Just as Game of Thrones fans were finally getting over the chaos that was the final season of the fantasy epic, HBO announced that it would once again be exploring the expanse of the Seven Kingdoms with another Westeros-based original show. Whether or not we’ve forgiven the showrunners for jumping the shark, we’re getting more George R.R. Martin content, and the very first look at the new series is actually piquing my curiosity.
Titled House of Dragon, the forthcoming HBO show will focus on Westeros’ most feared family: the Targaryens. In GoT, we only had the opportunity to meet three Targaryens, but House of Dragon will lay out the dark details of the mysterious clan 300 centuries before Mad Queen Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) set out to lay claim to the Iron Throne. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon — the storyline that the show is pulling from — weaves an in-depth oral history of the Targaryens, from their rise in the Seven Kingdoms to their unique relationship with dragons, to their downfall at the hands of their very own family members.
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The series, set to premiere sometime in 2022, has just begun filming, and HBO recently shared the very first look at the project. Photos from the socially distant House of Dragon table read introduce GoT fans (or current foes) to its ensemble cast.
Fire will reign 🔥#HouseoftheDragon is officially in production. Follow @HouseofDragon for all updates. pic.twitter.com/lc3dhIcm5u
— 🔥 Game of Thrones 🔥 (@GameOfThrones) April 26, 2021
"Fire will reign," tweeted the show's official Twitter account, adding fire emojis for emphasis "#HouseoftheDragon is officially in production."
Because the plot of House of Dragon takes place centuries before the events of GoT, don't expect to see any of your old favourites in the cast. We're working with a whole new lineup of characters because a host of Targaryens are coming our way; Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, and Eve Best are set to make up the infamous Westeros family. Rhys Ifans, Sonoya Mizuno, and Fabien Frankel will also star. (It already feels like this cast is significantly more diverse —GoT can't relate.)
It's a little too early to call it, but House of Dragons is already shaping up to be something to keep an eye out for. And if it helps boost your confidence in the project, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss aren't even working on this HBO series; Ryan Condal (Colony) and Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones) are its co-showrunners, which guarantees at least a slightly different type of approach to the epic world-building required of a story of this caliber. Plus, there will definitely be more than three dragons in this one, and I feel like that gives it a leg up...right?
House of Dragon will premiere in 2022, only on HBO.