All You Need to Know About the New Game of Thrones Prequel

House of the Dragon, the new Game of Thrones prequel, comes in the form of a blessing two years after the end of the iconic show. This prequel was ordered by HBO back in 2019, and a lot has developed since then. Here’s all you need to know about it:

When will the show air?

The official release date is yet to be announced, but it has been reported that the prequel will debut in 2022 (yay!). Filming began in April this year, so it is more likely that it will be released in the later half of next year. It is even being shot at a new location than the ones used for Game of Thrones, as paparazzi captured photos of the set in Penzance, Cornwall, England.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower

What is it about?

If you missed the Targaryens too much and were always interested in their family history, this would be just the show for you. The Targaryens will be front and center (much like the name of the show suggests). House of the Dragon is (loosely or not, we will see) based on George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, and takes place three centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. The series will follow the death of Viserys I and how the two siblings, Rhaenyra and Aegon II had a war – the Dance of the Dragons – over their father’s throne.

Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen

About the Cast

First look images and casting news have been teased by HBO to the fans over the past few months. Casting began early 2020, and here is a list of cast members that we know of:

Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen

Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Viserys’ Hand of the King

Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, King Viserys’ First Born

Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, King Viserys’ Younger Brother

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower

Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake”

Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon

Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole

Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria

Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, The Sea Snake

Will there be dragons?

This is probably the most important question of all. Well, considering how the show literally has dragons in its name, fans are quite sure the prequel would be full of Dragons, especially how unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragons doesn’t just have one Targaryen, but all of them. We can expect to see Viserys I’s Balerion, known as the Black Dread, and many others.

Dragons are coming.#HouseoftheDragon begins production in 2021. pic.twitter.com/Bxl763FVdY

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) December 3, 2020

And more…

Much like the previous show, House of the Dragons will have George R. R. Martin as the executive producer, and Ramin Djawadi is coming back for the score.

This is the spin-off that revolves around Westeros (that we know of), and it looks pretty promising! Here’s to hoping we’ll get more glimpses into the seven kingdoms in the future!