I'm Increasingly Convinced Game Of Thrones' Robert's Rebellion Spinoff Is Inevitable, No Matter What GRRM Says

Robert’s Rebellion is one of the most important stories related to Game of Thrones, which makes it surprising it hasn’t yet been turned into a TV show (or movie) in its own right. HBO is very much in the business of expanding its Westeros-set franchise, with several Game of Thrones spinoffs in development. Only one - House of the Dragon - has actually made it to screens so far though.

That will change in 2025 with the release of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but there are more in the works (if not yet ordered), ranging from an Aegon’s Conquest show to an animated series about Corlys Velaryon. Notably, none of the planned shows are directly connected to the main series, but I suspect that will eventually change. And if/when it does, Robert’s Rebellion could very well be what HBO turns to.

Why Robert’s Rebellion Hasn’t Happened Yet

George R.R. Martin Has Previously Played Down The Idea

Game of Thrones itself featured a few key moments from Robert’s Rebellion, thanks to visions from Bran Stark. Among the scenes we got to witness are:

Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen are married.
Ned Stark, Howland Reed, and others fight against three members of the Kingsguard, including Ser Arthur Dayne.
Lyanna Stark gives birth to a baby boy, confirming Jon Snow’s true parentage, and Ned Stark promises to keep him safe.
Jaime Lannister slays the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen.

That is, admittedly, a lot of the key moments, and that’s related to the reason author George R.R. Martin himself has been opposed to a spinoff based on this story. Back in 2017, when talk of more shows was first reported, he wrote on his Not A Blog site:

We’re not doing Robert’s Rebellion either. I know thousands of you want that, I know there’s a petition… but by the time I finish writing A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, you will know every important thing that happened in Robert’s Rebellion. There would be no surprises or revelations left in such a show, just the acting out of conflicts whose resolutions you already know. That’s not a story I want to tell just now; it would feel too much like a twice-told tale.

That wasn’t quite the end of things, as EW reported back in 2021 that a Robert’s Rebellion prequel was among the ideas being considered at HBO. However, with no updates since that point, it’s probably fair to assume it didn’t progress very far beyond the initial idea stage. But I do think that will likely change.

A Robert’s Rebellion Spinoff Makes Too Much Sense To Never Happen

It Would Be A Guaranteed Hit For The Game Of Thrones Franchise

Rhaegar Targaryen Lyanna Stark kiss at their Secret Wedding in Game of Thrones

As mentioned, 2025 will bring A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on Martin’s The Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas. That actually has something in common with Robert’s Rebellion because, in the same blog post where he said that wouldn’t happen, he made similar comments about Dunk & Egg:

We’re not doing Dunk & Egg. Eventually, sure, I’d love that, and so would many of you. But I’ve only written and published three novellas to date, and there are at least seven or eight or ten more I want to write. We all know how slow I am, and how fast a television show can move. I don’t want to repeat what happened with GAME OF THRONES itself, where the show gets ahead of the books. When the day comes that I’ve finished telling all my tales of Dunk & Egg, then we’ll do a tv show about them… but that day is still a long ways off.

Obviously, Martin changed his mind on that one, because no other novellas have yet been published. And so if that, why not Robert’s Rebellion too? Ultimately, I think the story is too important to Game of Thrones - and would be too much of a guaranteed hit for HBO and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery - for it to never happen in some way.

It’s the one story where you can bring back the likes of Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister, and still have Targaryens...

After all, this is the same WBD that’s remaking the Harry Potter movies. That will be making a new Lord of the Rings movie set during The Fellowship of the Ring. Those are both far wilder, more shocking concepts to me than making Robert’s Rebellion. With Game of Thrones one of its prized franchises, doing something that clearly connects to the main show seems like a complete no-brainer.

It’s the one story where you can bring back the likes of Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister, and still have Targaryens (which have been a defining point of the spinoffs so far), and not need to revisit anything surrounding Game of Thrones’ controversial ending. It’s a win-win-win, surely.

Interestingly, part of the story is actually being adapted. The stage play The Iron Throne will take the story of the Tourney of Harrenhal, a critical part of the Rebellion, to London’s West End and, after that, Broadway. While that could mean they’re only focused on telling that part of the story in that specific medium, I think it’s more likely to just whet the appetite for telling the complete saga and opening it up to a much bigger audience.

Robert’s Rebellion Could Actually Be Great

It Is Clearly A Very Good Story

Jaime comes for the Mad King with a sword in Game Of Thrones

While I don’t necessarily think there’s a need to see Robert’s Rebellion on-screen, and hope that if it does happen, it’s with Martin’s backing and involvement in some capacity, it certainly could be great. After all, it has everything that made Game of Thrones work (except for dragons), including several of its best characters, alongside political machinations, epic battles, romance, plot twists, and shocking deaths.

It’s the story that shapes everything about Game of Thrones, and there’s already enough detail (and a clear ending) to help make an adaptation plausible.

There’s material here that could work across a limited series, with 8-10 episodes, allowing for even greater depth to characters, rivalries, relationships, and events. Or, with a Game of Thrones movie possibly happening, then it would be an obvious choice for a two-parter (or even a trilogy). It’s the story that shapes everything about Game of Thrones, and there’s already enough detail (and a clear ending) to help make an adaptation plausible.

I’m also not sure that I buy the idea it shouldn’t happen because we already know the full story, or will do eventually (and that’s not limited to just Martin, it’s fairly common). That didn't stop, say, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies from being great. It’s about experiencing the story in a different way, bringing it to a new audience, and perhaps fleshing out some details and even adding to it where it makes sense.

Upcoming Game of Thrones Spinoffs
Title	Description	Status
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms	An adaptation of George R.R. Martin's The Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas	Season 1 releasing in 2025 on HBO and Max
House of the Dragon	Ongoing Game of Thrones prequel, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons	Season 3 expected in 2026; season 4 will be the last
Aegon's Conquest	The story of King Aegon I Targaryen and the conquest of Westeros with his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya	In-development
10,000 Ships	A spinoff about Princess Nymeria, who led her people the Rhoynar to Dorne after a war with the Valyrian Freehold	In-development
Nine Voyages	An animated show about Corlys Velaryon's Great Voyages, where he sailed around the Known World	In-development
The Golden Empire (unofficial)	An animated show set in empire of Yi Ti, which is in the far East of Essos	In-development
TBC	Another live-action Game of Thrones spinoff	In-development
TBC	Another animated Game of Thrones spinoff	In-development
TBC	A Game of Thrones movie	In-development

I’ve actually talked myself into wanting it more just writing this, I’ll be honest, but whether it’d be great or not is almost a little moot, because it just makes far too much sense for the Game of Thrones franchise to not happen. It’s more a matter of when. It might be several years off, but I just can't imagine it being ignored forever.