5 things to know about ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel

Fantasy series Game of Thrones debuted nine years ago on HBO and proved to be a major game changer for Television. Not only was it a smashing international success giving viewers a unique bigger-than-film experience throughout its eight seasons, but the HBO show was also incredibly expensive by all TV standards.

Despite a poorly-received season finale, the 59 Emmy-winning series continues to spawn wild theories, interesting podcasts, books and, of course, spinoffs. House of the Dragon, the widely-anticipated successor series to Game of Thrones, is finally here.

Here are the five things you need to know about the upcoming HBO fantasy series –

First look –

First glimpse from much-anticipated 2021 series House of the Dragon has recently arrived following parent company Warner Bros’ controversial announcement of streaming all of its new films on HBO Max.

Two concept art images were dropped after more than a year of the series’ announcement, offering fans a peek into the prequel of Game of Thrones.

Concept art Collected

Story 

House of the Dragon, based on George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood, is set 3OO years before the events of the original series.

The high-profile HBO prequel will shed light on House of Targaryen, detailing its rise through Aegon’s Conquest and the power struggle between the Targaryens, leading to a civil war known as ‘Dance of the Dragons.’ The book was released in 2018.

Concept art Collected

Showrunners 

Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal will serve as show-runners for the ten-episode series, co-created by Condal and Martin.

Miguel Sapochnik has earlier directed six Game of Thrones episodes, including the famous Battle of the Bastards and The Long Night, for which he bagged both Emmy and DGA awards.

Miguel Sapochnik, Ryan Condal Collected

Cast –

As of today, only one cast member has been confirmed by the showrunners. The Outsider and The Third Day actor Paddy Considine has been cast in the major role of King Viserys Targaryen.

HBO’s description says: “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.”

Paddy Considine Collected

Production –

House of the Dragon was announced by WarnerMedia in October 2019. It is the only officially confirmed Game of Thrones spinoffs as several others were eventually discarded by the studio.

HBO programming chief Casey Bloys said that the series is set to premiere sometime in 2022. It will be shot in England at Leavesden Studios in Watford, outside London.

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar tweeted on December 3, “Principal photography starts on the next ‘Game of Thrones’ series, ‘House of the Dragon,’ in a few months. Look out for dragons overhead!”