The Game of Thrones prequel currently titled House of the Dragon has started production. This morning, HBO’s official Game of Thrones Twitter account tweeted the news that production on the prequel series has started, alongside a picture of the cast performing a table read while practicing social distancing. Several more photos of the cast preparing for their respective roles have been shared on the Twitter account throughout the afternoon.
House of the Dragon was greenlit in October of 2019, receiving a 10-episode straight-to-series order. The showrunners on the series are Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik and former Colony showrunner Ryan J. Condal. George R.R. Martin, the author of the novels on which the original Game of Thrones is based, will also serve as a co-creator and executive producer on the prequel. Rounding out the cast of the new series are Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal), Paddy Considine (The Outsider), Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man), and Sonoya Mizuno (Devs).
The prequel will focus on the Targaryen Dynasty 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Viewers should expect major drama, betrayal, murder, and of course, dragons. While a prequel series to the beloved fantasy series may seem warranted, it's actually one of six Game of Thrones spin-offs currently in development. House of the Dragon may end up being the first spin-off available to fans of Westeros, but HBO is also developing 10,000 Ships, another prequel, and 9 Voyages, a direct spin-off of House of the Dragon. On top of these titles, HBO has also announced a Flea Bottom series, an animated spin-off, and The Tales of Dunk and Egg. It has also been reported that a stage production of Game of Thrones with different actors playing beloved characters from the hit series is also in the early stages of development.
It’s currently not clear how long filming will last, but with a 2022 target release date, House of the Dragon should be the first Game of Thrones spin-off series’ to grace the small screen. Considering the gargantuan success of the original show, it seems like a no-brainer that this series will be HBO’s next big thing.
You can check out the photos of the table read below.
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