George RR Martin has reassured fans ahead of the arrival of House of the Dragon, saying viewers will ‘not be disappointed’ with the epic new fantasy.
It will be the first in a number of planned spin-off series to arrive from HBO, offering a deeper dive into the history and mythology of Martin’s creation.
Set 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, the series will follow the Targaryen family history, starting right at the formation of Westeros.
The series is adapted from Martin’s book Fire and Blood, which ends with a massive battle nicknamed The Dance of the Dragons – caused by an inter-family civil war.
The author has seen a rough cut of the first episode, and he’s happy with the results.
Writing on his website, he said: ‘I’ve seen a rough cut of the first episode. And loved it. It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s visceral… just the way I like my epic fantasy.’
He also praised showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sopochnik for doing an ‘amazing job’.
‘Just as with Game of Thrones, most viewers will only have heard of a few of the actors, but I think you are going to fall in love with a lot of them. (Only to have your heart broken later when… but no, that would be telling),’ he added.
‘I think the Targaryens are in very good hands. Anticipate away. I do not think you will be disappointed.’
The new drama stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel and Graham McTavish – and Martin isn’t the only one looking forward to seeing audience reactions.
Casey Bloys, content chief for HBO and HBO Max, is also excited for the new series, hailing the footage he has seen of the show so far as ‘spectacular.’
During an interview earlier this year, Game of Thrones star Kit Harington admitted that he would find it difficult to watch the spin-off.
‘It’s my good friend Miguel [Sapochnik] who’s show-running it, I’ve got a friend Matt in it, so I’m looking forward to it but it’s gonna be hard,’ he said.
‘I’ve got a huge emotional connection to that piece, to that story, to that world.’
It comes after Martin opened up about falling behind with his upcoming Game Of Thrones book The Winds Of Winter, saying that trying to catch up is ‘feeling increasingly oppressive’.
The most recent novel in the series, A Dance With Dragons, was published back in 2011, however, the sixth of seven planned books in his series, is still yet to see the light of day.
House of the Dragon is due to air on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic in 2022.
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