Game of Thrones fans are hopeful that they will soon get news on the prequel series, House of the Dragon. Their interest was revived on Sunday when the official HBO Instagram account posted a photo of Emilia Clarke in character as Daenerys Targayen, standing with her dragon, Drogon. It teased: “My reign has just begun.”
Game of Thrones came to an end in May, and while many fans were left disappointed by the finale, they are still anxious to get more adventures in Westeros. A follow-up is coming in the form of House of the Dragon, a prequel series set about 180 years before the main show. Sunday’s post made many hopeful that an update on the show was coming, but so far there is nothing concrete to go by.
“I think they’re talking about the dragon and not Dany,” one fan commented.
“Why, and why now?” asked another excitedly.
By all appearances, there is no hidden message in Sunday’s dragon post. The screen shot matches the format of many other posts on the HBO account, which includes all of the network’s original shows. As for House of the Dragon, there have been no updates since January, when HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys told Deadline that the show would probably premiere in 2022.
“It’s a big, complicated show,” Bloys said, adding: “my guess is some time in 2022.”
That far off date could be pushed back even further if House of the Dragon is subject to the same production woes as so many other TV shows right now. Networks have suspended work on movies and series all over the world so that workers will not contribute to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, for those that can’t wait, you can get the whole of the story contained in House of the Dragon in about half of a book. The plot comes from author George R.R. Martin’s latest publication in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, Fire & Blood. It is a fictional history book about House Targaryen, written from the perspective of a maester — a Westerosi scholar.
The book begins about 300 years before the main storyline, when Daenerys’ ancestors Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys Targaryen conquered Westeros. It tells the story of their rule, as well as that of their offspring, covering about 150 years’ worth of Targaryen history.
The new TV show will be centered around a storyline near the end of the book, referred to as The Dance of the Dragons. It is a civil war in which two members of House Targaryen each lay claim to the Iron Throne — Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Aegon II. The war has everything Game of Thrones fans love — swords, sorcery and political subterfuge — not to mention far more dragons than the main story ever had at once.
Fire & Blood is available now in hardcover, eBook and audiobook formats. House of the Dragon is expected to premiere on HBO in 2022.
