Westeros: The Series
No forum for this thing yet?
Of course it's fan made but who cares? A little crowdfunding and it'll air in 2018!
Now if only an idea where enough...
In other words: it's a crap idea.
Actually, I’d prefer a show like this to a prequel.
Most prequels I remember were mediocre at best. One exception that comes to my mind is "Better Call Saul" which is better than "mediocre" in my opinion, but also isn’t nearly as fantactic as BB was.
"The Hobbit" was good, but doesn't count as "prequel" to me, since it was the earlier book and only was adapted as movie later than LoTR.
And well, yes, I also like "Rogue One" so that is one of the exceptions. But on the other hand, the other Star Wars prequels, Ep. 1 to 3, are good examples of the "mediocre at best" stuff.
The problem with prequels is IMO, that from the beginning you already know where it’s going ultimately. That takes out a lot of suspense. It can he interesting sometimes to see HOW the things developed to the point you already know… but it just isn’t the same as anxiously waiting WHERE it will go.
Of course you’re right: An idea is not enough.
But on the other hand, everything starts with an idea. So IF HBO jumped into this, collected a bunch of great writers, producers who care about a complete story arch from the beginning to the end (rather than figuring out what happens next as they go), it COULD become a great variation of the GoT theme.
That being said, I don’t think that show will ever be made.
In the GoT world, I think the lack of audience surprise can be mitigated depending on what time period they plan to cover. If they do Robert's Rebellion (and that is the one story that I have heard they don't plan to do), I agree that you end up with the same problem as the Star Wars prequels: you know most of what is going to happen. (Of course, plot foreknowledge was the least of the problems with Star Wars 1-3.)
If they went back to the Dance of Dragons, Aegon's conquest of Westeros, or even earlier to the height of Valyrian society, I think we would get some great stories that are mostly unspoiled but for the big bookend events. Even for those, I think only the most diehard fans would know in advance what happened, unlike Star Wars where everyone knew Palpatine = Sidious and Anakin = Vader.
»Of course, plot foreknowledge was the least of the problems with Star Wars 1-3.«
I’ve got to admin that you’re right here.
»Aegon's conquest of Westeros«
Hmmmm, well, we do know how it ends ultimately.
»or even earlier to the height of Valyrian society«
We kind of know the ending, too – we know that it’s going to perish.
However, we don’t know how, and the whole thing is very long ago and only marginally connected to the events we saw… so yes, it could be a comparetively good choice for a prequel.
A show that presents the events that lead to the Long Night (including the Long Night itself) could be interesting as well… but again, we know that in the end the WW are defeated.
However, I’d still prefer a show that varies the GoT theme like the suggested »modern world« show does. IF it would be carefully done instead of »we tell the same stories but with other players and in a different setting.«
Now, why did I come up with _that_ idea? ;-)