One of Game of Thrones’ best writers will oversee fifth possible spinoff

A fifth Game of Thrones spinoff series being overseen by writer Bryan Cogman is in development at HBO, according to a new report from Entertainment Weekly.

Cogman reportedly worked closely with A Song of Ice and Fire series author George R.R. Martin on the spinoff. Martin spoke about a fifth series being in development a few months ago in a blog post on his LiveJournal page. Martin didn’t name Cogman at the time but praised the writer’s knowledge of Westeros.

“He's a really terrific addition, however, a great guy and a fine writer, and aside from me and maybe Elio and Linda [contributors to the Song of Ice and Fire world], I don't know anyone who knows and loves Westeros as well as he does,” Martin wrote.

Cogman has been with Game of Thrones since the first season premiered in 2011. One of Cogman’s most notable episodes is season 4’s “The Laws of Gods and Men,” which saw Tyrion stand trial for the death of Joffrey Baratheon. Cogman also wrote the second episode of the most recent season, “Stormborn.”

Entertainment Weekly doesn’t have any additional details about what the series will focus on. In the same blog post where Martin confirmed a fifth series was in development, the writer also ruled out some of the more popular theories fans had. “Robert’s Rebellion” and “Dunk & Egg” won’t be stories that Cogman pulls from for the prequel. The spinoff, according to Martin, also won’t focus on any individual character from the current Game of Thrones series.

“None of these new shows will be 'spinning off' from GOT in the traditional sense,” Martin wrote. “We are not talking Joey or AfterMASH or even Frazier [sic] or Lou Grant, where characters from one show continue on to another. So all of you who were hoping for the further adventures of Hot Pie are doomed to disappointment. Some may not even be set on Westeros.

“Rather than 'spinoff' or 'prequel,' however, I prefer the term 'successor show.' That's what I've been calling them.”

HBO’s head of programming, Casey Bloys, has repeatedly said that just because the series are being worked on doesn’t mean they’ll all get orders. Bloys has said that none of the spinoffs have been ordered to series and, if they don’t fit what Bloys and the team at HBO are looking for, they won’t go ahead with pursuing more episodes.

Game of Thrones’ seventh season has come to an end, and its eighth season may not air until 2019. If one of the spinoffs does get a series order, Bloys has confirmed it won’t be until long after Game of Thrones is over.