HBO's Game of Thrones was a cultural phenomenon that brought to vivid life George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and leap-frogged the written saga to a controversial and epic conclusion.

While readers PATIENTLY await the literary ending -- one that Martin has promised will be significantly different from what HBO's adaptation presented -- television fans missing the Seven Kingdoms can anticipate a veritable banquet of spin-off projects in the near (and not-so-near) future.

First out of the gate is House of the Dragon, a prequel series centered on the civil war of the dragon-riding Targaryen House, premiering on August 21.

Martin joined members of the cast -- Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Emma D'Arcy, Emily Carey, and Milly Alcock -- and co-creator Ryan Condal on a panel at San Diego's Comic-Con to discuss what we can expect from this first heir to the Game of Thrones legacy.

The biggest takeaway from their SDCC panel is that they are NOT skimping on the dragons, with Condal promising no less than SEVENTEEN individual and fully realized dragons at the height of Targaryen power.

Set two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series draws on the latter half of Martin's definitive history of House Targaryen, Fire and Blood, which chronicles the downfall of the ruling dynasty.

Martin stated he has seen all the episodes and, despite his anxiety over letting HBO and the showrunners "adopt" his children, he is very pleased with the outcome.

The panel revealed that work has already begun on Season 2 but were otherwise close-lipped about details on what Season 1 might bring.

Keeping in mind that Aegon the Conqueror was the Targaryen king who first united the Seven Kingdoms and forged the infamous Iron Throne, House of the Dragon will concern itself with several generations of his descendants.

Viserys I, as portrayed by Paddy Considine, inherits the heaviest of burdens, the expectation of continuing the unprecedented 50-year-long peace his grandfather, Jaehaerys I, achieved.

Disrupting that calm is his cousin Rhaenys (Eve Best) and her husband, Corlys (Steve Toussaint), head of House Velaryon (and wealthiest man in Westeros), who believe Rhaenys had a better claim to Jaehaerys's throne. While they acquiesced years ago to the misogynistic decision of the Lords of Westeros, it's never sat well.

Adding to his stress is his younger brother's claim to succession since Viserys's only surviving heir is his daughter, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), who -- according to the very laws of succession by which Viserys seized the throne -- cannot inherit.

Little Brother Daemon (Matt Smith) triggers all sorts of danger warnings with his hot-headed and impetuous behavior, and so Westeros's politically-minded will jockey and plot for favor and position, looking to hold the reigns of the alpha dragon when the dust settles.

With Milly Alcock billed as the younger version of Rhaenyra, we can expect to see some flashbacks to fill in the backstory and character growth of the dragon princess.

Also, familiar names like Hightower, Lannister, and Westerling will provide glimpses into the cultural history of the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms.

Check out the mind-blowing trailer released at SDCC!

While the other projects are still in the early stages of development, we know that House of the Dragon will have its own spin-off in The Sea Snake (previously known as Nine Voyages) since the central character, Corlys Velaryon, is introduced on House of the Dragon, albeit much later in his life.

No casting has been announced, so we'll have to wait to see if Steve Toussaint will pull double duty on the two productions, perhaps as a voiceover presence narrating the adventures of his younger self. In March, it was confirmed that Bruno Heller (Rome) was writing the pilot script.

We also know that the titular "Sea Snake" is both the name of the ship Corlys sailed on nine infamous journeys to the distant land of Essos and the moniker he adopted. The nine lucrative trade expeditions built his substantial wealth as well as his reputation as a tactician and formidable leader.

Speaking of Essos, another prequel series that has gotten passed the pitch stage is Ten Thousand Ships, which takes place a thousand years before Game of Thrones and chronicles the exodus of the Rhoynar people from that eastern continent after a devastating defeat by the Valarian Dragonlords.

They are led by the warrior princess Nymeria for whom fans will recall Arya named her direwolf and Oberyn Martell, one of his Sand Snake daughters.

After wandering the shores of the Summer Sea, they eventually settle in Dorne -- the southernmost point of Westeros -- where they join forces with House Martell to unite the squabbling desert tribes, shaping it into the pain-in-the-ass sovereign nation it will be by the time of Aegon the Conqueror.

With descendants like The Red Viper and the Sand Snakes, we can expect to see personalities just as passionate and deadly among Nymeria's entourage.

In May 2021, Amanda Segel (Marvel's Helstrom, Person of Interest) was named as showrunner and, as of March 2022, had submitted multiple drafts, with the creative team "forging ahead," according to Martin.

In terms of sequels, only one project is on the docket. Pitched by none other than Kit Harrington, a Jon Snow series -- working title: Snow --that follows the last Targaryen of Westeros after the events of Game of Thrones is in the development stage.

Martin revealed in June that Harrington not only brought the idea forward, but he also assembled his own team of as-yet-undisclosed writers and showrunners whom Martin deemed "terrific."

The last of the live-action spin-offs in development is The Hedge Knight, aka Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on a series of Martin novellas known collectively as the Tales of Dunk and Egg.

For (perhaps) obvious reasons, the "Dunk and Egg" moniker was passed over for a working title. Still, it does explain what the series is about: the adventures of Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire known as Egg, short for Aegon, as in Aegon Targaryen.

Aegon will one day become sit upon the Iron Throne as Aegon V, known as Aegon the Unlikely as he was born the fourth son of a fourth son.

Game of Thrones aficionados will recall his elder brother, Aemon, refused the Throne, choosing instead to take the black and serve as Maester at Castle Black for the Night's Watch, eventually becoming a mentor for Samwell Tarly before succumbing to old age.

The last of the series HBO is considering is an animated series based in the Essos kingdom of YiTi. The only information we have so far is that its working title is The Golden Empire, and, according to Martin, things (as of March 2022) are moving very fast with lots of brilliant concept art already produced.

There is little mention of YiTi in the books and even less in the Game of Thrones series, but it is one of the ports that Corlys Veleryon sailed to on his nine voyages, so there you go: it all hangs together. The Golden Empire will most likely be an HBO Max series, but -- as with any show in the early stages of development -- things may change.

As for the Long Night prequel, Bloodmoon, a negative reception to the pilot shot in 2019 saw it axed not long after.

Bloodmoon would have focused on Westeros in the Age of Heroes, five thousand years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Another series that won't move forward is Flea Bottom, set in the titular poorest slum district of King's Landing and Ser Davos Seaworth's birthplace. Still a going concern in March 2021, it was canceled in July that year.

The Game of Thrones IP is looking to expand to other media forms as well, with Martin working on a Broadway stageplay depicting The Great Tourney at Harrenhal.

As Harrenhal occurred only sixteen years before Game of Thrones begins, fan favorites like Ned Stark, Jamie Lannister, Oberyn Martell, and Bannister Selmy would all be present.

Finally, in anticipation of the premiere of House of the Dragon, HBO has released DracARys. In this augmented reality game app, you can hatch and raise your own dragons, learn to speak the Valyrian language, and challenge other users to battles.

It's a far cry from fighting White Walkers at The Wall, but who doesn't want their own dragon Tamagochi?

The future of the Game of Thrones franchise is vast and full of rumors, but whatever way you want to fly at it, the possibilities are exciting.

Will you be tuning into House of the Dragon?

What spin-offs are you praying to the Seven will be green-lit next?

Hit our comments with your highest hopes and darkest fears for the expansion series!

Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.