The House of the Dragon trailer has finally arrived and it’s giving Game of Thrones a touch of nostalgia.
Starring Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy, the prequel takes place over a century before the dramatics of Game of Thrones and follows the events of The Dance of Dragons – a devastating civil war between Targaryen claimants to the Iron Throne.
The trailer, released on Wednesday, opens with the ominous line: ‘War is afoot.’
Some things never change, then! We’re then reintroduced to the Iron Throne and narration from Daemon Targaryen (Smith), who says: ‘The dream, it was clearer than a memory. When I heard the sound of thundering hooves, splintering shields and ringing swords, and I placed my heir upon the iron throne, and all the dragons roared as one.’
A counsel meeting then takes place to discuss who is the rightful heir to the throne and there’s, of course, an issue.
Rhaenyra is the first-born child and therefore, in theory, the natural successor, however, she’s a woman so the men in costumes aren’t exactly rushing her to the throne.
‘No queen has ever sat the Iron Throne,’ one man informs.
Another character suggests: ‘The king has an heir: Daemon Targaryen.
However, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) snaps back: ‘I will not be made to choose between my brother and my daughter.’
One wise character warns: ‘Rhaenyra’s succession will be challenged. Knives will come out.’
A teaser trailer for the anticipated show first dropped in October last year. It featured new character Alicent Hightower (Cooke) wielding a dagger presumed to be the Valyrian steel one Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) used to slay the Night King.
It led to countless fan theories but, in a recently published interview with Entertainment Weekly, House of the Dragon creator Ryan Condal explained: ‘[It’s] 200 years before the original show. So there’s gonna be a ton of shared imagery’, he said. ‘It’s a line to walk in terms of things that you bring back from the original show and pass in a different way.’
He continued: ‘[Valyrian steel] is a technology that doesn’t exist anymore. Their blades are not made anew. Valyrian steel [has] a fixed number of assets in the world.’
‘Even [though the] Targaryens are in power, they are not able to make Valyrian steel. So they’re going to take care of it’.
House of the Dragon airs on Monday, August 22 on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.
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