A new trailer has just been released for House of the Dragon, the first Game of Thrones spinoff series coming to HBO and HBO Max. The new series takes us back hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones, giving fans all-new characters and plotlines to follow while still offering familiar themes and elements. House of the Dragon premieres on Aug. 21, and you can check out the new trailer below, via HBO Max on YouTube.

House of the Dragon chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, diving into the Targaryen civil war that occurred 200 years before the start of Game of Thrones. The new series' main cast includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen; Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen; Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen; Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower; Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon; Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon; Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole; Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria; and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower.

Ryan J. Condal created the series with original author George R. R. Martin. Condal serves as co-showrunner on the series alongside Miguel Sapochnik, who won an Emmy for directing the Game of Thrones episode Battle of the Bastards. Sapochnik also directed the series premiere and additional episodes.

Related: Game of Thrones Spin-Offs That Are in the Works (And What Fans Want to See)

Will House of the Dragon Reach the Same Levels of Success as Game of Thrones?

House of the Dragon Matt Smith
HBO

The concept of a Game of Thrones spinoff seems like something that could really go either way. Game of Thrones spent many years as one of the most popular shows on television, pulling in Emmy Awards and earning widespread acclaim from critics and viewers alike. Even years past its end, the show remains popular as it is still the most-pirated television series in 2022.

However, there's a chance that fan interest in a Game of Thrones spinoff has waned following the controversial final season of the original show. The final episodes of Game of Thrones were widely criticized by fans to the extent that a popular petition was created for HBO to remake season 8 from scratch. Some fans may have trouble separating the negative feelings associated with the parent show's final ending and this may affect viewership of House of the Dragon. In any case, the new showrunners are looking to learn from what didn't work on Game of Thrones.

"The idea of going back to Westeros was almost too much of a challenge," Sapochnik recently said about doing the spinoff series. "You have to start by respecting it. You can't start by doing different for different's sake. It really was seeing it through a different perspective that interests me. Realizing what worked with Thrones and what didn't. What do we want to better? How do we want to evolve? We're going to start in a more grounded, more intimate way. What a great new chapter in the Game of Thrones saga."

House of the Dragon will premiere on Aug. 21, 2022, on HBO and HBO Max.