House of the Dragon: all we know about the upcoming ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel
The trailer reveals the setting
The ‘House of the Dragon’ trailer, dropped on 5th May, confirms that the series will focus on the House Targaryen rule – 200 years before ‘Game of Thrones’ takes place.
Photo: HBO
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Dragons – expect lots of dragons
The trailer shows what many have been waiting to see – the dragons themselves. The footage, as they sweep through King’s Landing (and hatch from eerie dragon eggs), is showing audiences that HBO have pulled out all the stops.
Photo: HBO
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Ten episodes at $20m a pop
In fact, according to Variety, each episode is said to have cost near to a staggering $20 million. Yes, per episode. And there will be ten.
Photo: HBO
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A relatively ‘cheap’ production
The cost of the show is actually surprisingly ‘cheap’ in the world of production these days. GOT episodes cost around $15 million by the final season and ‘House of the Dragon’ will be boasting a lot more CGI. To put costing into perspective, Netflix’s new ‘Stranger Things 4’ will be costing production companies around $30 million per episode.
Photo: HBO
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HBO: The masters of fantasy and CGI
But the last episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ aired in 2019. Yes, that’s three years ago; and a lot has changed since then: mainly the fact that HBO have been churning out huge CGI productions such as ‘Westworld’ and ‘His Dark Materials’, making them masters at producing fantasy quicker and cheaper than ever before.
Photo: HBO
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There is going to be some magnificent CGI work
According to @houseofthedragontvhbo, George R R Martin (author of Game of Thrones who is also working on the new storyline and script for House of the Dragon) has revealed there will be 17 dragons in this new series. And we can’t wait.
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Like ‘Game of Thrones’… but better?
What else can we expect? Textbook ‘Game of Thrones’. There will be blood, beatings, violence, passion and some pretty nice scenery. The way they have incorporated new tech to reproduce landscapes in the ‘House of the Dragon’ series is breath-taking. Shots of the production were leaked and it’s almost other-worldly.
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Magical setting on the English coast
The real-life setting is as magical as the CGI-produced ones. The cast stroll along England’s beaches and cliffs, like Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Veralyon.
Photo: HBO
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Shots from the set
There were a few spoiler shots released from filming and its proving to be a similar style to the Game of Thrones cinematography. This could have something to do with the core director having directed some of the best GOT episodes, including Hardhome, The Long Night and the Emmy-winning episode featuring the battle between Snow and Bolton.
Photo: Instagram/@houseofthedragontvhbo
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George RR Martin himself joins the production team
‘House of the Dragon’ has ‘Ice and Fire’ author George RR Martin on board to help with the production. The series, set in Westeros, will build towards the Civil War that was known as Dance of the Dragons. Many are expecting direction similar to GOT style with battles, bare skin, edge-of-your-seat suspense and complex storylines.
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His opinion?
The author wrote this spring: “Those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters (as I do) will like this series, I think. There will be plenty of dragons and battles, to be sure, but the spine of the story is the human conflicts, the love and the hate, character drama rather than action/adventure.”
Photo: HBO
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Not only dragons; but wolves, stags and lions, too
As Martin promises, we get a glimpse into the intricate world, run by the ‘wheel’ of power. The trailer shows the Targaryen family receiving oaths of fealty from the Houses Stark, Baratheon and Lannister; but then have to fight to maintain their control as plots against the blonde-haired bunch thicken. Not to mention the rivalry coming from within the family itself.
Photo: HBO
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Some of the cast you would have heard of; some not
‘House of the Dragon’ is well into production. The first teaser trailer showed a strong cast, such as Milly Alcock (pictured), who has joined the cast as the young princess, Rhaenyra Targaryen. Platinum blonde hair will rule the screen this year.
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The life of a future Queen
Rhaenyra is the firstborn child of Viserys I Targaryen and is officially made his heir after the death of her brothers at a young age. This would be Westeros’ first Queen. Her first husband, with whom she has children, is killed and she decides to marry Daemon (Matt Smith), her uncle. He supports her claim to the throne even when her half brother, Aegon (for her father remarried after the death of her mother) tried to gain Kingship. This is the Green (Aegon) vs Black (Rhaenyra) Dance of the Dragons Civil War.
Photo: HBO
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Emma D’Arcy is also Rhaenyra Targaryen
An older Rhaenyra is played by Emma D’Arcy, who is best known for her role as Astrid in ‘Truth Seekers,’ a series released last year that follows a team of investigators tracking the supernatural. London born D’Arcy recently finished shooting on the feature film ‘Mothering Sunday’ alongside Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Josh O’Connor, and Odessa Young.
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Lannisters and Targaryens
Ryan Corr, Jefferson Hall and David Horovitch also join the anticipated production. Ryan Corr is set to play Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong, the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms. Jefferson Hall will be Lord Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock and twin to Ser Tyland Lannister. David Horovitch will take on the role of Grand Maester Mellos, a voice of reason and trusted advisor to King Viserys.
Photo: Twitter/@HouseofDragon
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New cast, new interesting characters
Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Gavin Spokes are past of the cast. Graham McTavish will play Ser Harrold Westerling, a member of the Kingsguard and a paragon of chivalry and honor. Matthew Needham takes on the role of Larys Strong, the younger son of Master of Laws Lyonel Strong. Bill Paterson joins the cast as Lord Lyman Beesbury, the Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin on King Viserys’s small council. Gavin Spokes plays Lord of Harrenhal, Lord Lyonel Strong. He’s also Master of Laws to King Viserys.
Photo: Twitter/@HouseofDragon
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Matt Smith is Daemon Targaryen
The versatile actor, Matt Smith plays Daemon Targaryen in the upcoming series. He has proved himself capable of a range of different roles from ‘Doctor Who’ to most recently, Prince Philip in ‘The Crown.’
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The younger brother
Daemon Targaryen is a very complex character whose ambition leads him to make some very strong choices, thus being a catalyst in many of the events in the series. The younger brother of Viserys, Daemon gives up his ruling of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea to take his place at his brother’s side – only to be next in line to the throne when Viserys fathers no sons. Daemon finally marries Rhaenyra, his niece, and proclaims her as Queen – leading to one of the biggest controversies seen in Westeros.
Photo: HBO
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P. Considine is King Vicerys I
King Viserys is played by P. Considine, an actor from Staffordshire. Already a name in the acting world, Considine is best known for his roles in ‘Hot Fuzz’ and ‘Cinderella Man.’ He is also a writer and director, having won a BAFTA for his first directed feature film, ‘Tyrannosaur’ in 2011.
Photo: HBO
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The council-elected King
King Viserys I Targaryen is the grandson of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, one of the greatest Kings in Westeros history. Viserys was chosen as the new King by the Great Council, which is how the Game of Thrones series ended with Bran being elected as the new ruler.
Photo: HBO
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Olivia Cooke is Alicent Hightower
Olivia Cooke will take on the role of Alicent Hightower, Viserys’ second wife with an eye on ruling Westeros. Perhaps best known for her role as Art3mis/Samantha in ‘Ready Player One’, Cooke initially caught the attention of critics when she played Emma in the A&E series, Bates Motel. From Greater Manchester, she had never watched an episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ before she was offered the role of Alicent.
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Olivia Cooke ‘nervous’ about the series giving a disappointing finale
The disappointing ending of GOT has definitely been playing on Olivia Cooke’s mind. She told the Telegraph that, although she had never watched an episode, she knew what was going to happen: “I saw too many clips, just being alive at the time, so I knew what was going to happen.” This has led her to be a little anxious about the ‘House of the Dragon’ series, saying, “I’m a bit nervous about the new one. You’re never gonna please everyone, so I’ve just got to not listen to that stuff.”
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The fight begins for the Iron Throne
Alicent Hightower is the second wife of Viserys and the daughter of his Hand and closest advisor, Otto. Viserys choses her as his new bride, despite the small council advising him not to do so. The rivalry between Alicent and Rhaenyra is strong as both women fight for the Iron Throne; even more so when Alicent’s sons are cast aside for the firstborn ‘girl’.
Photo: HBO
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Rhys Ifans is Otto Hightower
Rhys Ifans will play Otto, Alicent’s father. Most will recall Ifans from the hit film ‘Notting Hill.’ He has also had prominent roles in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.’
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Otto, the main driving force behind the Dance of the Dragons
Otto Hightower is Hand of the King but got on the wrong side of King Viserys when he continued to push for his daughter’s son to be made heir instead of Rhaenyra. When he returns to his post, he declares Aegon as the new King and drives the lead up to the Dance of the Dragons.
Photo: HBO
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Balerion the Dread
Everybody knows Viserys’ dragon – the great Balerion the Dread whose skull is kept in the crypts of the Red Keep (as seen in GOT). It is known that Viserys was the last dragon rider of this incredible dragon so expect to see some super CGI effects in this series.
Photo: HBO
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A long awaited GOT spin-off
The new HBO series ‘House of the Dragon’ was announced late 2019. However, as a number of ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoffs have been announced and then dropped (most notably, ‘The Long Night’), the world was awaiting to see if any of them would start production. Now, as it turns out, ‘House of the Dragon’ is really creating a lot of hype.
Photo: Twitter/HouseoftheDragon
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Many have been waiting for the story of House Targaryen
The new series about the infamous House Targaryen now has an official release date! The 21st August 2022. Many fans simply can’t wait for it to hit our screens, after a long wait. HBO President of Programming, Casey Bloys, told Deadline in January 2020, “Obviously it’s a big, complicated show.”
Photo: HBO
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Most anticipated of 2022
Earlier this year, IMDB have released a list of their most anticipated series to watch in 2022. These include Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ series, Disney’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, Marvel’s ‘Ms Marvel’ and Hulu’s ‘Pam & Tommy’ – as well as the Game of Thrones prequel, ‘House of the Dragon’. The latter landed the top spot on the list.
Photo: HBO
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