Expected on August 22 on OCS, House of the Dragon is the first spin-off of Game of Thrones. Here’s everything you need to know about the prequel centered on the Targaryen dynasty.
Expected at the turn by fans of Game Of Thrones, the first spin-off House of the Dragon finally arrives in the television landscape. Created by George RR Martin and Ryan Condal (who serves as showrunner), the first spin-off series in a long list of spin-offs is loosely based on the novel “Fire and Blood” by the author of the literary series “A Song Of Ice and Fire”.
Centered on the Targaryen dynasty, House of the Dragon recounts the events that sparked a civil war called “The Dance of the Dragons”, which would lead to the loss of the dragons and the beginning of the fall of House Targaryen. Before we can get this Game of Thrones spin-off, here’s everything you need to know about House of the Dragon
What release date?
House of the Dragon begins its broadcast across the Atlantic on HBO Max on August 21. In France, the series will be available from August 22 exclusively and simultaneously in the US at 3 a.m. on the OCS antennas.
How many episodes?
Similar to Game of Thrones seasons, House of the Dragon has 10 episodes for its inaugural season. The episodes will have durations of approximately one hour.
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What is it about ?
The action of the series will take place approximately 170 years before the first season of Game of Thrones and will tell the story of the mythical house Targaryen. House of the Dragon tells more particularly the beginnings of the fall of the house Targaryen as well as the events which preceded and punctuated the war of succession of the dynasty.
The stake of House of the Dragon will therefore be the power struggles within House Targaryen and the identity of the successor to King Viserys I who will access the famous and coveted Iron Throne.
Who is in the cast?
House of the Dragon can count on more well-known faces than the majority of Game of Thrones interpreters were when it first started. We thus find Paddy Considine in the skin of King Viserys I, Matt Smith) who plays his brother Prince Daemon Targaryen and Emma D’Arcy who plays his daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Among the rest of the cast, we note Rhys Ifans as the Hand of King Otto Hightower and Olivia Cooke who plays her daughter Alicent Hightower but also David Horovitch who embodies Maester Mellos.
Finally, members of House Velaryon, House of Lamarck Island, the largest island in Nera Bay in the Crown Lands, will also play a big role, such as Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and Princess Rahenys (Eve Best).
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Less sex and more dragons!
Game of Thrones has often been criticized for its treatment of its female characters and for the depiction of the physical and sexual abuse they suffered. Its House of the Dragon spin-off should take a different direction on these tricky topics. Coshowrunner, producer and director Miguel Sapochnik indeed explained this other vision to HollywoodReporter.
The production eased off on the amount of sex on the show but didn’t dodge those questions either. The approach is done with more thought: “We don’t shy away from that. On the contrary, we are going to highlight this aspect. You cannot ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men at that time. It should not be minimized and it does not should not be glorified.”
During San Diego Comic-Con, showrunner Ryan Condal explained that the series “begins at the absolute height of the dynasty of the Targaryens, who are at the height of their power, wealth and influence”. Their strength comes from the dragons they possess and House of the Dragon will have plenty of that! According to the showrunner, “they have the most dragons they’ve ever had” and will have seventeen! Enough to make Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her 3 dragons (Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion) pale.
2021 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.
Will there be a season 2?
Good news, there will be a season 2 of House of the Dragon. Even before its launch, HBO decided to renew the Game of Thrones spin-off for a second round of episodes. This renewal is a rather good sign as to the quality of this new series. Moreover, privileged American journalists and influencers were won over by the exceptional preview screening of the first episode.
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The entire Game of Thrones series is still available on OCS.