House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal believes the world of Westeros has the potential to be just as big as the MCU and Star Wars. The series precedes the Game of Thrones series, which managed to become one of the most popular series of all time, and he believes there’s still so much more to explore.
Condal spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about how he thinks stories set in George R.R. Martin’s world stack up against other franchise rivals.
“As a fan, I think the [World of Westeros] universe is just as rich as the Marvel universe or the Star Wars universe, I think there are plenty of stories left to tell. But we’re at the very beginning, whereas Marvel and Star Wars have decades of content and characters built up over time. It’s our job to establish that interest and explore the world a little bit more and get people intrigued to ask, ‘Where else can you go with within this world?'”
The World of Westeros isn’t lacking in history. Martin has mapped out expansive mythology covering various ages with so many tales to tell. After the GOT series finale, there were five pilot projects in development, including Bloodmoon starring Naomi Watts in a pilot that had already been shot, but all of these shows fell apart. House of the Dragon is the first official spinoff from GOT to see the light of day, and there’s a lot riding on its shoulder due to the reputation of the original series.
Taking on behemoths such as the MCU and Star Wars is not a simple task, however. Star Wars has been around for decades, spanning not just movies but video games, comic books, novels, and successful TV shows that have essentially put it in the position GOT was expected to be post-season eight.
The MCU operates in a similar fashion, with a massive fanbase and source material that has lasted the test of time. The MCU has had some of the biggest box office successes, and the Disney Plus series continue to fuel the storylines like a well-oiled machine.
The first episode of GOT premiered in 2011 and had an audience of 2.2 million in the U.S., and by the eighth season, it grew to nearly 20 million. The finale episode garnered 13.6 million viewers on the live HBO channel, becoming the most watched episode of an HBO series.
There’s a rumored Jon Snow series in the works and a Dunk and Egg, but it will likely depend on how well the first prequel series does. The hype surrounding House of the Dragon is real, but with many viewers still torn over that underwhelming GOT finale, it will have to work hard to reclaim the throne.
You can read our House of the Dragon review here.