In 2011, the fantasy drama TV series Game of Thrones took the world by storm, growing into a groundbreaking phenomenon that garnered a massive fan base, critical acclaim, and a slew of major industry awards. This series, created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO, is an adaptation of George R. R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, and spanned eight seasons, wrapping up in May 2019. Game of Thrones's brilliant cast was headed by Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Iain Glen, Alfie Allen, and Peter Dinklage, among many, many other figures in stellar roles.

Game of Thrones was set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and Essos, and followed several storylines over the course of its eight seasons, mainly focusing on the dispute between several noble houses of Westeros vying to control the Iron Throne as well as those fighting to become independent of it. The HBO series was nominated a plethora of times, garnering 272 statuettes, among them 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, an absolute record for a drama series. While it has been praised by critics for its storyline, characters and setting, among many other things, the final season, and particularly the series finale, left both critics and fans with a sour taste. Luckily, this situation can still be reversed: in 2020, HBO announced the production of a Game of Thrones spin-off that would serve as a prequel to the series, House of the Dragon. This upcoming production, which premieres on August 21, promises a new storyline and cast of characters recalling the original series' core. This article goes over a few must-know details about House of the Dragon prior to its premiere.

7 Get Ready to Meet the Targaryen Dynasty

House of the Dragon
HBO

Game of Thrones introduced audiences to several noble families of Westeros, but House of the Dragon specifically explores the history of one of them: the Targaryen dynasty, ancestors of the mighty Daenerys. The prequel is set nearly 200 years before the events of the original series, and focuses on The House of Targaryen's reign and a subsequent civil war known as "The Dance of the Dragons", a tumultuous period during which they all fought against each other to take control of the Iron Throne, leading to the dragons' extinction. House of the Dragon is based on the novel Fire and Blood by Martin, and in fact, the writer co-created this new production alongside Ryan J. Condal.

Related: George R.R. Martin Claims He Was 'Out of the Loop' for Later Game of Thrones Seasons

6 Warning: Dragons Everywhere

House of the Dragon
HBO

The Targaryen dynasty is known, among many things, for their strong bond with dragons. This connection was first explored in Game of Thrones through Daenerys' dragons, which were the last of their species. House of the Dragon is set two centuries prior to the events recounted in GOT, in an era where dozens of dragons patrolled the skies. In fact, Martin confirmed that the series features many dragons, each of which is expected to have a unique personality and distinctive look. Having these creatures featured in the series is definitely something that keeps fans excited.

5 A Cast Packed With New Faces

House of the Dragon
HBO

Due to the time period in which House of the Dragon is set, none of the characters from the original series will be returning for the prequel. On the contrary, the cast is composed in its entirety of different actors, with careers that only heighten the audience's expectations for these new parts. The production's leading actors are Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Milly Alcock, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emily Carey, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, and Sonoya Mizuno, but at least 20 other actors have already been confirmed for season one.

4 A Series Featuring Multiple Timelines?

House of the Dragon
HBO

Another major difference between Game of Thrones and its prequel is the multi-year jumps that take place in the storyline. While the original series included some flashbacks, they weren't very frequent, and only started in season five. House of the Dragon's storytelling is quite different, featuring a big ten-year jump halfway through the season, with other time jumps expected. As a matter of fact, the teaser features a glimpse of the two actresses that play Rhaenyra Targaryen: Milly Alcock as a younger version and Emma D'Arcy as a grown-up version.

Related: House of the Dragon Showrunner Compares Series to Succession 'But With Dragons'

3 Miguel Sapochnik: The Return of a Master Filmmaker

Miguel Sapochnik
HBO

Season one of House of the Dragon is expected to consist of ten episodes, but very little is known about them right now. Only the names of the first two episodes, "The Heirs of the Dragon" and "The Rogue Prince", are confirmed. All other episodes will be announced weekly. However, we do know that an iconic filmmaker from Game of Thrones is back for this new production: Miguel Sapochnik. This film and television director is best known for helming some of the most emblematic episodes of the original series, such as "Battle of the Bastards", which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, "The Winds of Winter," and "The Long Night", among others.

2 The Soundtrack is Composed By a Renowned Emmy Winner

Ramin Djawadi
HBO

Sapochnik is not the only expert on the story of the noble families of Westeros who is back to work on this new HBO series, as Ramin Djawadi, the Iranian-German composer and music producer, has also joined the team to work on the musical score. Due to his work on Game of Thrones, Djawadi garnered a slew of nominations and awards. Among the most notable were two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series due to the music score for the episodes "The Dragon and the Wolf" and "The Long Night".

1 A New Look For the Iron Throne

The Iron throne
HBO

By now, it is well known that the Iron Throne has been the symbolic root of all the struggles of Westeros since the very moment of its creation. This seat, crafted from a thousand swords, is set aside for the one who rules the Seven Kingdoms. Viewers who were particularly attentive to the House of the Dragon teaser may have likely noticed something very important about this throne: its appearance is not the same as in Game of Thrones. In the new series, the Iron Throne is represented more accurately and closely to the one in Martin's novel series, with many swords surrounding it and raised by a case of steps.