House of the Dragon, the first of several planned spin-offs to HBO’s monumental hit Game of ThronesThe new series,, will premiere August 21st, three years after the end of the original show. If you’re wondering how the series fits into the world of the Seven Kingdoms (and just how many strange, barely pronounceable names you’re going to have to learn), here’s everything you need to know.
The Game Resets
The last time we were in Westeros, it was after Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), who long thought she was the only member of her family left alive, had torched King’s Landing and attempted to seize the Iron Throne for herself. Jon Snow (Kit Harington), her lover/nephew, would ultimately kill her. He was a Stark bastard and secretly a Targaryen all his life.
These events aren’t exactly relevant to House of the Dragon, since it’s a prequel set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, but the new show does take the conflict and tension around Targaryen rightful heirs and sexist lines of succession that was central to Daenerys and Jon’s dynamic (or would have been, if it there had been adequate space to play out in the final season) and amplifies it.
That’s right, it’s Another a tussle over the Iron Throne.), with all the plotting and backstabbing that goes along with it — and now with even more dragons. The new series focuses on House Targaryen at the height of their power in the Seven Kingdoms, long before Robert’s Rebellion which took down the Mad King, and even longer before Daenerys’ rise and fall. It’s also set in a time when dragons were very much a part of daily life and a whole bunch of Targaryens rode and fought with them.
If Game of ThronesThe song was one of fire and ice. House of the Dragon It is a song of fire, fire, and more. Or, Fire and BloodThe name of the book is also used in the title of the show:. It’s a spin-off of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Series, which Game of Thrones was based on, but it’s not actually a novel — rather, it’s a 700-plus page fictional history of the Targaryen dynasty from the time of Aegon the Conqueror, the first Targaryen to invade Westeros with dragons after escaping the doomed city of Old Valyria in Essos.
House doesn’t cover the whole book, but rather a very specific era that’s outlined in it: the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war in which Targaryen turned against Targaryen and dragon fought dragon in a bitter and deadly fight for power that proved to be the beginning of the end for the clan. What’s perhaps most exciting about the series being based on Fire and Blood is that while the major events of the war are outlined in the book, there’s a lot of room for interpretation and creative freedom here.
The Game Masters
It’s no secret that many fans of Game of Thrones They were burned [ahem]The series’ end is here, and you, if you were one, should be encouraged by the fact that ThronesDavid Benioff (showrunner) and D.B. Weiss aren’t involved in House of the Dragon. George R. R. Martin is instead a co-creator, executive producer, and Ryan Condal who previously produced and wrote the sci-fi series. Colony.
Condal and Miguel Sapochnik will share showrunner duties. Sapochnik is known for having directed some of the most famous and iconic films. Game of Thrones Episodes, including “Hardhome”, “Battle of the Bastards”?, and “The Winds of Winter”. Ramin Djawadi (the composer behind) is still at large. Game of Thrones’ Incredible score, is also on board for the creation of the House of the Dragon music.
As for the look of the show, you can expect to see elements of the Westeros we know — like locations, house colors and symbols — but, with House taking place nearly two centuries earlier, there’s a lot that looks quite different. This is a period of decadence when the Targaryens and the Seven Kingdoms in general are flourishing. And the Iron Throne itself is much more ominous, with even more swords forming its framework, making it appear closer to the way it’s described in Martin’s books.
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The Key Players
At the heart of the game is Viserys Tgaryen (played in the role by Paddy Considine). House of the Dragon. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve met a Viserys Targaryen before — Daenerys’ evil older brother, who spent his time whining about wanting to be king before he was brutally killed by Khal Drago way back in Season 1 of Game of Thrones. Unlike that Viserys, this one actually gets to be king and sit on the Iron Throne, plus he’s pretty well-liked. The question of his heir creates rival factions within his court, which eventually leads to war.
On one side there’s Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy, with Milly Alcock playing the younger version of her), who is Viserys’ eldest child and the daughter of his first wife. On the other is Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), the younger brother of Viserys who also wants to stake a claim and who is viewed as an enemy by much of the king’s advisors, notably Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), the Hand of the King.
The Velaryons are also in the game. These important houses are rivals to the Hightowers. They, like the Targaryens are descended form Old Valyria. His family is richer than the Lannisters thanks to his skills in seafaring and his powerful navy. His wife, Rhaenys (Eve Best), is King Viserys’ cousin; she lost out on inheriting the throne because of her gender.
Jason (Jefferson Hall), Lord Casterly Rock, and Tyland (also played in Jefferson Hall) make an appearance as the Lannisters. Tyland is a calculating politician. There’s been no mention of whether House Stark will appear, but since most of the action takes place at King’s Landing, it’s safe to assume they’ll probably stay absent in the North.
We’ll see a lot of other houses get involved in the fray, though, including the Strongs of Harrenhal (which is not yet in ruins as it was in Game of Thrones), namely Ser Harwin a.k.a “Breakbones”(Ryan Corr), The strongest man in the kingdom; his younger brother Larys, (Matthew Needham); and their father Lord Lyonel(Gavin Spokes), Master of Laws.
Also on deck: Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), a skilled swordsman; Viserys’ advisor Grand Maester Mellos (David Horovitch), Kingsguard member Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTavish); and Master of Coin Lord Lyman Beesbury (Bill Paterson).
The board is now ready for business. House of the Dragon To have the elements that we love most Game of Thrones — an expansive cast of interesting and complex characters, plus intricate and twisted plots, explosive action, and, of course, dragons — while also offering fresh potential and no doubt lots of surprises.
Let the fun begin.