House Targaryen is here to prove that their power isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, HBO has released the official trailer for House of the Dragon, their upcoming Game of Thrones prequel set during one of Westeros’s greatest civil wars, featuring the talents of Matt Smith and Olivia Cooke.
The last time viewers were in Westeros, we saw Targaryen queen Danerys (Emilia Clarke) fight to ascend the Iron Throne, which she did — albeit briefly. However, in the trailer for House of the Dragon, we see the struggle for power, particularly among the women of the Targaryen family is an old one.
The trailer sees Westeros in upheaval over who will take the throne following the death of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine). Although custom dictates that the King's first born ascend to the position, this would leave the ruling of Westeros to Viserys' daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen (Mily Alcock/Emma D'Arcy), and as one of the councilmen points out "no queen has ever sat the Iron Throne." Despite the protests, Rhaenyra remains determined to seek out what it hers by birth, no matter what a few men have to say.
Standing in opposition to Rhaenyra's rightful claim to the throne is her uncle Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who had his own designs on the throne, believing himself to be his brothers rightful heir. While Game of Thrones saw the battle for ruling Westeros spread out across several families, it looks like House of the Dragon will be a far more intimate power struggle, pitting the Targaryen clan against one another. And of course, where there are Targaryens, there are also dragons, with the trailer giving us a look at the fearsome beasts that both Daemon and Rhaenyra will likely ride over the course of the series.
In addition to Cosntantine, Smith, Alcock and D'Arcy, the cast also includes Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emily Carey, and Sonoya Mizuno. Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik lead the series as showrunners, with composer Ramin Djawadi returning to Westeros to compose the score for House of the Dragon. the ten-episode series is based on George R. R. Martin's novel Fire and Blood, which was published in 2018.
House of the Dragon drops on HBO Max on August 21. Check out the trailer below: