Since Game of Thrones ended in 2019, the fantasy universe has become so much bigger than the original series. House of the Dragon has explored the Targaryen Civil War generations before Daenerys, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has taken the franchise into a very different corner of Westeros. Now, the fantasy universe is preparing to make a major leap with its first feature film, Aegon's Conquest, which will explore how Aegon Targaryen conquered and united much of Westeros.
There's plenty of potential in Aegon's story, particularly because seeing the conquest on the silver screen could deliver the kind of spectacle that Game of Thrones has always been capable of. However, George R. R. Martin's books contain another storyline that could arguably give fans an even better movie. Robert's Rebellion has been referenced throughout the franchise, shaped the political landscape of the original HBO series, and introduced many of the characters whose lives defined Game of Thrones. A movie on Robert's Rebellion could finally give audiences the story behind one of Westeros' most important wars.
Robert's Rebellion kicked off after Prince Rhaegar Targaryen disappeared with Lyanna Stark. Brandon, Lyanna's eldest brother, rode to King's Landing demanding Rhaegar's life. Aerys arrested Brandon for treason, and when his father Rickard came to help him, Aerys executed them both. Because Eddard (Ned) Stark was Brandon and Lyanna's brother, and Robert was betrothed to Lyanna, The Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, demanded that they be brought to King's Landing, fearing they had enough reason to seek revenge. Jon Arryn refused to hand them over, and what followed was a rebellion against Targaryen rule that ultimately landed Robert Baratheon on the Iron Throne.
The war lasted about a year, and at the heart of the conflict was the relationship between Rhaegar and Lyanna. Robert believed Rhaegar had abducted the woman he loved, giving him a deeply personal reason to fight against the Targaryens. However, Game of Thrones eventually revealed that the conventional version of the story was incomplete. Bran's visions established that Rhaegar and Lyanna had secretly married, and they were Jon Snow's true parents.
The war also brought together key characters and families that later dominated Game of Thrones. Robert, Ned, and Jon Arryn fought together, while Jaime Lannister fought in the Kingsguard and ultimately killed Aerys. Tywin Lannister's decision to aid Rob's side helped determine the outcome, while the surviving Targaryens were forced into exile. Robert's victory, therefore, wasn't just another conflict in Westerosi history; it created the political circumstances that allowed the original Game of Thrones story to begin.
Aegon's Conquest certainly has the scale required for a theatrical movie. The confirmed film will take audiences roughly 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and focus on Aegon Targaryen's invasion and unification of Westeros, giving the franchise the opportunity to showcase Balerion the Black Dread and the early Targaryen dynasty on a huge cinematic scale. However, Robert's Rebellion has something much more valuable: immediate connections to the characters and mysteries that made Game of Thrones so successful.
Aegon's Conquest will introduce fans to an entirely new generation of characters, whereas Robert's Rebellion could revisit younger versions of characters audiences already know. More importantly, fans already understand the consequences of the rebellion – they know where Robert, Ned, Jaime, Tywin, and the surviving Targaryens all end up, which gives the story a dramatic irony from the beginning. Instead of watching to find out who wins, Game of Thrones can finally get a full-picture look at how the events they already know actually unfolded.
The biggest advantage of a Robert's Rebellion movie is that much of its appeal already comes from the stories that Game of Thrones deliberately kept off-screen. The show constantly talked about the rebellion without showing it, turning events such as the Battle of the Trident, Rickard and Brandon Stark's deaths, Tywin's sack of King's Landing where he marched to the capital with 12,000 soldiers, and Jaime's killing of Aerys into pieces of a larger historical puzzle. A film could finally bring those moments to life instead of forcing audiences to reconstruct them through dialogue and flashbacks.
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