The trailers for House of the Dragon got fans of Game of Thrones hyped about the show, with HBO promising another fantasy series from George R.R. Martin's mind. The series will not feature any returning characters from its infamous predecessor, as it is a prequel set considerably before, and it is also aiming to differ from Thrones by delivering a slightly different tone.
Game of Thrones spawned much success for HBO. It was a groundbreaking series that generated a legion of fans around the world, based on the famous novels by author George R.R. Martin. It was also a record Emmy award winner, with a total of 59 Emmys, making it the most awarded drama series ever. With such a success, HBO was set to go back to that universe especially given Martin's long list of published fantasy books. It would only be a matter of time before another series made its way to our screens.
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A Jon Snow series is currently in development, but fans won't have to wait much longer till House of the Dragon premieres next month. Yet the series is not a continuous prequel leading to the events of Game of Thrones, in fact, it is set 170 years before. Based on Martin's novel Fire & Blood, the series will follow the House Targaryen after its first ruler Aegon forged the Iron Throne and set King's Landing as the capital of Westeros, leading to the family civil war which became known as Dance of the Dragons. It will be as turbulently political as Game of Thrones, but centered around those ancestral hierarchies.
Yet, while this may seem quite similar to the previous series, House of the Dragon aims to be tonely different. Director and co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik has spoken about what differs in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, given the pressure of following the most Emmy-winning primetime drama of all time. Sapochnik refers to House of the Dragon paying homage to the groundbreaking series but ultimately following its own tone that will evolve and emerge during every episode. "We're standing on the shoulders of that show and we're only here because of that show," he said. "So the most important thing for us to do is to respect that show as much as possible and try and complement it rather than reinvent it."
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Since Sapochnik was also involved in Game of Thrones, fans can expect House of the Dragon to be in good hands and deliver on this promise. "Hopefully, it will be seen as something else. But it will have to earn that," he continues, "it won't happen overnight. Hopefully, fans will enjoy it for the thing that it is." The story picks up from Aegon Targaryen and his Conquest, with the help of his twin sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya, and their three full-grown dragons. The novel follows the family's subsequent ruling of Westeros for several years up until the in-family civil war.
While Game of Thrones freely deviated from the novel's narrative, House of the Dragon has more artistic freedom since Fire & Blood tells of the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty through a maester's recollection of tales. However, those accounts finish about 150 years before Robert Baratheon rides to Winterfell to pick Ned Stark as his Hand of the King. If successful, House of the Dragon can span more seasons, leaving it up in the air if the creative freedom will eventually bridge both series.
House of the Dragon premieres Aug. 21 on HBO.