Here be dragons—way more dragons than we got in the hugely popular, controversially-concluded HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. A prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has some big boots to fill.
Below we’ve listed out all the nitty-gritty details of the upcoming show, from the impressive cast and locations to just how the Targaryen saga could connect with Game of Thrones, onscreen and off. It should be a fantastical Esteros house party, HBO style.
1. This is not Bloodmoon, the prequel spin-off that was announced first
You might remember some buzz about a Game of Thrones prequel show back in 2018—set not a mere 180 years but 8,000 years before the events of HBO’s hit fantasy series. It would’ve starred Naomi Watts as a character grappling with the birth of the White Walkers, back in Westeros’ ancient history of “the Long Night”.
Thing is, Martin never wrote too much backstory about The Long Night, and showrunner Jane Goldman struggled to found an entire new series without the framework of the author’s exposition. WarnerMedia chairman claimed that the cancelled series Bloodmoon “wasn’t unwatchable or horrible or anything,” it was just “lacking a certain magic”. Taking place a bit closer to the events of GoT, House of the Dragon must’ve been a safer bet.
2. …but there are plenty more spin-offs where that came from
Nine, to be exact. Nine!! HBO is getting a bit ahead of themselves in greenlighting a Jon Snow sequel (meh), a series all about the Sea Snake, seafaring drama 10,000 Ships, an animated show and a stage play.
If House of the Dragon pleases viewers, we might just ask for more. Can’t wait to put “Tales of Dunk and Egg” on our watchlist in 2024…whatever that is.
3. George R.R. Martin has admitted to feeling “apprehensive” about the prequel series
In the three-minute-long behind-the-scenes promo footage above, Martin sports a funky hat with a crystal on it and praises his new collaborators, Emmy-winning “Battle of the Bastards” director Miguel Sapochnik and showrunner Ryan J. Condal. Even though he once said the final seasons of his previous adaptation were “traumatic” to take in.
“It’s always a little apprehensive when you turn your baby over to foster parents”, he analogises, reminding us all once again that he’s just an average American dude and not some grizzled European recluse who speaks like an elf. “There’s always a little suspense to…how good is it going to be? But I think I’m in good hands with Ryan and Miguel.”
4. Ramin Djawadi is back to make another sweeping, iconic theme song
Winning two Emmys for his work on Game of Thrones, Iranian-German composer Djawadi is an essential key in making HotD feel (and sound) like GoT. Who knows what visuals his new theme music will accompany: another animated map of Westeros and Esteros, or something more unique?
One fascinating thing about Djawadi is that he experiences synaesthesia, seeing sound in the form of colours and images. What a handy mental hack to making great music for the screen.
5. Meet the Targaryens: Smith, D’Arcy, and Considine as the new blonde batch
King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) is the fifth Targaryen king of the Seven Kingdoms, but his reign might be challenged by pesky little bro Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). Emma D’Arcy is also gunning to become the kingdom’s first queen regnant as eldest daughter Princess Rhaenyra.
There’s a lot of dragonriders in the fam: both the Prince and Princess, as well as Viserys’ cousin Princess Rhaenys, who is married to the “Sea Snake” Lord Corlys Velaryon. That’s the guy with the sick white dreads in all the promo imagery.
6. Meet the Hightowers: Rhys Ifans and Olivia Cooke/Princess Fiona
Rhys Ifans always plays slimy, scheming characters, so hopefully we can trust him as the Hand of the King (and official Daemon hater) Ser Otto Hightower. His daughter Lady Alicent (Olivia Cooke) looks like she’s late to a Shrek cosplay convention in the image above.
Even though the damn show hasn’t even come out yet, pre-fans are already pre-excited about the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra. Could they be mere gal pals in the king’s inner circle turned bitter rivals, or something more?
7. There are even more familiar, international stars in the supporting cast
Compared to the sprawling, sometimes difficult to follow cast of GoT, House of the Dragon is starting with a slightly more modest ensemble. But we’ve gotta mention Outlander and Hobbit star Graham McTavish and Aussie larrikin Ryan Corr as two of the Targaryen’s strongest knights. And Ex Machina standout Sonoya Mizuno as a court dancer who becomes Daemon’s most trusted ally. Maybe she’ll end up being his Lady Macbeth.
8. The showrunner compares the Targaryens to Star Wars‘ Jedi
If this guide isn’t scratching your fanboy itch enough, you’ll need to read The Hollywood Reporter‘s extensive two-part dive into the new series. In that piece, head writer Ryan J. Condal brought up another franchise that introduced us to a fallen order of warriors, comparing the House of the Dragon leads to Luke and Obi-Wan in story more than in character.
“The Targaryens are like the Jedi in Star Wars, where you heard about this time when they were plentiful and powerful and always wanted to see that”, Condal related, since in GoT only two Targaryens were alive by the pilot episode. “And now you get to.”
9. We get a glimpse of the skull of Balerion, the Targaryen family’s coolest dragon
Big dead boi Balerion was a mighty weapon for the ancient Targaryens. His skull looms large in the expanded trailer above, giving readers a shock at just how massive he really is with some lowly humans there for scale. Lucky LA fans can even visit the skull at a Natural History Museum exhibit!
10. Filming took place mostly in Britain, but also Spain, Portugal, and the US
The quaint vistas of Cornwall will again stand in as a location after GoT, with most of House of the Dragon staged in the UK. It was in fact the first production shot at WB’s new virtual production stage at Leavesden Studios. The medieval castle of Monsanto in Portugal (above) and Western Spanish locations should take us back in time, and the Targaryens even sold out to film in California for a bit. Don’t let the Hollywood lifestyle change you, guys!
11. How likely is it that we’ll see our favourite GoT houses in the prequel?
Hate to break it to you, but all of the Thrones characters you loved so dearly won’t be born for another 150 years or so by the time we’re getting to know the House of the Dragon Targaryens. Still, the bloodlines of the Starks, Baratheons and Tullys may intersect here, albeit marginally, as each dynasty is dragged into the oncoming Targaryen civil war Martin outlines in the Fire and Blood books.
At least one Lannister character has been confirmed, with Jefferson Hall playing dastardly twins Jason (the lord of Casterly Rock) and Tyland Lannister. We’ll get to see where Tywin and his nasty kids got their bad attitude from.
12. You can now brush up on your Valyrian thanks to Duolingo
The popular language-learning app Duolingo already gives super-nerds the chance to learn High Valyrian, but it’s recently added a few hundred more vocab words to celebrate the release of House of the Dragon.
Udriri Valyrio Eglio gūrēñagon aō bēvilza kessyt Zaldrīzo Lenton majēbilū.@houseofdragon pic.twitter.com/vFEU8YXq4j
— Duolingo (@duolingo) July 19, 2022
The most memorable High Valyrian moment from Game of Thrones was when Daenerys revealed it was her mother tongue, before scorchin’ a rude slaver on her conquests. With the help of DuoLingo, you won’t even need those pesky subtitles to understand any similarly epic moments in House of the Dragon.
Skoros morghot vestri? Tubī daor, dudes. Tubī daor.
