American screenwriter, director and film producer Brian Helgeland, acclaimed for his work in L.A. Confidential, had an intriguing pitch for a Game of Thrones spinoff too, titled Ten Thousand Ships. This potential series, inspired by the biblical tale of Moses and centered around Queen Nymeria, hasn’t been greenlit yet. Helgeland recently shared insights with Inverse, explaining, “It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original. That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead.”
Helgeland’s vision, as he narrates, portrays a world where Nymeria’s land is devastated, forcing her people into a nomadic existence on the water, akin to the Israelites fleeing Egypt. The narrative follows Nymeria as she leads her people in search of a new homeland by navigating the challenges of leadership and survival in a fictionalised Mediterranean setting.
“My script was based on Queen Nymeria and this little blurb about her that was in a Westeros encyclopedia,” Helgeland explained. He further revealed to Inverse that it was the story of Moses but swapping him out for Nymeria. “She’s leading all these people, trying to hold everyone together but things are always in danger of falling apart as they travel around a fictionalized version of the Mediterranean, looking for a new home to settle in,” he added.
Helgeland’s involvement in a Game of Thrones spinoff was reportedly revealed as early as 2017, with screenwriter Amanda Segel joining the project in May 2021. However, HBO has yet to give the series a green light.
During his conversation, Helgeland further revealed that he had even met with George R.R. Martin, the American author of the novel, The Song of Fire and Ice, on which The extremely popular HBO series Game Of Thrones is based.
He says Martin had signed off his idea and he would have loved to work with if the show was picked up.
“My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up. I enjoyed my time developing it, and you just never know,” he added.
Despite the project being in limbo, Helgeland is hopeful that HBO might revisit the idea.
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