There's been talk about potential spinoffs of Game of Thrones for years, and HBO looks to be finally getting serious about the prospect.

　　HBO has announced that it's signed deals with four different writers for possible spinoffs, Variety reports. Those include Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Jane Goldman (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), Brian Helgeland (Legend), and Carly Wray (Mad Men). Goldman and Wray will each be working with George RR Martin, the creator of the A Song of Ice and Fire series upon which Game of Thrones is based and an occasional writer on the show.

　　Signing deals with these writers doesn't necessarily mean we'll see four spinoffs or that there's any precise plan for when any of them could arrive--HBO plans to take its time with this.

　　"We'll take as much or as little time as the writers need and, as with all our development, we will evaluate what we have when the scripts are in,” an HBO spokesperson said.

　　David Benioff and DB Weiss, the showrunners for Game of Thrones, are said to be attached to the four projects, but they won't serve as writers for them. "I think it's better for them to get new blood in with new visions," Benioff said about a potential spinoff earlier this year.

　　There's no word on what time period or subjects these spinoffs would cover.

　　"One of the great things about what [Martin] did is he didn't just build a story; he built a world with so many characters and such a rich, detailed history behind it," Benioff and Weiss said last year. "There are a lot of different ways you could go with it; we just really haven't had time to really think through the details of it because we're so focused on getting the show made."

　　We'll report back as more details are announced. Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres on HBO on July 16.