The first segment of The Hollywood Reporter‘s article about the making of the planned prequel series to HBO’s hugely popular Game of Thrones series, House of the Dragon, which explores the history and civil war of House Targaryen, has been published.
The series’ history is examined in this new article, starting with the initial pitches and moving on to the pressure of having to step up and produce not only what would have been HBO’s first-ever spin-off series, but also a series that is filling the void left by something as massive as Game of Thrones. It involved interviews with many members of the teams behind the upcoming series and its source material. However, two really intriguing morsels came from this piece when some of the creators of House of the Dragon made some similarities to Star Wars, both in relation to the characters in the future series and in reference to the significance of the series to HBO (Industry Season 3, True Detective Season 4).
The Reporter’s article begins with a discussion on the dragon names between one of the show’s directors Miguel Sapochnik and one of the show’s two showrunners Ryan Condal, who will also write for the series. Condal fiercely rejected Sapochnik’s idea to replace a few of the names, reaffirming the production’s commitment to maintaining the highest level of fidelity to the original work.
Condal justifies his decision by citing his admiration for George R.R. Martin’s novels as well as the significance of the Targaryens in the development of the cosmos. He compares them to the Jedi of Star Wars, a race who was extremely powerful in the original trilogy before the prequels, but whose masters the audience only got a brief glimpse of during their peak power before the Empire. Condal describes how eager people are to see House Targaryen in a manner similar to traveling back and presenting the Jedi:
“I’ve been a fan of these books for 20 years. I was a fan of Game of Thrones — I watched the pilot the night it aired on HBO and every episode after. You can’t follow Thrones, it’s the Beatles. I’m setting out as a fan to make the thing I want to see, and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved. The Targaryens are like the Jedi in Star Wars, where you heard about this time when they were plentiful and powerful and always wanted to see that. And now you get to.”
A reference to the space opera from a galaxy far, far away, more particularly the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, was also made by Robert Greenblatt, then chairman of HBO’s parent company WarnerMedia. This comparison focused on the relevance of the shows to their respective streaming services rather than the narrative, characters, or overall story of the series. For HBO’s then-upcoming streaming service, HBO Max (Raised By Wolves Season 3), they sought a show that could serve as The Mandalorian’s equal. So, when House of the Dragon received the green light for the first time in 2019, it was immediately ordered to series.
Based on Martin’s 2018 prequel book Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon was released. Along with Sara Hess, Greg Yaitanes, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt as well as writer Condal, Sapochnik, and Martin, these individuals also act as the show’s executive producers.
Clare Kilner and Geeta V. Patel are a couple of the other directors that will work on the program. Together with Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Olivia Cooke as Otto’s daughter, Allicent, and Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, the ensemble cast of the upcoming series stars Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Ser Criston Cole is portrayed by Fabien Frankel, and Mysaria by Sonoya Mizuno.
Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, and Savannah Steyn are also included in the cast.
On August 21, House of the Dragon will make its television debut on HBO and HBO Max (Hacks Season 3). The trailer is provided below.
