‘House of the Dragon’: Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about HBO's ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel
The ‘Game of Thrones’ finale may just have ruined our appetite for the whole series — and it really was atrocious — but one can soften up to the idea of its prequel, right? Last year, HBO gave a 10-episode order to a ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel called ‘House of the Dragon’. And while this year has been a downer all throughout, the show seems to have taken some shape since the announcement, with new details coming out about it. Here’s all you need to know about it.
Release date
While no release date for ‘House of the Dragon’ has been announced yet, it is expected that the show will arrive in 2022. In January, HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys said in an interview with Deadline, “My guess is sometime in 2022,” adding that George RR Martin and Ryan Condal “are starting writing”.
Plot
According to HBO, based on George RR Martin’s book ‘Fire & Blood’, the series will tell the story of House Targaryen and take place 300 years before the events of ‘Game of Thrones’. While no particular plot points have been revealed as of yet, the show will follow King Viserys Targaryen, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen among others.
About Viserys, HBO said, “Viserys was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy but as we’ve learned from ‘Game of Thrones’, good men do not necessarily make for great kings.”
Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys and heir to the throne. According to HBO, he is a “peerless warrior and a dragon rider who possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air.”
The show will also follow Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the king’s first-born child, is of pure Valyrian blood and is a dragon rider. “Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything, says HBO. “But she was not born a man.”
Cast
Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen
The 47-year-old British actor, director, screenwriter, and musician is known for his performances in ‘A Room for Romeo Brass’, ‘Last Resort’, ‘Doctor Sleep’, ‘Cinderella Man’, ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, ‘Hot Fuzz’, ‘Submarine’, ‘The World's End’, ‘Pride’, ‘Miss You Already’, ‘The Cry of the Owl’, ‘Blitz’, ‘Girl on a Bicycle’, ‘Now Is Good’, ‘Honour’, ‘Child 44’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘The Girl with All the Gifts’ and ‘Journeyman’.
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
The 26-year-old British actor is known for her starring role as Emma Decody in the thriller series ‘Bates Motel’ and as Becky Sharp in the period drama miniseries ‘Vanity Fair’. Cooke has also starred in films like ‘Ouija’, ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’, ‘The Limehouse Golem’, ‘Thoroughbreds’ and ‘Ready Player One’. Most recently, Cooke was seen in ‘Sound of Metal’ alongside Riz Ahmed.
Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
The 28-year-old British actor and theatre-maker is the Joint Artistic Director of the Forward Arena Theatre Company. Apart from stage performances, her acting credits include television shows like ‘Wanderlust’, ‘Hanna’ and ‘Truth Seekers’.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
The 38-year-old British actor is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series ‘Doctor Who’ and Prince Philip in the Netflix series ‘The Crown’. The latter earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In films, he has starred in ‘Morbius’, ‘Official Secrets’, ‘Patient Zero’, ‘Terminator Genisys’ and ‘Womb’ among other titles.
Watch this space for more updates as other cast members and characters are announced.
Creators
George RR Martin and Ryan Condal will serve as co-creators on the series. Miguel Sapochnik and Condal will be showrunners and the pair will also serve as executive producers along with Martin, Vince Gerardis, Sara Lee Hess and Ron Schmidt.
Sapochnik’s directing credits include six ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes, He won Emmy and DGA honors for ‘Battle of the Bastards’. He was nominated for another Emmy in 2019 for directing ‘The Long Night’ and won the Emmy for Best Drama Series as an executive producer for the final season. Clare Kilner and Geeta Patel will also direct the series. Greg Yaitanes is a director and co-executive producer.
Trailer
No trailer for ‘House of the Dragon’ has been released as of yet. Watch this space for more updates.
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