Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment

House of the Dragon trailer teases Game of Thrones’ fiery past

By

“Gods, kings, fire, and blood. Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did.”

HBO Max caught everyone by surprise this morning by dropping the first look at Game of Thrones‘ highly anticipated prequel series, House of the Dragon. Forget everything you think you know about Westeros and A Song of Ice and Fire. This new show takes place 200 years before the events of the original series, during the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons, so it’s unlikely we’ll see any familiar faces. That said, there are definitely some familiar elements in play.

Recommended Videos

Perhaps the most recognizable performer in this teaser is former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. He is playing Prince Daemon Targaryen, a fierce warrior who is also the brother of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine). However, if Daemon has any desire for his brother’s Iron Throne, then he’ll have to get past his niece, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). She’s the king’s daughter and perhaps destined to become Westeros’ first queen if she can survive the challenges ahead.

House Of The Dragon | Official Teaser | HBO Max

House of the Dragon was co-created by A Song of Ice and Fire novelist George R. R. Martin and screenwriter Ryan J. Condal. It may be Martin’s world, but Condal will be the showrunner who brings Martin’s vision to life.

Related

Rhys Ifans’ character, Ser Otto Hightower, is only identifiable in the teaser by the signet of the Hand of the King. That makes him one of the most important men in the Seven Kingdoms. And if his daughter, Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), has her way, she will retain her family’s influence with the king.

The Iron Throne looms in House of the Dragon.

HBO is reportedly considering another spinoff series centering on “the Sea Snake,” Lord Corlys Velaryon, who features heavily in House of the Dragon as Lord Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), Hand to Queen Rhaenyra, while Eve Best is playing his wife, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. Rhaenys is the cousin of the king, and she also had a claim on the throne before she was passed over.

Milly Alcock as as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

Sonoya Mizuno also co-stars in the series as Mysaria, with Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling, Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin Strong, Jefferson Hall as the twins Lord Jason Lannister and Ser Tyland Lannister, David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury, and Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong.

House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO and HBO Max in 2022.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
What we’d like to see in House of the Dragon season 2
what wed like to see in house of the dragon season two rhaenyra episode 10 0

House of the Dragon cemented itself as one of the best shows currently streaming on HBO Max and aired on HBO with an explosive finale that finally began the Dance of the Dragons. After 10 episodes of development spanning 20+ years and multiple storylines, the show finally delivered on its promise of fire and blood and officially kickstarted the Dance following Lucerys Velaryon's death at the hands of his uncle, Aemond Targaryen. In a major departure from Fire & Blood, Lucerys' death was accidental, adding an additional dire element to an already tragic story.

With season 1 such a resounding success, hopes for season 2 are higher than ever. Before its premiere this fall, there was much arguing about whether House of the Dragon could restore Game of Thrones' tarnished legacy, and the show lived up to the task, delivering a compelling and thrilling season with stellar performances and incredible writing. Not every choice made by the showrunners was a hit with critics and audiences, but season 1 of House of the Dragon was an objective success. It drove the conversation every Sunday night, becoming the closest thing to appointment television we've had since Game of Thrones ended in 2019.

Read more
House of the Dragon season 1 finale recap: A shocking death leads to all-out war
Daemon stands next to his dragon in House of the Dragon.

The storm has finally broken, and it's time for the dragons to dance. Season one of House of the Dragon, one of the best shows currently streaming on HBO Max, reached its highly anticipated conclusion with an episode that delivered all the thrills fans expected. The season laid the groundwork for the Dance of the Dragons, the civil war of succession that divided the Targaryens and eventually ended in misery for everyone involved, not to mention the extinction of all dragons for the next two centuries. And after nine episodes of political intrigue, drama, scheming, and dragons, the pieces are in place, and the dance can officially begin.

The episode, titled "The Black Queen," centered entirely on the blacks; the previous episode, "The Green Council," revolved around the greens and their successful efforts to crown Aegon II as king of the Seven Kingdoms. Episode 10 begins with Rhaenyra receiving the news of her father's death from Rhaenys, who escaped King's Landing at the end of episode nine and flew straight to Dragonstone to warn her niece about the greens' plot. Rhaenyra goes into early labor, leaving Daemon to plan their next moves. The Rogue Prince quickly moves, despite Rhaenyra's orders that no decision should be made without her approval.

Read more
More Targaryen lore that House of the Dragon could explore
A father stands as his daughter sits at a table in House of the Dragon.

It might be too early to think ahead to what HBO's House of the Dragon could potentially do beyond the story at hand and the event that it's building up to, but the rich history of House Targaryen is undoubtedly tempting countless longtime fans of George R. R. Martin's fantasy work to speculate about the exciting possibilities ahead. Some of that speculation is even more warranted, as co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik told Entertainment Weekly in July that House of the Dragon could play around across the timeline of Targaryen lore.

The buildup of the war of succession the show is currently building to is known as the Dance of the Dragons, but the series' name is certainly convenient enough to go further forwards or backward while staying under the same umbrella. So, between the Targaryen histories documented and referenced in Martin's Fire & Blood -- its soon-to-be direct sequel -- and beyond, there certainly isn't a lack of source material to make House of the Dragon a unique long-running anthology series.
The Conquest

Read more