The Game of Thrones spin-off will focus on a "recognisable... past event" – here are our 5 best guesses

Game of Thrones season 7 (and the main show proper) is nearly at an end and we’ll desperately need something to fill the Westeros-shaped void in our hearts. Thankfully, one of the spin-off writers has thrown out a delicious morsel of info to speculate on.

Speaking to IGN, writer Jane Goldman revealed a tiny morsel about the subject of her spin-off (there are three others potentially in the works): “I think as a book reader or as someone who watched the series, you would say, ‘Oh, that! OK.’ Yeah, it would be recognizable as a past event, but I think that’s probably as far as I can go.”

Lest the HBO execs hunt her down with a dragon, Goldman kept schtum about what that event will be, but that doesn’t mean that’s not given us a few ideas…

The Night's Watch

Many a villainous man full of treachery and hate has passed through the gates at Castle Black to defend The Wall and all that surrounds it. It seems prime for picking up a few hundred years prior to the events of Game of Thrones: There’d be an ensemble cast worthy of any Thrones episodes, death, destruction and plenty of battles with the Wildlings. What’s not to like?

Children of the Forest

Sure, the Children of the Forest were glimpsed at in Game of Thrones season 6 but it’s a part of the TV show largely left unexplored. A lot can be mined out of the moments leading up to the creation of the White Walkers, and even after it. There’s a reason why the group nearly all went extinct thousands of years ago…

A Winterfell prequel

In a similar vein to a potential Night’s Watch prequel, Winterfell is a rich and varied setting seemingly there for the taking when discussing a spin-off, especially as it’s already been looked at with Hodor’s… y’know.. I don’t know about you but I’d love to go back and delve into the Stark family history when all is said and done on Game of Thrones – and a Winterfell prequel would be the best way to achieve it.

The Red Priestesses

The Lord of the Light has always been frustratingly out of reach for many a character on Thrones, so why not dig deep into the fanatic cult behind it all? There’d be magic, resurrections, weird old ladies hiding their age with magic medallions. Oh, and leeches. Lots and lots of leeches.

Keepin' up with the Targaryens

The Targaryens are a strange bunch, to put it mildly. Not only does their family tree have more branches than McDonald’s, the golden-haired clan have their fair share of weirdness and backstabbing to boot. I want to see what came before Dany and the Mad King. Witnessing the birth of a great house after the Targaryens left Old Valyria for Westeros would be something spectacular and, undoubtedly, a path paved in blood. Come on HBO, you know you want to.

Don’t want to let go of Game of Thrones season 7 just yet? Don’t worry, here are 7 questions we had after watching Game of Thrones season 7, episode 6, and the preview for the Game of Thrones season 7 finale.

Images: HBO

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.