House of the Dragon Release Date, Trailer, Story & News to Know

After Game of Thrones completed its extremely successful but controversial run, fans started wondering if HBO would attempt to take advantage of the very rich mythology that the franchise’s creator, George R. R. Martin, has established throughout his popular book series. Soon after the series ended, several reports indicated that HBO was looking at multiple new show options set in the world Martin created, with the author being heavily involved behind the scenes.

The first spinoff that was attempted to be produced was a pilot, starring Naomi Watts, that was set thousands of years in the past. After the pilot’s filming was completed, the network decided to not give it a series order, costing HBO millions of dollars. However, a new project focusing on the Targaryen family, House of the Dragon, later received a straight-to-series pickup. House of the Dragon is currently the only spinoff that is in active development, so many have turned their attention to the upcoming series to see if it will be able to carry — and perhaps restore — the original show’s legacy. Here is everything that we know so far about HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, including the plot, release date and trailer information.

House Targaryen will be front and center

The series is set 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones, telling the early stories of House Targaryen’s rise to power in Westeros. More specifically, based on Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, it is expected that the show will explore the events that led to the civil war known as “The Dance of the Dragons.” In Fire & Blood, the current king that sits on the Iron Throne is King Viserys I Targaryen — not to be confused with Daenery’s older brother from the original series — the fifth Targaryen king of Westeros. After his death, his firstborn child and heir, Princess Rhaenyra claims the throne as her father intended but she is challenged by her brother, Aegon the Elder, who wants the throne for himself.

Paddy Considine has been tapped to play King Viserys, with Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the king’s younger brother. In the book, Prince Daemon becomes a supporter of Princess Rhaenyra during the war and eventually marries her. Rhys Ifans also stars as Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King; with Olivia Cooke as Ser Otto’s daughter, Lady Alicent; Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, the head of House Velaryon; and Eve Best as Lord Corlys’ wife and King Viserys’ cousin, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. Sonoya Mizuno and Fabien Frankel conclude the show’s primary cast, portraying Mysaria and Ser Criston Cole, respectively.

Additional cast members include Bethany Antonia and Phoebe Campbell as Baela and Rhaena Targaryen, daughters of Prince Daemon, Milly Alcock as young Princess Rhaenyra, Emily Carey as young Lady Alicent, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall as twins Tyland and Jason Lannister, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, and Savannah Steyn, all in recurring roles.

In May 2022, HBO also released brand character posters for each of the major players in the Game of Thrones spinoff.9 Images

When will the dragons take flight?

HBO has set Aug. 21 as the official premiere date for the highly anticipated prequel series. The first season will consist of 10 episodes but potential future seasons have not been confirmed by the network yet.

Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik serve as co-showrunners, with Condal co-creating the series alongside George R.R. Martin. The show is executive produced by Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt.

House of the Dragon’s Trailer

On October 2021, HBO released the first official teaser for the series that promises a lot of intrigue, drama and dragons!

On May 2022, HBO released a new official teaser trailer that gives viewers a more detailed look on the new characters of House of the Dragon. This extended look into the series teases that the show will explore different time periods, following the main characters’ lives throughout the years.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.