House of the Dragon is an American fantasy television drama that is a prequel to Game of Thrones (2011-2019), both of which are based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Martin and Ryan Condal produced the HBO prequel series based on parts of Fire & Blood. House of the Dragon’s showrunners is Condal and Miguel Sapochnik. Set approximately 200 years in the past of Game of Thrones (172 years following Daenerys Targaryen’s birth), the series narrates the beginning of the demise of House Targaryen, the events that led up to and encompassing the Targaryen war of inheritance called the “Dance of the Dragons.”
In October 2019, House of the Dragon acquired a straight-to-series order, anticipated casting starting in July 2020 and main photography beginning in April 2021 within the United Kingdom. The show debuted on August 21, 2022. It will have ten episodes in its initial season.
Main Star CastHouse of the Dragon 2023
- Monarch Viserys I Targaryen, the fifth king of the Seven Kingdoms, is played by Paddy Considine. Very, known as “a kind, gentle, and good man,” was chosen as king by a council of lords to succeed his grandfather, Jaehaerys I Targaryen.
- Matt Smith in the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen: He is the presumptive heir to the Iron Throne, King Viserys’ younger brother, King Jaehaerys’ grandson, and Princess Rhaenyra’s uncle. He is also a formidable warrior and a skilled dragon rider.
- Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, King Viserys’ firstborn child, is played by Emma D’Arcy. She is a Valyriandragonrider of pure blood.
Milly Alcock plays Rhaenyra Targaryen as a young woman.
- Ser Otto Hightower, played by Rhys Ifans, is Alicent’s father and the Hand of the King, serving King Viserys and the kingdom. He is Prince Daemon’s bitter political opponent.
- Lady Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, is the child of Ser Otto Hightower and a member of the king’s inner circle. The Seven Kingdom’s most beautiful woman.
The casting process of House of the Dragon started in July 2020. Viserys I Targaryen will be played by Paddy Considine in October 2020. By December, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Emma D’Arcy had been hired as Alicent Hightower, Daemon Targaryen, and Rhaenyra Targaryen, respectively, with Danny Sapani in talks for an unidentified role. Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Sonoya Mizuno joined the main cast in February 2021. SerCriston Cole was played by Fabien Frankel, who joined the cast in April. Graham McTavish was sighted on set in full wardrobe in May. In July 2021, Emily Carey and Milly Alcock were added to the cast.
Cinematography
The first season of House of the Dragon, the ten-episode drama began principal photography in April 2021. The majority of the series was shot in the United Kingdom. Cornwall was the location for filming during the latter week of April 2021. Parts of the first season were also shot in Spain and California, according to Production List. The first production to use Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios’ virtualized production process was House of the Dragon. Production was halted for two days on July 18, 2021, due to a positive COVID-19 case.
According to the Spanish newspaper Hoy, House of the Dragon will be shot in the western Spanish province of Cáceres between October 11 and 21, 2021. The series was filmed at the Castle of Monsanto in Portugal from October 26 to October 31.HBO confirmed the completion of House of the Dragon in February 2022.
Budget & Release Date
Every episode of House of the Dragon costs less than $20 million, according to Variety. Its parent show, Game of Thrones, cost roughly $100 million per season, ranging from roughly $6 million per episode in season 1 to $15 million per episode in its eighth and final season, and produced $285 million in profits per episode across its eight seasons.
International distribution
Sky’s SoHo TV station and the Neon streaming service will distribute the series, House of the Dragon in New Zealand. The show will be distributed in India by Disney+ Hotstar. Sky Atlantic will broadcast the series in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The series will be available in Canada on Bell Media’s Crave streaming platform as well as its HBO linear channel.
Language
Linguist David J. Peterson from Game of Thrones has returned to work on the artificial language High Valyrian.
