It’s been a killer summer for hot new television releases. While it’s almost over the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is sending the sunshine-filled season off with a fiery bang. The highly anticipated fantasy series finally premieres this Sunday, August 21, and now HBO has released a new featurette that takes fans through a few of the competing “Noble Houses” the Targaryens will be dealing with in the first season.
The houses in question here are the Hightowers and Velaryons. Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin and actors like Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower) and Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) take us through the two houses, their history, and, in classic franchise fashion, their quest for the throne. Otto begins the series as the Hand of the King and the king himself Viserys Targaryen is very suspicious of his intentions.
On the other side of the equation is Corlys aka “The Sea Snake” whose house predates the Targaryens’ arrival to Westeros and is the greatest sailor the world has ever seen. He’s the richest man not of Targaryen blood, but like the featurette points out, that doesn’t really matter if you’re not on the Iron Throne. However, it’s Corlys’ wife Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) that he wants on the throne. The pair appear to be one of the rare examples of a healthy relationship in the Game of Thrones universe.
All signs point to House of the Dragon being another major hit for HBO. The series is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and is going to be exploring what fans only read about or heard about in passing in the first series. The height of the Targaryen reign. Martin has created such rich mythology with this world over the last 25 years and this prequel series will be diving head first into that lore with a whole lot of dragons in tow. The best part of Game of Thrones was the different dynamics between all the houses as they fought it out for the throne. It’s always amazing to hear Martin discuss his world and characters in that power-hungry way. Based on this new featurette, this iconic fantasy franchise hasn’t forgotten about its biggest strength. It will be particularly exciting to see where houses like the Velaryons go in the first season given their connection to the throne and Corlys’ bitterness towards Viserys.
It may be a more “peaceful” time in Westeros, but it’s only a matter of time before the kingdom is thrown into madness and chaos. House of the Dragon premieres this Sunday, August 21. While we anxiously wait, you can watch the “Noble Houses” featurette down below. You can also catch up on Game of Thrones on HBO Max now before the dance of the dragons begins.