Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon will begin production overseas in April, according to Casey Bloys, HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer, who revealed further details about the network’s ambitions for future spin-offs in a recent Q&A.
The series, set 300 years prior to its predecessor, will trace the troubled past of House Targaryen, with Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith as mad prince Daemon Targaryen opposite The Outsider‘s Paddy Considine, who will star as King Viserys Targaryen; the ensemble cast list also includes Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and Steve Toussaint. Miguel Sapochnik, who directed acclaimed Game of Thrones episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Long Night,” is a showrunner for the series with Ryan Condal.
House of the Dragon is among the five prequel ideas HBO developed, which also resulted in a pilot starring Naomi Watts which was not picked up by the network.
However, HBO is continuing to explore additional spin-offs which would potentially air concurrently with House of the Dragon, including an adaptation of the Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas and an adult animated series, though Bloys characterizes the latter as being in a nascent, “embryonic” stage.
“In terms of the right number, I’d say the number is the shows that are good,” Bloys answered, when asked about the quantity of Game of Thrones successors he’d like to see developed.
“I’d rather get scripts good and make them stories worth telling than shoot for a certain number of shows. I don’t necessary have a number in mind but the goal is always the same which is, let’s get in business with people we believe in and shows that believe in and worry about the rest later.”
HBO also recently announced plans for its Game of Thrones alumni Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who will star as Joel and Ellie in a series adaptation of The Last of Us.
