Almighty George R.R. Martin graced Game of Thrones fans with an update on another spin-off: Nine Voyages, formerly known under the working title The Sea Snake, might come out as an animated series and leave the live-action legacy of GoT behind.
The absolute chokehold Game of Thrones had on fans worldwide from 2011 up until the finale in 2019 (which was... well... I'm still not over it) led to more than enough spin-off ideas that are currently being worked on – only one, House of the Dragon, has made it to screens so far (and here's everything you need to know about the upcoming second season, by the way).
That doesn't mean that's all we might get, though. On his personal blog, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin shared some news on one of the upcoming spin-offs. Sir Martin, I appreciate your blog a lot, but how about writing that last book of the Game of Thrones series...? But, I digress.
Game of Thrones Spin-Off Switches From Live-Action To Animation
Neither Game of Thrones nor House of the Dragon are exactly known for their cheap production, on the contrary: the budget those shows need is absolutely insane (but well spent, if you ask me). And with three spin-offs being planned, that could get prohibitively expensive very quickly if all the shows are greenlit.
Only Martin's A Knight of Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has been officially greenlit so far, but news on that project has been scarce. George R.R. Martin has also talked about a show for Nine Voyages, which tells the story of the Sea Snake, Lord Corlys Velaryon. However, rather than trying to spend another hundred million trying to make the show live-action, they are instead going to make it animated:
"We have moved NINE VOYAGES, our series about the legendary voyages of the Sea Snake, over from live action to animation. A move I support fully. Budgetary constraints would likely have made a live action version prohibitively expensive, what with half the show taking place at sea, and the necessity of creating a different port every week, from Driftmark to Lys to the Basilisk Isles to Volantis to Qarth to… well, on and on and on. There’s a whole world out there. And we have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation."
And you know what? Completely fair. Animation is no cheap endeavor either, but sure as hell not as costly as doing it in live-action, considering the scale Martin aims for. Still, he has set himself high goals when it comes to animation: he wants it to be "as good, as gorgeous and gripping as Blue Eye Samurai."
Nine Voyages still waits for greenlight, but according to Martin, they "are getting close to taking the next step." We'll keep you updated on that, don't worry!