Game Of Thrones Spin-Off: Everything We Know About 'The Long Night'

6. There'll Be No Targaryens

When the spin-off was announced, the official synopsis included a mention of "mysteries of the East", which just about left the door open for one of Game of Thrones' biggest and most important houses. While it makes sense for the Starks and Lannisters to feature, the Targaryens didn't come into existence until the rise of Valyria, and even then weren't one of the most powerful houses. But, given the brand value, you could imagine them fudging the timeline a bit.

Not so, though, according to Martin, who has revealed in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly that we shouldn't expect any of Daenerys' ancestors to turn up: "There are no Targaryens," he said. "Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built."

He doesn't explicitly rule out dragons from appearing, although the implication is that there won't be any. If the series is charting parts of the East, though, and runs for a few seasons, then it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see HBO wanting some more dragon action where possible.