The Aegon’s Conquest Movie Needs to Look to Dune, Not Game of Thrones

Occasional vague book spoilers follow for Dune Messiah and Fire & Blood.

Despite social media’s insistence on spreading (likely false) casting rumors about it, all we know for certain about Warner Bros’ first Game of Thrones feature film is that it chronicles the story of Aegon’s Conquest, it’s being adapted from George R.R. Martin’s Targaryen history book Fire & Blood by House of Cards writer Beau Willimon , and it will be released in theaters sometime after 2027 .

Both House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will likely have concluded their respective runs on HBO by the time Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest hits cinemas near the end of this decade.

While a lot can happen in that time, let’s say everything remains on track and Warner Bros. does indeed produce an Aegon’s Conquest film in the next few years. It’s my opinion that the studio should look to one of its more recent film franchises as a template, rather than to its television predecessor, Game of Thrones , for how to bring Aegon’s Conquest to the big screen.

If they’re going to try to bring the story of a ruthless, seemingly invincible conqueror to theaters as a mainstream movie experience, then Warner Bros. should borrow from its own playbook in how it successfully adapted the complicated story of Dune for the silver screen. There are more parallels between the two sagas than one might initially expect.

The first step Warner Bros. should take is one they’ve successfully employed before with their top franchises and hire a visionary filmmaker to direct Aegon’s Conquest. Just as they recruited Christopher Nolan for the Dark Knight trilogy and Denis Villeneuve for Dune (and Warners-owned New Line Cinema signed Peter Jackson for Lord of the Rings), Warner Bros. would be in safe hands finding a strong filmmaker with a unique vision to ensure Aegon’s Conquest works as a feature film.

The studio must also decide if Aegon’s Conquest is a single (likely three-hour) film, a two-parter, or a trilogy. Any of those options could work but my gut says a two-part film would be ideal.

The Great Dictator: When Your Hero’s Really a Villain

Even if you haven’t read Frank Herbert’s books , the Dune movies have now made it clear that Paul Atreides is ultimately not your standard hero. The end of Dune: Part 2 saw Paul become the emperor and launch an intergalactic war. The upcoming Dune: Part 3 will depict the bitter price Paul and the universe pay for him to fulfill his destiny. Herbert never intended Paul to be deemed a hero; in fact, the story of Paul Atreides was designed to be a cautionary tale about the devastating sway charismatic political figures can have over their people.

George R.R. Martin ’s take on Aegon the Conqueror is, to me, less defined and judgmental than Herbert’s portrayal of Paul Atreides. In Fire & Blood, Martin chronicles the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, including the Dance of the Dragons civil war depicted in House of the Dragon. Historical details can be contradictory, and characters are often not much more than thumbnail sketches. House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has faced his fair share of backlash, including from Martin himself , for the choices he made in adapting the material for TV ( “It’s not TV. It’s HBO.” ). But choices had to be made since the source material itself, while at least complete, is not rich in character development.

Like Dune’s Paul Atreides, Aegon I Targaryen is responsible for countless deaths in his quest to become the sole ruler of his realm. The Targaryens arrived in Westeros following the Doom of Valyria , settling on the island of Dragonstone . By the time Aegon reached adulthood, he made it his mission to unite the long-warring Seven Kingdoms under the rule of one man: himself.

Both Dune and House of the Dragon/Game of Thrones have used prophecy as a means to explain the despotic actions of their antiheroic protagonists. Just as Paul Atreides cites his visions as justification for his holy war, so too will Aegon’s vision of a great looming terror in the North convince him that, as bloody as things get, his cause is just. (It should be noted that Martin’s novels have yet to include Aegon’s prophecy but the author told Condal that Aegon knew about the White Walkers .) For both Paul and Aegon, their adherence to prophecy makes them believe the ends justify the means, but they each lose their humanity and those they love most in the process.

Many Characters, But Make Sure It’s One Person’s Story

It’s tough to make a movie where an audience roots for a conqueror. Epics about Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan were notorious box office flops, while the exploits of William the Conqueror have largely been relegated to TV miniseries. But the Dune movies have so far managed to tell a grand story about a not terribly sympathetic protagonist and make audiences care about what happens next. That’s a big screen template Warner Bros. would be foolish not to revisit when adapting Aegon’s Conquest.

The first step there is accepting the inherent complexity and moral darkness of the central character and fully committing to exploring their descent into tyranny. And while the Dune movies contain intriguing supporting characters, the trilogy is ultimately Paul’s story. Similarly, Aegon’s Conquest needs to develop a small host of key supporting characters to illuminate the title character’s arc, but the filmmakers must make sure the focus remains on Aegon himself and his emotional and moral journey.

Dune’s supporting characters aid in humanizing Paul, particularly the tragic love story between Paul and Chani. Likewise, Martin’s source material offers screenwriter Beau Willimon two key supporting players who can illuminate the cost of Aegon’s ambition: his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys.

Without getting into too many book spoilers, Visenya and Rhaenys are key figures in helping Aegon conquer Westeros. Visenya is a steely warrior, while the younger Rhaenys is more playful and artsy. All three siblings fly fearsome dragons: Aegon rides Balerion the Black Dread , Visenya rides Vhagar (yes, the same giant beast flown by Aemond in House of the Dragon ), and Rhaenys flies Meraxes.

Just as Paul’s tragic falling out with Chani is gearing up to be a heartbreaker in Dune: Part 3 , whatever fates befall Aegon’s sister-wives during his conquest could weigh heavily on him, imbuing the conqueror with a vulnerability and pain he might not otherwise be willing to reveal.

Every Dragon in Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon

The Targaryens of this time had three dragons, an advantage that meant that, despite some of his opponents raising giant armies, they were ultimately no match against the power of these fire-breathing beasts. Soon, all the kingdoms except Dorne (more on them later) bent the knee to Aegon, and he became the first Targaryen king to rule Westeros.

Fire & Blood is a lot of “then this happened, then that happened” plotting where Aegon and the dragons wipe out one enemy kingdom after another. That could quickly prove tiresome and feel like an endless array of CGI mayhem that leaves little emotional impact on the viewer.

The filmmakers then should be selective in which battles they depict at length. A montage or simply seeing the aftermath of a battle could work just as well if the filmmakers aren’t planning on developing the vanquished much beyond getting them burned to a crisp by a dragon. The Dune movies have been judicious in when they showed the sandworms ; Aegon’s Conquest should be similarly choosy when it comes to dragon action scenes lest they become overkill.

The first two Dune movies pitted Paul and his allies against one distinct enemy: House Harkonnen . Aegon’s Conquest sees the title character battle a slew of kingdoms but, frankly, after a while it becomes repetitive seeing the same series of events play out but with different kingdoms (a king refuses to yield, dragons kill everybody, Aegon wins, wash, rinse, repeat).

There are two nemeses, though, that could fit the Harkonnen bill in Aegon’s Conquest. The first is King Harren the Black of House Hoare, the wicked lord of Harrenhal . Harren is a vicious, cruel man who built his giant castle using forced labor, shedding so much blood in its construction that Harrenhal is believed to be haunted. Harren the Black has all the odiousness and viciousness of a Baron Harkonnen that make him a fitting villain for Aegon to battle (and one player viewers wouldn’t mind seeing taken off the board in gory fashion).

House of the Dragon Season 3 directly tied itself to Harren the Black through the character of Alys Rivers (perhaps we’ll even see actress Gayle Rankin appear in Aegon’s Conquest), and the castle’s infamous destruction should make for a grand, devastating set-piece in the film.

A second worthy adversary for Aegon and his sisters to face is Meria Martell, the princess of Dorne. She shares the same hideous, corpulent physicality as Baron Harkonnen or Jabba the Hutt, but Meria’s keen military mind and cunning make her a foe worthy of admiration. Meria and Dorne’s resistance against Aegon the Conqueror was notably recalled by Ormund Hightower to Daeron Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 5.

Meria’s shadowy tactics could mirror the Fremen ’s guerrilla campaign against the Harkonnens on Arrakis. Since we all know Dorne never bent the knee, this defeat – and what Aegon will lose personally in his quest to subdue Dorne – could prove the thematic culmination of Aegon’s arc. He achieves his conquest but, like Paul Atreides, it costs him everything he loves

While we’re still a few years away from Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest hitting theaters, it would be wise for Warner Bros. to see its recent franchise success with the similarly dark and complex Dune saga as a roadmap in how to bring Westeros to the big screen.