Watch: The first trailer for the upcoming ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel is here

Fans were devastated when the uber-popular American fantasy drama Game of Thrones came to an end on May 19, 2019… more than two years later and they’re still recovering from the season finale. There was a lot to digest in fairness.

Many people were left unsatisfied by how the loose ends were tied up though. In fact, Harper’s Bazaar revisited public opinion on the matter in an article they published this time last summer. Titled “One year after the Game of Thrones finale, fans are still upset”, the piece delved into how the divisive ending caused huge uproar on Twitter, even prompting an online petition pushing for the whole thing to be redone. Producers took no heed, deciding against a reshoot and choosing to pursue a prequel series instead. 

Plans for a spinoff were confirmed back in December 2019, but details have been few and far between since then – mostly due to production being thrown off by the pandemic. The information drought has since ended though and not only do we have the first trailer for the new series, but we also have a little more intel on what to expect too. 

Here’s everything we know about House of Dragons so far. 

Cast

Fire cannot kill a dragon.
Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, and Gavin Spokes have been cast in the @HBO original series #HouseoftheDragon, coming to @HBOMax in 2022. Learn more: https://t.co/k34dQNSY06 pic.twitter.com/EeSaKTayTE

— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) September 24, 2021

Some may fear that the House of Dragons cast couldn’t possibly live up to its Game of Thrones counterpart, but such is not the case and quite a few big names have signed on to the project. Paddy Considine will play the noble King Viserys Targaryen, a “warm, kind and decent man” who succeeds the old king, Jaehaerys Targaryen. 

Doctor Who star Matt Smith (now sporting bleach blonde hair) will take on the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen, while Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best and Olivia Cooke also join the cast amongst others. 

Will there be any Game of Thrones cast cameos in the prequel? Nothing has been confirmed or denied, but it seems unlikely that there will be any crossover. Previously speaking to Jimmy Fallon about the new show, Emilia Clarke (who played the Mother of Dragons herself) said, “I genuinely don’t know anything about it.” Pushed as to whether she’d consider a return to her former self, she didn’t exactly jump at the idea, admitting, “what else am I going to do?”

Plot 

As the word “prequel” suggests, all of the action takes place before Game of Thrones – 300 years before. Also inspired by one of George R R Martin’s original books, Fire and Blood, it will chronicle the beginning of the end of House Targaryen along with the events leading up to the Targaryen Civil War (aka the Dance of the Dragons) and the aftermath of the Doom of Valyria.

A short description of the book on Martin’s website reads: 

“Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen – the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria – took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.”

Trailer 

The first trailer for the upcoming 10-episode series was just released this week, with the almost 90-second long clip promising “gods, kings, fire, blood”. Dimly lit and still quite sparse on the details, Matt Smith’s voice can be heard booming out in the teaser, claiming that “dreams didn’t make us kings – dragons did.” Intrigued? We certainly are.

Release date 

HBO confirmed that production had begun in late April with the network sharing a photo of the cast gathered together for a socially distanced table read – which they followed up with a few other stills from the series in early May. 

Fire will reign ?
The @HBO original series #HouseoftheDragon is officially in production. Coming soon to @HBOMax in 2022. pic.twitter.com/tPX8n2IvGW

— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) April 26, 2021

Unfortunately, no official release date has been revealed just yet, but we do know that it will be sometime in 2022… which actually isn’t all that far away when you think about it. Shock, horror!

Feature image via @houseofthedragonhbo