Game of Thrones: Could an animated series come to HBO Max?

There has certainly been conversations aplenty about the future of the Game of Thrones franchise — we know that there’s a House of the Dragon spin-off coming to HBO. Meanwhile, there was another prequel that did not make it past the pilot phase.

So is HBO Max now considering getting into the mix? Signs are pointing in that direction at the moment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming service is in the “early stages” of development on animated spin-off set within the world. The idea is for the show to cater to adults and be somewhat similar in tone to Game of Thrones proper.

Can a show in this vein work? We do think there’s validity to the idea. An animated project would be far cheaper than trying to protect a show with elaborate special effects for HBO Max. Also, there’s so much lore from George R.R. Martin’s books that something totally new could be explored. It also fits the bill of what HBO Max is looking to do as a service — they are doing their best to cater to fans of established franchises. Hence, them working on a Sex and the City follow-up series and bringing more DC Comics properties on board. They do want more true originals like The Flight Attendant, but we are in an era where franchises almost always come first.

The real challenge from our vantage point has almost nothing to do with animated; instead, it is convincing fans to keep coming back to the franchise after a controversial Game of Thrones series finale. There is still a lot of frustration out there among viewers, and that is something that could also come back to haunt House of the Dragon.

In the end, here is what we’ll say: If you are going to do anything else in the Game of Thrones world, it better be awesome. Otherwise, why even bother at this point?

What do you think about the idea of a Game of Thrones animated spin-off?

Be sure to share right now in the comments, and also stick around for some other news. (Photo: HBO.)