House of the Dragon

Taking place during the Targaryen’s historic rule of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO's House of the Dragon uncovers how the largest empire in history spiraled into chaos. As multiple Targaryens claim the Iron Throne as their birthright, civil war is imminent – and the Dance of the Dragons begins. King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) sits on the Iron Throne as the fifth king of the Seven Kingdoms. Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) is Viserys’ younger brother, while Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) is Viserys’ first born child – who waits to become the first female ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.

What to know

House of the Dragon is a TV show based on George R. R. Martin's fantasy novel, Fire & Blood. The prequel series chronicles the political and familial turmoil that leads to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons. The TV show is created by Ryan J. Condal and George R. R. Martin. Acclaimed composer Ramin Djawadi also returns to the franchise. House of the Dragon was released on HBO Max on 21st August 2022.

Production: Timeline, news & updates

• November 2018: George R. R. Martin, creator of A Song of Ice and Fire, speculates the creation of a spinoff series based solely on the material in his novel Fire and Blood. (Source: The Guardian)
• October 2019: A series based on Fire and Blood is given a series order by HBO. Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Saponchik, who won an Emmy for directing the Game of Thrones episode “Battle of the Bastards” are hired as the series’ showrunners. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
• January 2020: HBO’s President of Programming, Casey Bloys, announces that the writing process of the show has already begun and the premiere will be sometime in 2022. (Source: Deadline Hollywood)
• July 2020: Casting begins and the bulk of the hiring continues through to February 2021. Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, and Olivia Cooke are cast as Viserys Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best and Sonoya Mizuno are added to the cast in February. (Source: Deadline Hollywood)
• April 2021: Principal photography of the 10 episode season begins in the United Kingdom where most of the filming will take place. Other filming locations include Spain and California. (Source: Esquire)
• October 5, 2021: A teaser trailer for the series is released on HBO Max’s YouTube channel. (Source: Polygon)
• May 5, 2021: The first set of character posters for House of the Dragon are released showing the main cast in costume.(Source: Collider)
• June 22, 2022: The first poster for House of the Dragon is released showing the young Targaryen Princess played by Milly Alcock. (Source: Deadline)
• July 20, 2022: HBO releases the first official trailer for House of the Dragon depicting a succession quarrel for who will sit on the Iron Throne. (Source: Youtube)
• July 23, 2022: George R.R. Martin, creator of the series, mentions that the plot for House of the Dragon drew inspiration from English history, in particular a time known as The Anarchy. (Source: IGN)
• August 3, 2022: A still image from the upcoming show reveals the early relationship between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. (Source: ScreenRant)
• August 14, 2022: True to the title of the show, House of the Dragon confirms the inclusion of at least seventeen different dragons.(Source: ScreenRant)
• August 21, 2022: House of the Dragon was released on HBO Max. (Source: HBO Max)