HBO’s new series, House of the Dragon, is a prequel based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood.
No doubt many Game of Thrones fans are anticipating the upcoming debut of House of the Dragon, GoT’s first spinoff series. On the one hand, the 10-episode prequel series is based on George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood and is complete, so the series couldn’t be too far ahead of the source material. On the other hand, the GoT series finale was a crushing disappointment for many (if not most) fans, and HBO faces an uphill battle to regain their trust.
HBO has just released the official trailer for House of the Dragon, which is visually gorgeous and confirms the likely plot and overall tone. But it will take more than a decent trailer to dispel these lingering doubts. HBO also revealed new, appropriately brooding posters for each main character.
As I’ve written before, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of its predecessor and chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen’s reign. These events culminated in the Civil War and the extinction of dragons—at least until Daenerys Targaryen showed up two centuries later. Alongside co-creators Martin and Ryan J. Condal, Miguel Sapochnik – who has filmed some of Game of Thrones’ most spectacular and intricate battles – serves as co-showrunner and directed the pilot and several other episodes.
Enlarge / Paddy Considine plays King Viserys I, who makes a controversial choice for his named heir.
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Fire and Blood, a fictional tale of the Targaryen kings, begins with Aegon I’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, thanks to the family’s advanced weaponry in the form of dragons. A period of relative calm follows before the inevitable succession crisis. The last two sections of Fire and Blood deal with the aftermath of this crisis and serve as the main source material for House of the Dragon.
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In the book, a council of lords chooses King Viserys I Targaryen to succeed Jaehaerys I, passing over Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, a dragon rider known as “the queen that never was”. Viserys I has no sons by his first wife and decides that his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, will succeed him. But this is Westeros, so there are others scheming for the Iron Throne, notably Ser Otto Hightower, Hand of the King – whose daughter Alicent will become the King’s second wife and wish to make her son Aegon the heir – and Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is the younger brother of the king.
The cast features Paddy Considine as King Viserys I; Emma D’Arcy as the older version of Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock plays the younger version); Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower; the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, as Prince Daemon; Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower; Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as “Sea Serpent”; and Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon.
Enlarge / That would be Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).
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Sonoya Mizuno plays foreign-born dancer Mysaria; Fabien Frankel plays Dornish-born Ser Criston Cole, a skilled swordsman; Graham McTavish plays Ser Harrold Westerling, a member of the Kingsguard tasked with protecting Rhaenyra; Ryan Corr plays Ser Harwin Strong, the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms; Jefferson Hall plays identical twins Lord Jason and Ser Tyland Lannister (clearly twins who are in the Lannister bloodline); David Horovitch plays Grand Maester Mellos; Bill Paterson plays Lord Lyman Beesbury, master of coin; and Gavin Spokes plays Lord Lyonel Strong of Harrenhal.
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HBO released a teaser for House of the Dragon last October, which did little more than give us an idea of the general look and feel of the series. This full trailer confirms that the plot largely follows the events of the last two installments of Fire & Blood.
Enlarge / Dragon sighting.
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The trailer begins with a shot of a melancholy Rhaenys Velaryon gazing out over the sea, while a voiceover (identified as Corlys Velaryon) intones, “What is this short mortal life if not the pursuit of a legacy?” There is so pretty much sets the tone as we briefly meet some of the key players whose last names will be very familiar to GoT fans: the aforementioned Corlys, Rickard Stark, and Boremund Baratheon. All are seen declaring allegiance to King Viserys Targaryen and his named heiress, Princess Rhaenyra.
But she’s clearly a contentious choice, as Rhaenys Velaryon knows only too well: “Men would rather set the realm on fire than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne.” We see dragons, a dragon egg, a possible marriage, and a possible funeral, with intrigue lurking in every corner of Daemon’s sneaky grin. And of course there will be fights. All in all, it feels very Game of Thrones. It’s an “ugly game”, as Otto Hightower puts it, and we know all too well how the losers of such games usually fare. Who has the determination to win it – and what will that victory cost?
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO Max on August 21, 2022.
Listing image from YouTube/HBO Max