HBO has confirmed that Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is finally set to start filming in April.
The highly-anticipated spin-off will return viewers to Westeros 200 years before the events of the original series. It will be based on George RR Martin’s story Dance of Dragons about a Targaryen civil war.
HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys announced that the show is set to begin filming in two months time during a TCA panel, Deadline reports.
It was previously reported that shooting on House of the Dragon will take place at Leavesden Studios in Watford. Croatia and Morocco are also set to feature as locations.
The drama’s cast was revealed at the end of last year. Paddy Considine was the first star to be announced, and will play King Viserys Targaryen.
Matt Smith will play Prince Daemon Targaryen, a ‘peerless warrior’ who ‘possesses the true blood of the dragon’ and the younger brother of Viserys.
Emma D’Arcy plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who, in the books, was destined to become the first Queen of Westeros. British actress Olivia Cooke will play Alicent Hightower.
Olivia recently explained the extensive audition process for the show and said she had a six weeks wait to find out if she had the role.
Casey also said that there are lots more opportunities for spin-offs in the Game of Thrones universe.
‘[George RR Martin’s] got a lot of road maps in terms of history,’ he said. ‘So one of the great things about House of the Dragon is that it’s an established history that leads you to Game of Thrones the show, and there is a lot of little branches. There is a lot of opportunities and stories to tell,’ Bloys said.’
HBO previously confirmed that the series is set for release in 2022. It was delayed due to the expected scale of the series, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon will air in 2022 on HBO.
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