House Of The Dragon Just Referenced The Game Of Thrones Show HBO Should Make Next

Contains spoilers for "House of the Dragon" Season 3, Episode 3

Look, we all love Westeros. The scenic vistas of the Vale, the chic, gothic touches of Harrenhal — the travel brochure practically writes itself. But after three HBO series set primarily on the same warred-over continent, that Sagittarius wanderlust begins to cry for something new. Volcanic hot springs, perchance? A riverboat tour through the ancient ruins of a once-great empire? Valyria is calling, HBO. The fans want something new.

Make no mistake: "House of the Dragon" Season 3 is more than keeping things interesting. But in the season's third episode, one particular scene between Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her husband-uncle Daemon (Matt Smith) conjures up that most enigmatic fragment of the "Game of Thrones" timeline — the rise, reign, and eventual Doom of the Valyrian Freehold. Frequently referenced but rarely explored in depth, even in George R. R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" books, Valyria has long been a source of fascination among the franchise's fanbase, with calls for a proper HBO series focused on the old empire coming up time and time again.

In "House of the Dragon" Season 3, Episode 3, Daemon attempts to stir a similar fervor within Rhaenyra, urging her to think bigger than King's Landing and Westeros. "Aegon the Conqueror had three dragons, you now have six," he tells her. "Dawn could be ours. And then Essos, and the Free Cities. Yi Ti, and its riches." It's the sort of ambition Daemon demonstrated wantonly in Season 1, now returned and channeled through his renewed devotion to Rhaenyra and, apparently, a resurgent sense of legacy. "Was this not always the promise of the dragons?" he asks, switching to High Valyrian. "The dream of Old Valyria?" Daemon invokes the will of an empire laid to rest — and the HBO franchise has rarely made such a compelling (if unintentional) pitch to finally show it.

While "House of the Dragon" has received widespread critical acclaim, some have seen its aesthetic similarities to "Game of Thrones" as a missed opportunity to more fully expand George R. R. Martin's world. Part of the appeal of a Valyria show is that it would necessitate dramatic differences in look and feel, given its status as a magical empire rather than a more traditional medieval realm.

"You will have an empire unassailable, and our children will rule it forever and a day," Daemon tells Rhaenyra in "House of the Dragon" Season 3, Episode 3. "I style us gods, Rhaenyra, as we were always meant to be." It's a refrain that feels plucked from stories passed down the Targaryen family tree, which reaches back to their origins as Valyrian dragonlords — some of the only denizens of the old empire to have survived the Doom. That cataclysm, a massive volcanic eruption that ignited the Fourteen Flames and shattered the Valyrian peninsula, could be the most epic, tragic, and cinematic event yet depicted on any of the shows, and the dramatic irony of following an empire doomed to fall so violently is a natural fit with the franchise's tone.

There's also a natural grandeur to the tale of Valyria that opens up a ton of narrative possibilities, including the rise of the empire, the lives of the dragonlords, or the later years of the Freehold leading up to the Doom itself. Unfortunately, the cost of such a series might be more than HBO is willing to pay.

There are plenty of shows like "Game of Thrones," but a big part of what sets it and "House of the Dragon" above the rest is the production value. These shows look outstanding, and that look doesn't come cheap. Now imagine putting the same effort into a story set in a mystical volcanic empire, full of dragons and magic, inspired by Ancient Rome.

Even in theory, it feels like too tall of a task. There have been rumors of HBO considering Valyrian stories in the past, but none have ever been confirmed. Even if those rumors are true, it's easy to imagine the realities of production cutting conversations off quickly. But one solution could be animation — a route that, according to George R. R. Martin himself, HBO may be ready to embrace for future "Game of Thrones" projects.

In a December 2023 blog post, Martin described multiple planned animated series, including a "Nine Voyages" show centering on the naval adventures of "House of the Dragon" character Corlys Velaryon. "Budgetary constraints would likely have made a live action version prohibitively expensive," Martin wrote at the time. "There's a whole world out there. And we have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation." Of course, even then, Martin made no indication that a Valyria show was one of the projects in development. For now, fans will have to make do on Daemon's crumbs and crossed fingers. With "House of the Dragon" ending after Season 4, however, the franchise will need a new stalwart to take its place — and HBO has certainly found success with Roman-inspired epics before ...