The first full trailer for “House of the Dragon,” HBO’s prequel series to “Game of Thrones,” has finally arrived.
Set 200 years before the events of the original series, “House of the Dragon” promises all the carnage, magic and political infighting “Game of Thrones” is known for. HBO released a teaser in May, but the nearly three-minute trailer below is almost twice as long.
Featuring Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the trailer arrives mere days before cast members are set to appear at San Diego Comic-Con for a “House of The Dragon” panel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The dream, it was clearer than a memory,” whispers Daemon Targaryen in the trailer. “When I heard the sound of thundering hooves, splintering shields and ringing swords, and I placed my hand upon the iron throne, and all the dragons roared as one.”
With “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin’s 700-page “Fire & Blood” as the source material, and showrunners Miquel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal at the helm, “House of the Dragon” will chronicle the power struggles of House Targaryen amid a civil war.
“I was a fan of these books for 20 years,” Condal told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was a fan of ‘Game of Thrones’ — I watched the pilot the night it aired on HBO and every episode after. You can’t follow ‘Thrones,’ it’s The Beatles.”
It hasn’t eluded either showrunner that “House of the Dragon” has a massive challenge in the shadow of the most popular TV series of the last 20 years.
“I’m setting out as a fan to make the thing I want to see, and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved,” said Condal. “The Targaryens are like the Jedi in ‘Star Wars,’ where you heard about this time when they were plentiful and powerful and always wanted to see that. And now you get to.”
Whether the series will win back fans disappointed in the last season of “Game of Thrones” remains to be seen. Martin, who revealed in April on his blog that he had seen rough cuts of a few “House of the Dragon” episodes, believes it will.
“Those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters (as I do) will like the series, I think,” the author wrote. “There will be plenty of dragons and battles, to be sure, but the spine of the story is the human conflicts, the love and the hate, character drama rather than action/adventure.”
Starring Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, “House of the Dragon” premieres on HBO on Aug. 21.