HBO's House of the Dragon is less than a week away, arriving at the streaming service and TV provider on Aug 21. Naturally, fans can't wait to finally see the prequel/spinoff to the massive hit, Game of Thrones. Inspired by George R.R. Martin's 2018 historical novel, Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon will feature the fall of House Targaryen and the civil war which ensued within the family. In a recent blog post from Martin, the author reveals he's seen all ten episodes of the series and says it's 'all I hoped it would be.'
Martin is said to have worked very closely with showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, a relationship that began to fizzle with his work on the Game of Thrones series. House of the Dragon will be taken directly from the vision of the acclaimed author, and so far, he is giving his approval for the upcoming show. In his blog post, Martin shared his thoughts on what he's seen from HBO's follow-up to Game of Thrones. The author admits he's only seen 'rough cuts' of House of the Dragon, but it's some 'magnificent work.'
"Let's see, what else. There was something, I'm sure, I... Oh. Of course. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. August 21, on HBO and HBO Max. That's... hmmm.... nine days away as I type it. I've seen all ten episodes now(albeit in rough cuts), and I love what I've seen. Ryan and Miguel and their amazing cast and crew have done some magnificent work. Hot D is all I hoped it would be; dark, powerful, visceral, disturbing, stunning to look at, peopled with complex and very human characters brought to life by some truly amazing actors."
Some of these amazing actors include Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Rhys Ifans. The stars will make their debut when House of the Dragon arrives on HBO and HBO Max later this week, Aug 21.
Martin Gives a Brief Update on Other Game of Thrones Spinoffs
So far, several Game of Thrones spinoffs are currently in the works. The Sea Snake, Ten Thousand Ships, and an untitled Jon Snow sequel series are just a few projects waiting to receive the green light, and George R.R. Martin shares a brief update on his blog regarding their progress.
"Meanwhile, work continues on all the other GAME OF THRONES successor shows we're developing for HBO and HBO Max. Animated and live action both. Development is a long and chancy process, of course, and there's no telling how many series will be green lit in the end... I am really excited about the way some of them are coming along, though."
Don't be surprised if several projects ultimately don't see the light of day. A prequel focused on The Long Night starring Naomi Watts was canceled in 2019 despite a $30 million production cost for the pilot episode. The other series' discussed by Martin are much further off from any production, so don't expect to see them anytime soon. However, fans won't need to wait much longer to return to Westeros, as House of the Dragon premieres on Aug 21.