With just one month to go until House of the Dragon arrives, HBO released the thrilling trailer for the highly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series on July 20. The ten-episode show premieres Aug. 21 and is about the rise and fall of the Targaryens. The epic trailer particularly focuses on King Viserys Targaryen, played by Paddy Considine. He’s unhappy that he has to choose between his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and his younger brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), over who will be his heir to the Iron Throne.
“Rhaenrya’s succession will be a challenge. Knives will come out,” Rhaenys Targaryen says. Laenor Velaryon declares that “war is afoot” as the drama and tension heats up between the Targaryens over Rhaenyra possibly being the first female ruler of the Iron Throne.
But Rhaenyra doesn’t care about the “order” of how things have gone within the Seven Kingdoms. “When I am queen, I will create a new order,” she boldly says. However, Alicent Hightower is fearful of what that might mean. “If Rhaenyra comes into power, she can cut off any challenge to her succession,” she says.
Adapted from author George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon officially began production in April 2021 — two years after Game of Thrones ended after eight seasons. The prequel series takes place 200 years before the fall of the Iron Throne when the Targaryen dynasty (relatives of Emilia Clarke‘s Daenerys Targaryen) ruled. The first teaser debuted in October 2021, followed by the official teaser trailer that came out in May 2022. The following month, HBO released the official poster featuring Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
The House of the Dragon cast includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rheanyra, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifan as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole.
Since the prequel show takes place 200 years before the events of GOT, don’t expect to see iconic characters like Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) pop up. However, it has been reported that a Jon Snow sequel series is in the works at HBO, with Kit reprising his role.