HBO has announced that the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon will debut on August 21.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s 2019 book Fire and Blood, the 10-episode series is set 200 years before the events of the epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones and will tell the story of the House Targaryen. HBO had sent fans into a frenzy when it first announced the prequel series in October 2019, and released a teaser in October 2021. HBO had further delayed the release of the series amid the pandemic.
Along with the release date announcement, HBO also shared stunning character posters for the cast. They include images of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy). The show will also feature Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Ryan Corr, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson and Gavin Spokes.
King Viserys Targaryen.
— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) March 30, 2022
August 21. #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/uAX5JuPZCP
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) March 30, 2022
August 21. #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/Iq6U1Jkoey
Alicent Hightower.
— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) March 30, 2022
August 21. #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/Gjm0Cbshlo
Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony, Hercules) serve as co-creators on the series, HBO said. Miguel Sapochnik and Condal are showrunners, and the pair also serve as executive producers along with Martin, Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis and Ron Schmidt. Sapochnik, whose directing credits include six Game of Thrones episodes, won Emmy and DGA honours for “Battle of the Bastards.” Greg Yaitanes, who directs other episodes with Clare Kilner and Geeta V. Patel, is also an executive producer.
Lord Corlys Velaryon & Princess Rhaenys Targaryen.
— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) March 30, 2022
August 21. #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/B6Srv5UoC8
In a blog post in February, Martin had revealed he had seen rough cuts of a few episodes and he was ‘loving them’. “…the writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific” he continued.
“I hope you will them as much as I do,” he wrote to fans. “My hats off to Ryan (Condal) and Miguel (Sapochnik) and their team, and to our amazing cast.”
House of the Dragon is expected to clash with yet another hotly anticipated fantasy drama – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which will debut on the streamer on September 2.