There are very few television series that have had the same impact on pop culture over the last decade as Game of Thrones.
The tale of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms enthralled viewers with a slow-burning storyline, political intrigue, dragons and salacious scenes. It brought George R.R Martin's books to life, but when the series ended, fans were left wanting. That isn't just because the finale was poor, so poor that Collider described it as inexcusable. No, it was also because fans were left disappointed, but they had nothing to look forward to. No film, no extra series, nothing Game of Thrones-related at all.
That's when we started to see digital media as being marketed as 'like Game of Thrones'. The BBC had their series The Last Kingdom, which had fewer dragons, but more huge battle scenes. There were no dragons in Vikings either, but it drew Game of Thrones fans in. The video game industry saw the same; there was an absence of actual Game of Thrones games but a glut of titles marketed to the fans. The Witcher 3 certainly captured some of the Game of Thrones hype, whilst Skyrim has lived off the fact it brought dragons to the table before Khaleesi. The imagery also became popular on mobile, with the Gala Spins Slingo game Fire and Ice drawing heavily from Westeros imagery but not using direct branding. War Dragons on iOS did the same; they were games known for being like Game of Thrones but not featuring Jon Snow and the gang.
They satisfied fans for a while, but what many wanted, and didn't get, was a Game of Thrones film. That isn't happening, at least not yet, so just as with TV series and video games, fans have to find films like Game of Thrones. Luckily, we've done the searching, so you won't have to. Here are four that fit the bill.
A Knight's Tale (2001)
A Knight's Tale is a classic movie in many people's eyes, and it stars one of Hollywood's most beloved and missed stars, Heath Ledger. It is a light-hearted movie, so if it was Tyrion Lannister's smart mouth that made Game of Thrones for you, you will love this. Of course, there's plenty of sword play, and the usual grime you'd expect from a film set in medieval times, which Game of Thrones certainly felt like.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
There's a face familiar to Game of Thrones fans in this; Iain Glen, aka Jorah Mormont. It also stars Orlando Bloom, who featured in the fantasy series Carnival Row, Amazon's desperate attempt to cash in on the genre. Kingdom of Heaven is based in a real-world environment, but the religious undertones to the story do feel much like those handled in Game of Thrones. Critics well received the film, and it hasn't aged badly over the last 17 years.
Dragonslayer (1981)
George R.R Martin included this 1981 movie on his list of top fantasy films, which should immediately pique the interest of Westeros fans. The dragons of the title might not be CGI created or even all that realistic, but the story and themes make the film well worth a watch. It featured Ian McDiarmid, otherwise known as Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars, but it flopped at the box office. It's since gained a reputation as a cult classic and could fill a few hours for Game of Thrones fans
Seven Kings Must Die (2023)
Seven Kingdoms? Surely, this is a Game of Thrones film? It isn't, but it will be as eagerly awaited. The Last Kingdom has been a huge success for Netflix since they took it from the BBC, and this exclusive feature film is sure to grab plenty of viewers when it drops next year. Filming has already started, with Alexander Dreymonreprising his role as Uhtred of Bebbanburg. With Netflix money behind it and the range of special effects available to filmmakers, this promises to be something Game of Thrones fans won't want to miss.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.