Posted in: Game Of Thrones, HBO, TV | Tagged: brian helgeland, game of thrones, george r r martin, HBO

Game of Thrones: Brian Helgeland Details "10,000 Ships" Spinoff Pitch

Writer-director Brian Helgeland details the still-in-limbo Game of Thrones spinoff series 10,000 Ships & HBO's reluctance to green-light it.

Brian Helgeland developed quite an impressive career in Hollywood as a writer and director as an Oscar winner for writing 1997's L.A. Confidential. He established himself in the late 80s in the horror genre, working on franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, 976-Evil, Tales from the Crypt, and Friday the 13th. As Helgeland went further into developing drama and action projects like A Knight's Tale (2001), The Postman (1997), Mystic River (2003), and Man on Fire (2004), he attempted to develop a Game of Thrones spinoff series called 10,000 Ships that would have focused on Queen Nymeria, but HBO so far has passed on it despite the endorsement of the franchise author George R. R. Martin, who wrote the A Song of Fire and Ice novels which Game of Thrones and prequel, House of the Dragon are based.

Brian Helgeland Provides Synopsis for 'Game of Thrones' Spinoff '10,000 Ships'

"It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original," Helgeland told Inverse. "That's why it hasn't been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead. My script was based on Queen Nymeria and this little blurb about her that was in a Westeros encyclopedia." He compared the series' subject and its biblical origins. "Essentially, it was the story of Moses but swapping him out for Nymeria. Her country gets ruined, and her people are forced to live on the water, which is why the show was called 'Ten Thousand Ships.' They end up having to leave and find a new home, like the Israelites leaving Egypt. She's leading all these people, trying to hold everyone together, but things are always in danger of falling apart as they travel around a fictionalized version of the Mediterranean, looking for a new home to settle in."

HBO revealed 10,000 Ships as early as 2017 as GOT was coming to an end and hired screenwriter Amanda Segel as a writer in 2021. Helgeland maintains "nothing is ever dead" despite its current status in limbo. "Their life was nomadic. Living in a raft city that was bound together, this big floating city," Helgeland said about his plans for Nymeria and her people in the spinoff. "Sometimes, the characters would come ashore, but they ultimately get driven off the land as they search for a home, their version of the promised land. I met with George R.R. Martin to pitch him the idea, which he signed off on. Sadly, I didn't work with him closer, but I would have done if the show was picked up," he continued. "It was kind of like Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad films mixed with 'The Odyssey.' In a way, Nymeria is Odysseus, but instead of a 12-person crew, she's responsible for every citizen in this floating city-state. My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up. I enjoyed my time developing it, and you just never know."

The second spinoff series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is currently underway with Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell cast as Dunk and Egg, respectively. Sadly, the Jon Snow spinoff, which would have acted as a direct sequel to the original series, has been shelved, according to series star Kit Harington. For more on the series and Helgeland's career, you can check out the interview here.

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