The Hollywood Reporterhas released the first part of its piece chronicling the behind-the-scenes story and development of the upcoming prequel series to HBO’s highly successfulGame of Thronesseries exploring the history and the civil war of House Targaryen,House of the Dragon. This new article involved interviews with many members of the teams behind the upcoming series and its source material as it explores the history of the series, from its inception and pitches to discussing the pressure of having to step up and not only create what would have been HBO’s first ever spin-off series, but also a series that is filling the hole left by something as huge asGame of Thrones. Two very interesting tidbits from this article, however, came when some of the people behindHouse of the Dragonmade a few comparisons toStar Wars, both in reference to the characters of the upcoming series, but also in the series' importance to HBO.
The Reporter’s piece opens with a conversation between the twoHouse of the DragonshowrunnersRyan Condal, who also will serve as a writer on the series, and one of the series' directorsMiguel Sapochnikabout the naming of the dragons. Sapochnik made the suggestion that a few of the names be changed, to which Condal vehemently refused, solidifying the production’s stance on being extremely loyal to the source material. Condal explains why taking this stance was so important, explaining both his love for the series byGeorge R.R. Martinand the importance of the Targaryens in the history of the universe. He compares them to the Jedi ofStar Wars, this group of people that, in the original trilogy prior to the prequels, were super powerful, yet the audience only got the smallest look at masters from the time of their height of power before the Empire. Similar to going back and showing the Jedi, Condal expresses how much people want to see House Targaryen:
“I’ve been a fan of these books for 20 years. I was a fan ofGame of Thrones— I watched the pilot the night it aired on HBO and every episode after. You can’t followThrones, it’s the Beatles. I’m setting out as a fan to make the thing I want to see, and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved. The Targaryens are like the Jedi inStar Wars, where you heard about this time when they were plentiful and powerful and always wanted to see that. And now you get to.”
Robert Greenblatt, then chairman of HBO’s parent company WarnerMedia, also made reference to the space opera from a galaxy far, far, away, more specifically, the Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorian. This was not a comparison made in terms of the series' plot, characters, or overall story, but rather in their importance to their respective streaming services. WhenHouse of the Dragonwas first given the greenlight in 2019, it was ordered straight to series as HBO wanted a series that could serve asThe Mandalorianequivalent for their then-upcoming streaming service, HBO Max.
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“I put a lot of pressure on everybody for this to happen as soon as humanly possible,” says Greenblatt. “We all knew Disney+ launched withThe Mandalorian. We didn’t have any big piece of IP that would be ready, but at least we’d haveDragoncoming down the pipe and that would be important to the world at large. And I couldn’t think of a better piece of IP almost anywhere that deserved to be developed and multiplied.”
House of the Dragonis based on Martin’s 2018 prequel novelFire & Blood. Condal, Sapochnik, and Martin also serve as executive producers on the series alongside writerSara Hess, directorGreg Yaitanes,Jocelyn Diaz,Vince Gerardis, andRon Schmidt. Other directors that will serve on the show includeClare KilnerandGeeta V. Patel. The stars of the upcoming series' ensemble cast includeEve Bestas Princess Rhaenys Targaryen,Emma D’Arcyas Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen,Matt Smithas Prince Daemon Targaryen,Paddy Considineas King Viserys Targaryen,Rhys Ifansas Otto Hightower,Olivia Cookeas Otto’s daughter, Allicent;Steve Toussaintas Lord Corlys Velaryon,Fabien Frankelas Ser Criston Cole; andSonoya Mizunoas Mysaria. Additional cast members includeMilly Alcock,Bethany Antonia,Phoebe Campbell,Emily Carey,Harry Collett,Ryan Corr,Tom Glynn-Carney,Jefferson Hall,David Horovitch,Wil Johnson,John Macmillan,Graham McTavish,Ewan Mitchell,Theo Nate,Matthew Needham,Bill Paterson,Phia Saban,Gavin Spokes, andSavannah Steyn.
House of the Dragonis set to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on August 21. Check out the trailer below:
