Producers at HBO have signed deals with four screenwriters to explore possible spinoffs of the hit television series Game of Thrones, the network has confirmed.
According to Variety, HBO has already hired four writers to explore four possible spinoff series. Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Jane Goldman (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), Brian Helgeland (Legend), and Carly Wray (Mad Men, The Leftovers), will all reportedly work closely with the show’s original producers and the author of the books, George R. R. Martin.
However, the network said there was no confirmed timeline for production.
“We’ll take as much or as little time as the writers need and, as with all our development, we will evaluate what we have when the scripts are in,” a spokesperson told Variety.
Fans of the show have long speculated (and hoped for) possible spinoffs of the series, which is the most watched in HBO’s history. At this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, executive producer David Benioff floated the idea but said he would not work on any such project.
“I think HBO might well do one,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to watching it. I think it’ll be great, but I think it’s better for them to get new blood in with new visions.”
Meanwhile, at last summer’s Television Critics Association, HBO’s programming president Casey Bloys suggested an offshoot series was a real possibility, but no concrete plans had been put in place.
“We’ve talked about it. It’s something I’m not opposed to. But, of course, it has to make sense creatively,” he said at the time. “It’s a pretty intense production. They’re about to start production soon, but I’m open to it. The guys weren’t opposed to it, but there is no concrete plans, or anything like that at this point.”
The seventh season of Game of Thrones is set to premiere July 16.
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