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Summary
- A Game of Thrones movie could salvage the franchise by addressing the negative impacts of Season 8 and House of the Dragon Season 2.
- The movie should utilize George R. R. Martin’s world-building to address criticisms and potential sequel storylines about fan-favorite characters.
- A movie can hook viewers into the Targaryen history, connecting Thrones to House of the Dragon and potentially recover the franchise.
A Game of Thrones movie is in the early stage of development at Warner Bros (Per THR). If executed correctly, the Game of Thrones universe would benefit from this project, since the mega-budgeted Thrones Season 8 and House of the Dragon Season 2 turned into complete debacles. If a Game of Thrones movie is greenlit, it has the potential to salvage the franchise.
Given the lackluster ending of the original season and the lack of plot progression of House of the Dragon Season 2, this movie must intend corrective action. The negative imprint of the Game of Thrones final season and the second innings of House of the Dragon can be erased. A movie would help the franchise recover and grow.
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Game of Thrones Season 8 And House of the Dragon Season 2
The original series finale that aired in 2019 and concluded its run on May 19 generated mixed responses, with criticism directed at truncated storylines, poor writing, and the inability to structure changes in character arcs, primarily Daenerys Targaryen, and Jaime Lannister. With Daenerys, the negative changes in her arc were sudden and contrasted with the character seen in the previous seven seasons. Furthermore, her dialogues were weak, and even Emilia Clarke’s descent into the Mad Queen felt forced and unconvincing. Because of bad writing, Daenerys camaraderie with her aides Tyrion Lannister, Lord Varys, and Jon Snow became incohesive. This had a spillover effect since she was one of the mains.
Jaime Lannister’s character has made impressive progress over the past seasons, especially after meeting Brienne of Tarth. Jaime stood out as a morally grey character, albeit uncompromising on ideals such as defending human lives. He’d killed the Mad King to save the city. Jaime was fine until Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4 “The Last of the Starks.” He’d left his vicious sister, Cersei, to fight for the living side, but threw everything away for her. “I would have murdered every man, woman, and child in Riverrun for Cersei. She’s hateful and so am I,” said the man who’d previously answered for the crime of slaying his king, saying:
Then he [Aerys II] turned to his pyromancer. “Burn them all,” he said “Burn them in their homes. Burn them in their beds”. Tell me, if your precious Renly commanded you to kill your own father and stand by while thousands of men, women, and children burned alive, would you have done it? Would you have kept your oath then?
All of these reasons combined with truncated plotlines culminated in a rushed season that led to Game of Thrones‘ fall from grace.
The biggest criticism of House of the Dragon Season 2 is that it did not evolve beyond a point. It went here and there but failed to provide a sense of progression. Daemon Targaryen spent the entire season away from the seat of action, only to conclude that his brother’s choice of heir was correct. It took eight episodes to do something he’d already done by way of placing the crown on Rhaenyra’s head the previous season. Rhaenyra deliberated on war, tried to sue for peace, denied her subordinates’ actions, and backtracked on her earlier stance when peace came knocking at her door in the season finale.
Amidst everything that went wrong with the high-stakes Game of Thrones final season and House of the Dragon season 2, the new movie reported to be in the early stages of development could breathe new life into the Thrones franchise.
A Game of Thrones Movie Can Add Depth And Dimension To The Franchise
A Game of Thrones movie can stitch the Game of Thrones original series to House of the Dragon by acting as a balanced point in the spectrum. First and foremost, the makers must utilize George R. R. Martin’s rich lore and world-building to address the criticisms of the original series’ finale season. A movie could delve into Thrones‘ aftermath and address the questions left in its wake. For example, the questions about the fan-favorite Jon Snow, Sansa’s time ruling the North, or Arya’s fate in the West of Westeros could all be addressed if the movie were to act as a sequel to Game of Thrones. If handled carefully, this segue into the next chapter of Starks, or Jon Snow should potentially absolve HBO of the crimes of mishandling Season 8. The makers tried to cash on shock value, with underdeveloped arcs vis-à-vis the direction of the characters took.
House of the Dragon Season 2 was a dull, drab feast that failed to captivate the viewers or appeal to their emotions. The Thrones’ fandom is invested in the story of the enigmatic Targaryens, and a movie would serve as the perfect entry point into their beginnings as the great power, currently seen in House of the Dragon. The makers can start with hooks such as Lord Aenar’s story, the Doom of Valyria, Aegon’s Conquest, or Jaehaerys’ reign to keep the fandom interested in House of the Dragon.
Tracing Daenerys’ story in the aftermath of Robert’s Rebellion and before her marriage to Khal Drogo, or a glance at the Targaryens at the time of the rebellion, or the tale of Lyanna and Rhaegar and the Mad King will perfectly stitch Game of Thrones to House of the Dragon.
With a new movie, the Game of Thrones franchise has the potential to recover, keep the fandom hooked, and attract new viewers.
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