Is a Game of Thrones prequel really the best idea?

On Friday, the news was finally made official that HBO has picked up a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel series — one that is apparently set thousands of years in the past! It’s a good way of introducing a new story that is not attached too much to the current one, and also giving us a chance to see some totally new characters in a way that will actually feel exciting.

Yet, is this really the right way for HBO to go?

From one vantage point, we absolutely do understand why there would be a push for the network to move away from the idea of a spin-off. Game of Thrones is an epic journey and with that, it has an epic conclusion. There is such a risk of undermining your established project if you do something that feels like a continuation. That is why Star Wars likely chose to do prequels on some level at first, and on some level why the idea of Better Call Saul had to be a little bit more appealing to jumping forward and doing something after Breaking Bad.

Yet, the problem with any prequel is that it’s so much harder to build dramatic tension when you know how a story is going to conclude already. Even if this show is set so far back in the past that there is some mystery there, you still know eventually that it’s going to lead to the events of Game of Thrones. There is still less room for exploration than there would be with a show set after the fact.

What we would’ve considered with a Game of Thrones spin-off personally is something set in another part of the world following the events of the original series — therefore, you would be able to build off of everything that happened without the show just feeling like a season 9 of a show that is already over.

No matter what happens, the earliest we imagine this spin-off airing is at some point in 2020.

Related – Read the official logline for the upcoming prequel series

What do you think: Would Game of Thrones have been better off with a proper spin-off show as opposed to a prequel? Be sure to share right now in the comments below!

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