Tomlin’s update on the Aegon’s Conquest series is promising. He revealed, “That one is very early days where I’m currently writing the script, currently doing a lot of great back and forth with George.” The involvement of George R.R. Martin, the creator of the Game of Thrones universe, is a positive sign for fans.
Although HBO has not officially greenlit the Aegon the Conqueror show, Tomlin is diligently working on the script to impress Warner Bros. and HBO executives. The timeline of Aegon’s Conquest is set roughly 100 years before the events of “House of the Dragon,” which itself is set nearly 200 years before the original “Game of Thrones” series.
Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower
Tomlin also spoke about the historical inspirations and challenges of adapting Aegon’s Conquest. He likened the project to creating stories about historical figures such as Napoleon or Alexander the Great. “In speaking to George, it became really clear, ‘This is history, treat this like it is what happened,'” Tomlin explained.
Unlike the original series, which had thousands of pages to adapt, Tomlin is working with a few hundred pages from Martin’s “Fire & Blood.” These pages contain numerous clues that Tomlin uses to build the narrative. His job involves interpreting these clues to create a thematically rich and emotionally engaging story.
Adapting a series with less source material presents unique challenges. Tomlin and “House of the Dragon” creator Ryan Condal face different obstacles compared to the original “Game of Thrones” creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Both “House of the Dragon” and the upcoming Aegon’s Conquest spin-off are based on “Fire & Blood,” which uses multiple perspectives and recollections to tell its story, rather than a single concurrent timeline. This narrative style allows for more creative freedom, which Tomlin finds appealing.
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Despite these challenges, the new spin-offs offer a unique opportunity to explore different aspects of the Game of Thrones universe with creative liberty. Fans can look forward to seeing how these stories unfold and add depth to the rich lore established by George R.R. Martin.
“House of the Dragon” Season 2 premieres on June 16. The first season is currently available for streaming on Max. Fans can catch up on the series and stay tuned for more updates and coverage as the premiere date approaches.
