If George R.R. Martin Has His Way, Game of Thrones Will Be Our Next Marvel
After the disastrous ending to Game of Thrones, the franchise has been given a new lease of life with the success of House of the Dragon.
What began with a curious interest in the show from fans fearful that they were tuning into more of what had turned them off in the latter days of GoT, soon developed into a genuine interest in the series that went on to captivate viewers – just not in quite the same that early seasons of GoT had.
Fans are back onboard with life in Westeros and eagerly awaiting the next series which will fill in more of the backstory to the original Game of Thrones series. And it seems that George RR Martin is keen to make the franchise something to rival Marvel.
Interestingly, Martin faded into the background in the later seasons of Game of Thrones but was once again creatively involved with House of the Dragon as it, arguably, restored the reputation of the franchise. Had HotD been poorly received, that could have been the death knell for Westeros. As it is, the show was a success, a second season is somewhere on the distant horizon, and there is even talk of other spinoffs such as one following Jon Snow.
And this positivity for the franchise has led to Martin having big dreams about where he might take it next and just how big it can be. And he's set his sights on following the Marvel route.
"The MCU has The Avengers, but they also have something offbeat like WandaVision. Said Martin, discussing his vision for Westeros with the Hollywood Reporter. "That's what I hope we can do with these other Game of Thrones shows".
His plan, it seems, is to follow in the footsteps of other successful franchises with a whole world to create TV in. He talked of "a variety that showcases the history of this world" as there are "only so many times you can do a competition for the Iron Throne".
The fact that Martin worked closely with Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik on House of the Dragon and is fully invested in more GoT/HotD spinoffs and a variety of shows, is a huge boost to the franchise. It can be seen as an acknowledgement that without his input, the franchise is inferior.
So, now we sit, wait and anticipate. After all, it worked for Marvel, it worked for Star Wars, and with George RR Martin onboard, there is no reason it can't work for Game of Thrones.