10 TV series that will replace Game of Thrones

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

"The Witcher", "The Lord of the Rings" and other large-budget film adaptations of the fantasy cycles of the coming years.

Before the advent of Game of Thrones, channels rarely produced large-scale fantasy series. They are too expensive to produce because of the special effects and costumes, and public demand was not guaranteed. However, HBO has proven that you can invest a lot of money in the project and it will still be profitable.

Therefore, various channels and streaming services will soon begin producing similar series in an effort to capture the Game of Thrones audience. Some projects are already in development.

1. The Witcher

Streaming giant Netflix is launching its own fantasy project, based on a series of books by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, just in time for the new season of the series, which will not have to compete with Game of Thrones.

The plot revolves around the adventures of one of the last monster hunters, the witcher Geralt of Rivia. Henry Cavill will play the main role. The series should be released in 2019.

"The Witcher" has already been transferred to the screens - in 2002 a Polish mini-series with the same name was shown, but the majority of viewers and the author of the books himself considered it unsuccessful.

2. Lord of the rings

Streaming service Amazon has acquired the rights to film the massive works of John R. R. Tolkien. The final name of the series has not yet been announced, but it is already known that the plot will unfold in the Second Age, that is, thousands of years before the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The details of the plot can only be guessed at, since filming has not even begun yet.

The platform makes a big bet on this project. Initially, at least five seasons and possible spin-offs are planned. The series will most likely make it to the screens no earlier than 2021.

3. Dark beginnings

The British channel BBC, together with the American HBO, is releasing a series based on the book series of the same name by Philip Pullman. The original stories tell about a girl named Lear. She lives in a world where magic coexists with science and religion, and each person has a "daemon" - a part of his soul, embodied in the form of an animal. In the first book of the cycle, Lyra travels in search of a friend, and in subsequent books she moves to other worlds.

The main roles in the series will be played by Daphne Keane, Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy. Directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King's Speech). Despite the fact that the first season has not yet been released, the project has already been extended for a second.

The first book of the series, entitled "The Golden Compass", has already been filmed, but the authors of the picture have too loosely dealt with the plot, and therefore the sequel never appeared.

4. Long night

Although Game of Thrones has come to an end, HBO is not going to say goodbye to the world of Westeros. According to rumors, the channel has already planned five different prequels and spin-offs. But most of them are still at the stage of discussion and scripting. But the first prequel tentatively titled "The Long Night" is already being developed.

The plot will unfold 5,000 years before the events of "Game of Thrones" and will tell about the end of the golden age of heroes and the beginning of dark times in the history of the world.

The project is directed by Jane Goldman, known as the favorite screenwriter of Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Kingsman). The pilot episode will be directed by SJ Clarkson (Dexter, House Doctor). Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse will star.

5. Conan

The popular character in the works of Robert Howard also has every chance of returning to the screens. Again, Amazon is in charge of production. The director and executive producer is Miguel Sapochnik, who filmed such large-scale episodes as "Battle of the Bastards", "Winds of Winter", "Long Night" in "Game of Thrones".

The authors have enough literary basis. In addition to two dozen stories and stories written by Howard himself, there are many books about Conan by other popular science fiction writers. In the seventies, there was even a comic book series from Marvel.

The audience remembered this hero primarily for two films with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the animated series and the relaunch of the story with Jason Momoa in the title role.

6. Dark Tower

Stephen King's epic cycle is also coming to television. According to the original idea, the series "The Dark Tower" was supposed to be a prequel to the 2017 feature film. But after the deafening failure of the picture, the authors decided to completely abandon the connection and just create a story based on the fourth book of the series "The Wizard and the Crystal".

The plot tells about the youth of the shooter Roland Descein. He is a descendant of the family that protects the Dark Tower - the center of all worlds. But after the coming of the evil sorcerer, the worlds begin to crumble.

The main role in the project will be played by Sam Strike ("Flying Through the Night"). Jasper Pääkkonen (Vikings) and Jerome Flynn (Bronn from Game of Thrones) will also appear in the series. Filming is already underway.

7. The Chronicles of Narnia

The famous series of books by Clive Staples Lewis was already successfully filmed as a trilogy at the beginning of the 21st century. But now Netflix has acquired the rights to the cycle and is going to make several films and TV series around the world of The Chronicles of Narnia.

In the original, the plot begins with four children through a magic wardrobe into a fairy-tale world, which is captured by an evil sorceress. They must help Prince Aslan take the throne.

In total, Lewis wrote seven books about the world of Narnia, so you can shoot for a long time. Although it is not known whether the authors of the film adaptations are going to follow the original.

8. Wheel of time

All the same Amazon acquired the rights to film the series of books "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. The plot tells the story of a world where magic is wielded mainly by women. The main character goes on a dangerous journey. She believes that one of her companions is the reincarnation of a powerful spirit that can destroy or save the world.

Jordan himself wrote 11 novels about the world of "Wheels of Time". Then, based on his drafts, Brandon Sanderson released three more books.

There is little information about the series so far, but it is already known that the first two episodes are directed by Uta Briswitz (the series "Westworld", "Stranger Things").

9. Guardians

The legendary cycle of the English writer Terry Pratchett "Discworld" is strangely still not really filmed - only a few low-budget projects came out. Meanwhile, the series includes about 40 books.

And finally, BBC America, together with Narrativia (founded by Terry Pratchett himself, and now run by the writer's daughter) ordered eight episodes of The Watch series based on the famous novels. The plot is expected to tell about the guard of the city of Ankh-Morpork. The development of the project has been talked about for a long time, but only now the series is definitely going into production. The format of the project is described as a punk rock thriller.

In the future, the channel plans to continue the series in an anthology format. This is quite logical, because Pratchett's books are divided into cycles about the wizard Rincewind, Death, witches, guards and other characters.

10. Gormenghast

Mervyn Peak's fantasy trilogy is also likely to hit the small screens. This series of books talks about the huge castle of Gormenghast, also known as the Castle of the Four Worlds. It has been ruled by the Groan clan for 76 generations.

For the film adaptation undertook a big fan of Pick, writer Neil Gaiman and the famous producer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind").

In 2000, the series of the same name was already released (in Russia it is known as "The Dark Kingdom"), but low budgets and simplicity of filming did not allow to convey the full scale of the original.