All You Need to Know About Game of Thrones Prequel House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon — out subsequent week on HBO Max and Disney+ Hotstar — serves as a precursor and the primary spin-off to the critically-acclaimed Game of Thrones TV collection. Showrunner and co-creator Ryan J Condal, recognized for 2016’s Colony, finds himself in unfamiliar territory, as he tries weaving a darkish fantastical story primarily based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood” novel. Fret not, as he’s joined by Thrones veteran Miguel Sapochnik, who directed some notable Game of Thrones episodes, together with season six’s “Battle of the Bastards.”

Set 200 years earlier than the occasions of A Song of Fire and Ice, the brand new Westeros collection seats you thru a historical past lesson targeted on the Targaryen household. A affluent kingdom tarnished by age-old concepts and customs of patriarchy, the place girls are deemed unfit for the Iron Throne. This kicks off a succession disaster within the House of the Dragon, the place the emperor Viserys I (Paddy Considine) is pressured to decide on between his brother and blood daughter because the inheritor, setting a feud throughout the household. “Our story, in many ways, is about the overthrow of a very, very ancient patriarchy, and that is one of the main things that drew me to House of the Dragon because that is a story that is very resonant and very important today,” stated Eve Best, who performs Rhaenys Valeryon, in an interview.

House of the Dragon may also make use of time jumps to convey its decade-spanning story, highlighting the place the characters match on this world. The king’s daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen and her childhood good friend Alicent Hightower will first be launched as youngsters, performed by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey respectively. The collection will then skip roughly 10 years forward, clearing the stage for Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal) to take over. Lore-wise, Alicent serves as a 3rd contestant to the throne, however the creators need you to be told about her character and motivations. “From my perspective, people are expecting Alicent to be the villain of [House of the Dragon], but there’s so much more to it,” stated Carey.

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“I have no shame of being a villain — in the sense, if you hate Alicent and have a strong informed opinion of her, then ‘Sure, amazing!’ That means I’ve done my job well. But there’s so much more to these two women and I think that’s why it was important to bring them in younger to show how they become the women they’re expected to be,” she added.

With that, this is all the things you must know in regards to the Game of Thrones prequel spin-off collection, House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon launch date and time in India

House of the Dragon releases Monday, August 22 at 6:30am IST, solely on Disney+ Hotstar in India. That’s consistent with the worldwide launch.

In the US, House of the Dragon premieres Sunday, August 21 at 9pm ET on HBO and HBO Max. The Game of Thrones prequel collection could be streamed on HBO Max wherever the platform is on the market.

House of the Dragon episodes

The 10-episode first season is slated to conclude on October 24. Here’s the total weekly schedule —

Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen is deemed the pure inheritor to the Iron Throne
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/ HBO

House of the Dragon solid

Considine — greatest recognized for Peaky Blinders — performs King Viserys I Targaryen, the fifth emperor of the Seven Kingdoms. While not thought of a very strong-willed ruler, he was not pliable or indecisive in his selections. One of them being the purpose of battle in House of the Dragons, as he’s unable to select between his brother and his blood little one, who occurs to be a girl. Turns out, that 19 years earlier than stated occasions, Viserys inherited the throne from King Jaehaerys Targaryen beneath related situations, regardless of his older cousin Rhaenys having the stronger declare. So, there may be a way of guilt and disgrace, which he intends to appropriate earlier than succumbing to his dying.

D’Arcy is billed second on this checklist as Princess Rhaenyra, the firstborn little one and rightful inheritor to the spiky seat. That’s how she was introduced up from the age of eight, with the facility to experience dragons and large desires of turning into the primary queen regnant, a feminine monarch. Plans are put to relaxation when her uncle Daemon Targaryen challenges her declare to the throne. As somebody fast to anger, Rhaenyra was not one to again down from a problem both, culminating within the iconic Dance of the Dragons civil conflict throughout the household — as referenced in Game of Thrones.

Matt Smith — contemporary off Morbius — assumes the function of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the youthful brother to King Viserys. Think of him because the inheritor presumptive to the Iron Throne, whose place will get displaced by the delivery of an inheritor — much like The Northman. As probably the most skilled warriors of his time, Daemon is kind of egocentric. The solely cause he even supported Prince Viserys’ declare to the throne a long time in the past was that it might make him subsequent in line to be the ruler. Upon studying that Rhaenyra is being thought of for the place, he challenges her and the age-old customs.

Those who’ve learn the ebook Fire & Blood will know that Rhaenyra and Daemon’s paths will take a shocking flip — one which’s straight out of the Targaryen playbook — because of House Hightower.

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Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen in a nonetheless from House of the Dragon
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/ HBO

Lady Alicent Hightower, raised within the Red Keep, turned a part of the king’s internal circle when her father Otto was named chief advisor, the Hand of the King. Cooke portrays the grown-up model of this character, often called essentially the most comely lady within the Seven Kingdoms and — spoiler alert — finally marrying her greatest good friend Rhaenyra’s father, the King. Her nature adjustments all through the present, as she goes from one being pregnant to the following in fast succession, threatening Rhaenyra’s declare to the Iron Throne. “It is not ideal,” says Cooke in an interview. “It doesn’t leave room for a nourishing friendship to continue after that.”

Carey portrays younger Alicent, who’s described as a precocious teenager, serving to out the ailing King Jaeharys Targaryen. As a baby, she was greatest buddies with Alcock’s younger Rhaenyra, earlier than splitting away by ambition as she caught Viserys’ eye within the later years — finally resulting in marriage and rigidity. “Rhaenera and Alicent are put together by circumstance, but they’re as close as you can get to being sisters without actually being sisters,” Carey stated in an interview regarding her relationship. “I think what makes them so close is that they are complete polar opposites in how they perceive the world around them.”

Keeping her in examine can be Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) as Ser Otto Hightower. Alicent’s father served as Hand of the King to each kings: Jaehaerys and Viserys Targaryen, and was thought of a person of nice studying in his time.

Best performs Princess Rhaenys Velaryon aka “The Queen Who Never Was,” after being pressured to give up the Iron Throne to her youthful cousin Viserys. The House of the Dragon trailer means that over time she has gotten used to this concept of patriarchy, as we see her calling it “the order of things.”

In House of the Dragon, she is caught in an oddly irritating place, the place she is likely one of the top-ranking royals in court docket, however has nothing to do. “It is a very, very strong patriarchy. The men are in charge: decision-making, adventuring, ruling. The woman’s role at court is pretty limited – they seem to be relegated to serving wine and trying to survive dangerous childbirth,” Best famous in an interview.

Eve Best performs Rhaenys Velaryon aka “The Queen Who Never Was”
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/ HBO

Steve Toussaint performs Lord Coryls Velaryon, constructing a repute for being one of many best sailors in Westeros, incomes himself the nickname “Sea Snake.” As husband to Rhaenys, he has established Velaryon as probably the most feared and well-respected households in all of Westeros, by build up loathsome quantities of riches by means of voyages. Toussant had this to say about his character in an interview: “He prefers to be on the battlefield. It’s much simpler: You’re trying to kill me, I’m trying to kill you. That’s it. There’s no grey area and I think he likes that.”

Frequent Alex Garland collaborator Sonoya Mizuno dons the function of Mysaria aka Lady Misery. A dancer hailing from Lys, Mysaria turns into essentially the most trusted ally to Prince Daemon Targaryen, who finally turns her into his mistress of whisperers (spy), gathering intelligence from informants within the Seven Kingdoms. “My character veers quite far away from the character in the book,” Mizuno notes in an interview. “That is both liberating and a challenge for me and the director. Liberating in the sense that we had more free rein, but also it still had to have a kind of framework.”

House of the Dragon synopsis

Here’s the official synopsis for House of the Dragon from HBO Max:

The reign of House Targaryen begins. House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, is coming to HBO and HBO Max on August 21. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the collection, which is ready 200 years earlier than the occasions of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen.

Paddy Considine (HBO’s The Third Day and The Outsider), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint (It’s a Sin, Doctor Who), Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel and Rhys Ifans to star. Additional solid members embrace Milly Alcock, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, and Savannah Steyn.

Martin and Ryan Condal function co-creators on the collection. Miguel Sapochnik and Condal are showrunners, and the pair additionally function govt producers together with Martin, Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis and Ron Schmidt. Clare Kilner and Geeta Vasant Patel additionally direct the collection. Greg Yaitanes is director and co-executive producer. Game of Thrones and Westworld composer Ramin Djawadi scored the collection.

Princess Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower have been childhood buddies
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/ HBO

House of the Dragon trailer

HBO Max unveiled the primary teaser for House of the Dragon in October final 12 months, setting the tone and providing transient glimpses on the foremost characters. The trailer gave a better take a look at the Iron Throne, which regarded pointier with swords welded into the bottom round it. “Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did,” an unseen speaker uttered as a Targaryen lady stepped in direction of it.

Released on May 5, the official teaser trailer confirmed D’Arcy in her full costume for the primary time, because the grown-up model of Rhaenyra Targaryen. This can be the place the plot particulars have been shared in a digestible method, as we see King Viserys naming his daughter because the inheritor to the dominion. Prince Daemon takes concern with that and begins conspiring in opposition to the ruler, whereas Lady Alicent is suggested by her father Otto that she has the “determination to win it” and overthrow Rhaenyra’s place.

Ahead of its San Diego Comic-Con panel, HBO dropped the official trailer for House of the Dragon, going deeper into the lore after Daemon challenges King Viserys’ resolution. Questions are raised as as to if a girl needs to be allowed to take a seat on the Iron Throne, with even Rhaenyra’s childhood good friend Lady Alicent attempting to stop her ascension. Brief photographs of conflict and fight are additionally seen, indicating a prelude to the Dance of the Dragons.

House of the Dragon evaluate

At the time of publishing, there is no phrase on when the primary evaluations are anticipated. Going by earlier HBO Max releases, evaluations often drop two days earlier than launch.

House of the Dragon poster

Here’s the official poster for House of the Dragon from HBO:

Milly Alcock as younger Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon poster
Photo Credit: HBO