HBO's House of the Dragon is less than a month away, and the marketing for the series has reached an all-time high. The Game of Thrones spinoff has incredibly high expectations, and fans of the original series hope the new show will match or exceed what came before it.
Of course, this is a daunting task. Game of Thrones is one of the most successful television series of all time, receiving nominations for 32 Primetime Emmy Awards in 2019 alone. The show regularly drew in over 10 million viewers, with the finale hauling an astronomical 13.6 million viewers. It would be difficult for any filmmaker to follow up a show of that magnitude, but the House of the Dragon cast and crew believe they have something special in the works.
HBO released a new featurette today following their panel at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, and the cast and showrunner of House of the Dragon share their thoughts and excitement surrounding the series.
"It wasn't just a prequel for prequel's sake. There was actually a reason to tell the story. The Targaryens are the fascinating dynasty that we don't really know much about from the original books because at that point they've all died out. There was this once great day where there were dozens of Targaryens running around, and a bunch of dragons and they ruled over Westeros. It was a time of piece and prosperity and everybody knew that if you messed with the Targaryens you would get the dragon, so nobody dared to overthrow them."
The full featurette can be found below.
House of the Dragon is set to premiere next month, on Aug. 21st.
George R.R. Martin Says House of the Dragon is About Flawed Characters
The world created by George R.R. Martin has never been entirely black and white, which will be the same for the characters of House of the Dragon. The author of A Song of Ice and Fire joined the featurette to talk about the show and what he believes makes a good character.
"For me, the best fiction, the best drama is about characters. House of the Dragon is a story about very flawed human beings. Capable of love and hate. Capable of doing good things. Capable of doing monstrous things."
Fans have seen monstrous things throughout Game of Thrones, and audiences expect no different when House of the Dragon reaches HBO and HBO Max next month. The series stars Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Rhys Ifans. Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan J. Condal will lead the charge for House of the Dragon as showrunners for the series. Fans will be sent back 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, exploring the legacy and downfall of the Targaryens on Aug. 21st.