HBO has announced a House Targaryen spin-off titled House Of The Dragons, sending the fans into a frenzy. Fans had just come to terms with the Naomi Watts starrer prequel to Game Of Thrones being canceled when the news broke.
The new prequel is written by Ryan Condal (Colony), with George R.R. Martin set to co-executive produce. The project is based on Martin’s 2019 book Fire and Blood and is a history of House Targaryen (the ancestors of Daenerys) as they fight through a civil war. The 10-episode project is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
HBO executive Casey Bloys made the announcement at an event for HBO Max, AT&T’s streaming service coming May 2020.
#HouseOfTheDragon, a #GameofThrones prequel is coming to @HBO.
The series is co-created by @GRRMSpeaking and Ryan Condal. Miguel Sapochnik will partner with Condal as showrunner and will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Condal will be writing the series. pic.twitter.com/9ttMzElgXm
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) October 29, 2019
It appears part of the reason HBO pushed forward with House of the Dragon is that the “established history penned by Martin to serve as a backbone for the story.” The other pilot only had some “vague references to build on.” The goal is to eventually have the events of the new series lead up to The Dance of the Dragons. It’s a major moment in the Seven Kingdoms’ history, leading to an all-out civil war between two rival factions of House Targaryen.
It’s unclear when House of the Dragon is expected to air.
