Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin announced that pilot for 10,000 Ships, the scrapped prequel series, is once again in the works.
In a blog on Martin’s website, the author congratulated writer Eboni Booth for winning a Pulitzer Prize for her play, Primary Truth. In the same breath of congratulating her, the Game of Thrones creator confirmed that the pilot for 10,000 Ships is being penned by Booth herself.
“She’s an amazingly talented young playwright, and a joy to work with; when not writing and producing her prize-winning plays on- and off-Broadway, she has been kept busy by me and HBO, working on a new pilot for TEN THOUSAND SHIPS, a GAME OF THRONES spinoff about Nymeria and the Rhoynar,” Martin wrote. “We’re all very excited about this one… though we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for ten thousand ships, three hundred dragons, and those giant turtles.”
10,000 Ships is a spin-off set a millennium before the events of Game of Thrones. It follows Princess Nymeria, an ancestor of House Martell and founder of the kingdom of Dorne. The series was first reported to be in the works back in 2021 before HBO scrapped the project entirely. In a recent interview with Inverse, 10,000 Ships writer Brian Helgeland likened the scrapped pilot of 10,000 Ships to The Sinbad films, The Odyssey, and the biblical tale of Moses.
“It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original," Helgeland said in regards to HBO scrapping the pilot. "That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead.”
Here’s hoping 10,000 Ships' second chance at life with a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer proves more prosperous than its first attempt.
In other Game of Thrones-related news, House of the Dragon Season 2 is slated to premiere on Max on June 16. In our spoiler-free review of House of the Dragon Season 2’s premiere, we gave the episode a 7 out of 10, saying, “It’s good to be back in Westeros, but it feels like the promised faster pace for season 2 of House of the Dragon is yet to kick in. Here’s hoping that we move up a gear in the next couple of weeks.”
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh
