HBO confirms another ‘promising' Game of Thrones spin-off is in the works
HBO has confirmed it is developing another Game of Thrones spin-off series following the success of House of the Dragon.
Season two of House of the Dragon ended in August and despite leaving fans and critics disappointed with its low-key finale, season three is already in production.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, another spin-off is set to be released in late 2025. The series is based on George RR Martin 's novella The Hedge Knight and stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tal. The book is the first in the Dunk and Egg series, with subsequent novellas The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight also set to be adapted for following seasons.
HBO is clearly happy to keep diving back into the Game of Thrones well as the network's Head of Drama Series and Films, Francesca Orsi, has revealed that another series is in the works.
Speaking to Deadline, Orsi said: 'We have other spinoffs that we're working on right now, one of which - which I won't get into - is very promising, and it is still the Targaryen line.'
She added: 'There's a number of other spinoffs, we can't really guarantee what's going to go forward, but we are very big budget on the other ones. I would say this [ A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ] is the most intimate one.'
House Targaryen was at the centre of House of the Dragon where the family had united the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros under one ruler.
Game of Thrones creator George RR Martin has been vocal about his criticism of House of the Dragon claiming that changes made to the storyline from his original books served to 'weaken' the show. The author added that there could be 'larger and more toxic' changes planned for seasons three and four of the fantasy show.
Martin, though, has praised A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms having already watched all six episodes.
In a blog post, the 76-year-old wrote: 'Ira [Parker, showrunner] and his team wrapped the first season months ago, and moved right on to post-production,' the author wrote.
'I've seen all six episodes now (the last two in rough cuts, admittedly), and I loved them. Dunk and Egg have always been favourites of mine, and the actors we found to portray them are just incredible.
'The rest of the cast are terrific as well. Wait until you guys meet the Laughing Storm. and Tanselle Too-Tall.'
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Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Dark underbelly' of the world's most famous legal brothel exposed in horrifying new documentary
A shocking new A&E documentary exposes what it claims is the seedy underbelly of legal brothel the Moonlite BunnyRanch under its late owner Dennis Hof, who is accused of raping his employees, creating a fictionalized TV series to lure them in, and trapping them in the brothel with debt. Opening its doors in 1955, the brothel came to national attention under Hof, who served as its owner it from 1992 until his death in 2018. During his ownership, he worked with HBO to create the reality series, Cathouse, which set out to shine a light on the inner workings of the business. Airing between 2005 and 2014, the series fast became the most watched documentaries in the history of the network. However, there are allegations that all was not what it seemed under Hof's management, and now the six-part A&E documentary series, Secrets of the BunnyRanch, is exposing the dark inner workings of the brothel. Here, Daily Mail delves into the shocking first two episodes of the docuseries - including the abuse sex workers suffered at the hands of Hof, how they would become indebted to him and his business, and how the HBO show he created was not reality. Born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1946, Hof was a businessman and politician who owned many legal brothels in his lifetime, but Moonlite BunnyRanch was the most notorious. Although it could be illegal to advertise brothels in the state of Nevada, Hof kept up a high profile in the media and regularly made appearances promoting the business on huge shows, including Oprah Winfrey, The Today Show and The View. And in 2002, Hof would further promote Moonlite BunnyRanch in the HBO series Cathouse, which ran for 12 years. Hof was an alleged predator Hof's creepy behavior is laid bare in Secrets of the BunnyRanch by his former employees, who described him as a 'predator' and someone who groomed, controlled, and manipulated them. Former BunnyRanch worker and Cathouse star Shelly Dushell recalled how Hof propositioned her for sex on her first day at work and she was afraid to turn him down. She also claimed that he didn't wear a condom. Recounting how she ended up at the ranch, she said: 'I had no idea that prostitution was legal anywhere in the United States, so I sent a picture of myself to the Moonlight BunnyRanch and Dennis Hof himself called me back in two hours and said I want you out here.' After flying out to Nevada, Shelly said she was picked up at the airport by Hof, who told her he wanted her to star in the HBO show, Cathouse. 'He walked me in and there were cameramen there filming for the HBO show,' she continued. 'Dennis took me out to the bungalow behind the building and wanted sex. And I had just met this man. 'I had flown there to work. He was the boss. He was the owner, and he wanted to have sex the very first day I got there - and he didn't want to wear a condom. So, I was absolutely horrified. 'That was my first day at the ranch. I was afraid to tell Dennis no. I had no idea what I was getting into. 'Nobody seems to care if a prostitute gets raped. I saw the ugly side of Dennis, but the world on Cathouse only saw the fun side of him because they didn't know the real Dennis. Dennis was all about being violent.' There were rules that the women had to follow at BunnyRanch, but these were often flouted by Hof. Whenever a new group arrived at the ranch they were introduced to the Bunny Bible, which outlined that no client touching was allowed in the parlor, clients had to wear condoms, and that the women would have the final say on who they have sex with. The rules didn't apply to Hof, Shelly claimed. 'Dennis preyed on the women who were the most easily victimized,' Shelly said. 'I was afraid to not go along with what he wanted. I learned a long time ago to not fight back.' Trapped at the BunnyRanch Besides living in fear of Hof's alleged abuse, the women also revealed how one could easily become trapped at his brothels because of his ludicrously high fees. Women said they would constantly be trying to pay off their tab, which was known as debt bondage, and couldn't get away until they had paid off what they owed to the house. The brothel had a 50/50 split, meaning the house would get 50 percent and the women would get 50 percent of their fee. However, the women would also have to pay for their supplies – so their earnings were even lower. Dolly Hart, who worked at the Kit Kat ranch, revealed that Hof would even take half of their tips and gifts. Deanne Holliday, who worked as Hof's publicist and personal assistant, explained how little money the girls were left with at the end of the day. 'They're given a card, showing all the money that was deducted,' she said, explaining that it cost the women $45 a day to stay at the ranch. 'You have to pay if you want to do your laundry,' she continued. 'You need to tip the housekeeper, you need to tip the staff, the cashier expects a tip. 'Everybody has got their hands on that money, and that was the norm.' Deanne added that she would repeatedly hear women ask the cashier 'is that all I've got?' after their debts were deducted. Bekah Charleston, who worked at the BunnyRanch, added: 'They don't explain that your room and board is coming out of your 50 percent of the money, so is all your supplies. 'They take as much money as possible. Your little 50 percent basically dwindles down.' 'There are many girls there who are falling into debt and that's a position you don't ever want to be in at the brothel,' she continued. 'That means that when a customer finally does pick them, they have to do whatever he wants no matter if they want to or not.' Shedding light on the additional products that they had to pay for, Shelly added: 'We had to buy our clothing, we had to buy our condoms, we had to buy the lube, we had to buy the sex toys.' 'If you do owe money to the brothel, you cant just walk away,' Bekah added. 'You can't just say, you know what I'm going to call a cab and leave. That's not possible. 'People tried to say it was a regular job, who doesn't leave their job?' 'You're literally there 24/7, that's not normal,' she continued. 'It's like they're being kept in captivity.' Cathouse did not expose the dark side of the brothel During the rise of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, Hof helped orchestrate the HBO reality television series, Cathouse. Directed and executive produced by Patti Kaplan, the 11 episodes of the first season were originally broadcast in 2005. While the show had initially set out to show how the women would negotiate with their clients, it took an increasingly sinister turn – and on one occasion the crew found themselves filming a bunny having sex. Many of the former sex workers have claimed that the popular HBO series Cathouse was a complete fabrication and that Hof took control of the narrative to paint the brothel in a fun light. They claimed the reality at the brothel was much worse - that they were subjected to rape, coercion, overdoses, abuse, and control. Tom Hurwitz, a cinematographer on Cathouse, said that the series 'never really wanted to dip further than just below this first public relations level.' 'Dennis groping people, that was a daily occurrence, and they were supposed to like it, and they pretended to like it,' he continued. 'Nobody asked, "Do you not want Dennis to touch you when he's touching people?" That was not part of the remit of Cathouse.' Shelly explained that making a series that truly explored what the brothel was like was not in Hof's interest – and Hof himself didn't shy away from the notion that he was 'projecting an image' with Cathouse. He wanted to keep his business as attractive as possible. 'They wanted to sell a show, they wanted to make money off of that show and they wanted to make money off the girls having a great time,' Shelly said. 'They just didn't want to show the ugly side of it.' Shelly recalled how she was once expected to sleep with a clown. 'They thought that would be interesting for the show,' she said. Several of the women attest that Cathouse was not a documentary as they were told what to do. Shelly said she was humiliated by her job on Cathouse and that she was 'victimized' by Hof. 'The fact I was a softcore porn actress was humiliating, but Dennis told me that I was going to be a star, that I needed to be on the show, that I'd make tonnes of money, I would be famous, it would make everyone rich,' she said. 'It didn't make me rich. I was victimized. And Dennis Hof was the main victimizer.' Shelly alleged that she was not properly compensated for her time on Cathouse and only got paid when she slept with a customer. 'I was recognized everywhere I went after the show came out,' she said. 'It would have been nice to have a little bit of money to show for it. 'I was actually losing money when I was on HBO because I wasn't working when I was doing the filming for the show.' It wasn't just the sex workers who were uncomfortable with the Cathouse project. Robin Lance, a sound recordist on the series, recalled how she was in a room when one of the women started having sex with her client. 'At one point, we were in the room when Isabella Soprano was having sex with the client,' she said. 'This should have been the point where we scooted out of that room. I was like I didn't sign up for this. I'm not here to shoot porn, I'm here to shoot a documentary. 'This is not what I would normally be doing at work. I was expecting softcore photo stuff, not full-on pornography.' According to Shelly, Hof took charge of the direction of Cathouse and would instruct the women to touch each other and make out with each other in the parlor. 'Dennis wanted to make it so it looked like we were always waiting for sex and we were nymphos, so Dennis somewhat became the director because he was coordinating what he wanted to see in the scenes - and I didn't always see Patti Kaplan around,' she said. 'It's kind of hard to say it's a documentary when you have a pimp directing scenes in his own brothel. 'Watching the show, HBO definitely wanted it to look like the fun place to be and so I can see how it would be tempting for a young girl to watch the Cathouse show and think it would be something fun, [but] they don't understand the reality of it. 'They aren't seeing what it's really like behind closed doors.' Dolly Hart started working at the Kit Kat ranch after having watched Cathouse. Speaking in episode two, she said she was attracted to the job on false pretenses after having seen the HBO series. 'I would definitely tell little me that not everything you see on TV is a reality,' she said. Dennis kept the place on a cheerful, glitzy… so the darker side was kept very private and very much away from the cameras the women said. 'The girls looked like they were having fun.' The Moonlite BunnyRanch told Daily Mail in a statement: 'We note that allegations against Mr. Hof are not new. 'During his lifetime, Mr. Hof publicly addressed and denied similar accusations through official statements and media responses, including detailed rebuttals available on his website. 'We find it particularly concerning that these matters are being revisited now, when Mr. Hof is no longer alive to personally respond to or defend himself against any claims. 'The timing raises serious questions about fairness, as the accused party cannot provide their perspective or defense.' They added: 'The Moonlite BunnyRanch has always operated in compliance with Nevada state regulations governing legal brothels, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of operation and worker safety.' Daily Mail contacted HBO for comment and has not yet had a response. This isn't the first time that former employees have spoken out about Hof. Following his death, former sex worker Theresa Lowe claimed she was raped by him – and he didn't wear a condom. In an interview with in June 2018, she claimed that Hof attacked her within days of her arrival at the Love Ranch North but says she felt unable to go to the police for fear of not being believed. 'I had just flown in [to Carson City], I was going to see the doctor the next day,' she said. 'You get your results 24 hours later then you see the Sheriff and get your card.' A car took Theresa through the mountains to the ranch, where she met Hof. 'I walked in the house. He said let's go upstairs. And he raped me,' Lowe claimed. 'It was violent, choking me, grabbing me by the hair. Suck my d*** you b***h. We had sex, no condom.' According to Theresa, Hof went on to attack her on 10 further occasions and says she finally walked out after an incident in which he allegedly choked her in the kitchen of Love Ranch North. Theresa, who worked for Hof between 2006 and 2012, said: 'I remember we were in the kitchen and he grabbed me by the throat, and said, "Where the f*** have you been?" I'd had enough. 'I'd had enough of girls crying, coming into my room and saying this isn't fair. I believe he rapes and intimidates and tells the new girls, welcome to my ranch but this is how it's going to be. 'This is what you will do. You will service my customers, and you will service me as well. For free. With no condom.'
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Netflix fans say 'superb' period drama is 'best thing they've seen' since Game of Thrones
Ripper Street first hit our screens in 2012 and starring the likes of Matthew Macfadyen and Jerome Flynn, the period drama has garnered a huge following over the years The acclaimed series Ripper Street has captivated Netflix audiences with its gritty portrayal of London in the 1800s, and TV enthusiasts are thoroughly hooked. Set in the atmospheric streets of Whitechapel in the late 19th century, Ripper Street begins in the tumultuous period of 1889, mere months after the infamous Jack the Ripper murders have ceased. The drama unfolds within the H Division, tasked with restoring order in the aftermath of the notorious killings. Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, brought to life by Matthew Macfadyen, along with his partner Bennet Drake, portrayed by Jerome Flynn, scour the local taverns, brothels, and factories for clues. They're joined by Captain Homer Jackson, a former US Army surgeon and an expert in forensic science, as they delve into the shadowy world of the Whitechapel murders. A glowing critique from Rotten Tomatoes reads: "The show is really good. The way they portray characters really keeps you on edge. You just don't know what plot twist is gonna happen next. The season starts off very strong and you wanna keep watching." Echoing this sentiment, The Hollywood Reporter praises the series, stating: "Ripper Street is a well-acted, well-written and compelling mystery series. And even better, there's no waiting around, wishing it would improve. It's alluring from the start." Since its debut in 2012, Ripper Street has captivated audiences with five gripping series, introducing characters such as Detective Sergeant Flight, portrayed by Brassic's Damien Molony. Yet, it was Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn who initially sparked viewers' interest. The show has drawn comparisons to the acclaimed HBO fantasy series, reports the Express, with fans lauding it as a standout drama. One enthusiast remarked: "I didn't think any show could outdo Game of Thrones. Ripper Street, and in particular, seasons two and three, demolished that idea." One person said it was the "best series" they've seen since Game of Thrones. Another fan expressed their deep connection to the series: "I was never as heavily invested in a TV series as this. The writing is almost Shakespearean at times, the acting is gritty and sublime, and my emotional meter beats like a parade drum. Holy moly, this is a lesson on how to create great drama." After keeping audiences riveted for four years, Ripper Street wrapped up its fifth series in 2016, continuing to attract new viewers eager to dive into the dark and compelling world of Victorian London's crime scene. To binge-watch all five series of Ripper Street, head over to Netflix where you can stream more than 30 episodes right now.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Netflix fans gripped by 'highly underrated' period drama with two major Game Of Thrones stars - raving 'it's a must-watch!'
Netflix fans have been gripped by a 'highly underrated' period drama with two major Game Of Thrones stars. The historical drama, titled Medici, first aired in 2016 and consists of three seasons. Based in 15th-century Renaissance Florence, the series follows the Medici dynasty as it 'flexes its power in politics and the arts,' according to the synopsis. The show has largely gone unnoticed despite boasting an impressive cast of well-known talent. In the first season, Medici: Masters of Florence, Game Of Thrones actor Richard Madden stars as Cosimo de' Medici. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Scottish actor played Robb Stark in the first three seasons of the fantasy drama between 2011 and 2013. While another Game Of Thrones star, Sean Bean, joined Medici in season two and plays Florentine banker Jacopo de'Pazzi. He previously portrayed Ned Stark, who was head of House Stark in the drama series. The show has received rave reviews from fans on Rotten Tomatoes and one penned: 'Outstanding! In every way. In a world of streaming, this series has slipped through the eyes of the masses. 'Highly underrated. Gripping from the first episode to the last with the extraordinary casting of Richard Madden at the helm this is a must watch.' Another agreed: 'Heavily underrated show.' 'Must watch! Outstanding production. Medici brings you back to Renaissance, in all its splendour and conflict,' someone else said. 'Politics and art are at the central stage. Great acting, costumes and texts. Great way to revisit history and art lessons, and then go back to look further by yourself. The show has received some raving reviews from fans on Rotten Tomatoes as well as some less positive takes from others 'You don't always have a show where the main characters are of such historical significance. Some themes are still relevant today.' The first season has a mediocre 50% score on the review site but one fan penned: 'Criminally underrated! Don't be turned off by the critics score - it's a must see.' Another gushed: 'Loved, loved, loved it. Bingeworthy for sure!' But Medici hasn't been well received by everyone and one viewer penned: 'Not my cup of tea at all.' Someone else added: 'An entertaining watch, and very well performed, but the history is just way off. They murder characters (actual historical figures) that in reality died in old age. Makes it hard to get immersed in when they change the facts.' Medici is available to stream on Netflix now.
