Based on George R.R. Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood,” the series “House Of The Dragon” has been a long time coming. It’s the first “Game Of Thrones” spin-off we’ll see from HBO, but it’s not the first one they tried to pull off. In fact, an entire “Game Of Thrones” spin-off pilot was shot with Naomi Watts in the lead, but it was apparently not good enough, and HBO decided not to pick it up for an entire season. But “House Of The Dragon” is in the can, and the first season debuts this August.
READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2022
Martin and Ryan Condal (“Colony,” “Hercules”) will serve as co-creators on “House Of The Dragon,” and the showrunners of the series are Ryan Condal and Emmy-nominated director Miguel Sapochnik. If that latter name sounds familiar, it should. Known for directing things like “True Detective,” and the features “Repo Men,” and “Finch,” Sapochnik might be best known for directing some of the biggest episodes of “Game Of Thrones,” (including “Battle Of The Bastards,” “The Long Night” and “The Bells”). So it’s a pretty interesting change of pace for Sapochnik to go from director to showrunner, and I’ll be damned if I can remember the last time that happened.
“House Of The Dragon” is set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” and tells the story of House Targaryen. The expansive cast includes Paddy Considine (HBO’s “The Third Day” and “The Outsider”), Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One”), Emma D’Arcy (“Truth Seekers”), Matt Smith (“The Crown,” “Doctor Who”), Steve Toussaint (“It’s a Sin,” “Doctor Who”), Eve Best (“Nurse Jackie,” “The King’s Speech”), Rhys Ifans (“Notting Hill,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”) and Sonoya Mizuno (“Ex Machina,” “Crazy Rich Asians”) have signed on for the series.
Clare Kilner (“The Alienist: Angel of Darkness,” “The Wedding Date”) and Geeta V. Patel (“Meet the Patels,” “The Witcher”) will also direct the series. Greg Yaitanes (“Banshee,” “House”) is also a director and co-executive producer. Ramin Djawadi, who composed the iconic “Game Of Thrones” theme and wrote the music for most of the series, is writing the music for “House Of The Dragon,” and that should please fans too.
Watch the first full-length trailer for the series below.