HBO Shares First Look at ‘House of the Dragon’ Cast Including Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and More
The first official photos of the new HBO series House of the Dragon, a prequel to the massively successful Game of Thrones, gives fans a sneak peek at the design and aesthetic of three houses in the show: House Targaryen, House Hightower, and House Velaryon. The show’s events will take place about 300 years before Ned Stark traveled to King’s Landing in Game of Thrones.
The show’s plot, adapted from George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, centers around the Targaryen Civil War, which later became known as the Dance of the Dragons, between Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (played by Olivia Cooke). The show also stars Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Paddy Considine, Fabien Frankel, Eve Best, and Sonoya Mizuno.
The set photos feature D’Arcy and Smith staring at each other in a sunny and sandy environment clad in the Targaryen black and red. The other two images’ have a rocky shoreline setting, with one photo featuring Ifans and Cooke looking away in a moment of pensive expression. The other gives a full-body shot of Toussaint’s character design as the actor seemingly strikes a pose on a large outcropping of rocks.
Martin and Ryan Condal created the series, which Condal with Miguel Sapochnik (who directed six episodes of Game of Thrones) further developed. Moreover, Sapochnik will direct the series’ pilot episode written by Condal. Additional writing for the season will come from Sara Lee Hess, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt, while Greg Yaitanes, Clare Kilner, and Geeta V. Patel join Sapochnik as part of the first season’s directing team.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen I CAN’T FREAKING WAAAIIITT
— ines (@Ines_Ferreiraxx) May 5, 2021
HBO ordered a House of the Dragon, 10-episode first season in October 2019, with production beginning last month on April 26. The series is part of Martin’s five-year content deal with HBO and HBO Max.
House of the Dragon is the first installment in the Game of Throne universe following the show’s success. Three other series are in the works at HBO, including a series following Lord Corlys Velaryon (played by Toussaint in the House of the Dragon series).
The more I hear about House of the Dragon the more excited I get 🐉♥️
— Dansparce (@DansparceTTV) May 5, 2021
While the series is tentatively set to premiere in 2022, fans can revisit the series on HBO Max. To learn more about the Targaryen Civil War, visit Random House’s website to purchase Fire and Blood.
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