Even after eight full seasons of Game of Thrones, fans have hardly had enough of the show. George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” is a long story full of unanswered questions. Anyone who’s read the books will agree that the TV series only scraped the surface. Not to mention, the ending left us with debates and was full of plot holes. It’s likely that they rushed to wrap things up. We are hoping the same will not happen in the upcoming spinoffs.
The GOT team is currently working on about 5 spinoffs. Among them is the much-awaited House of the Dragon, 10,000 Ships, The Tale of Dunk and Egg, Flea Bottom, and 9 Voyage. House of the Dragon is set to follow hot on the heels of GOT’s season 8. Besides some leaked stills from the set, here’s the information we have so far:
The Plot
As the name suggests, House of the Dragon revolves around the Targaryen family and is based on George R. R. Martin’s book, “Fire and Blood.” It tells the story of Westeros 300 years before the events in GOT, when the Targaryens were in power. According to the book’s description, we expect the show to answer questions such as:
- What happened during the dance of the dragons (the Targaryen civil war that impacted all of the seven kingdoms)?
- Why Valyria was dreaded after the doom?
- The life in Westeros when dragons dominated the skies
- The worst actions of Meagor the Cruel
Airing Timeline
According to Casey Bloys, HBO’s programming chief, House of the Dragon is likely to start airing in 2022. Although, the precise premiere date is yet to be determined. On April 26, HBO disclosed that production had already begun, sharing a photo of the cast doing a table read in a social-distanced gathering with the caption “fire will reign” on Twitter.
A few other disclosed pictures from the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel suggest that filming is being done in the southwest coast of England. The photos show casts and crew on Holywell Bay Beach, Cornwall. If the only Game of Thrones action you have been getting so far is playing GOT video games or a GOT slots game in online casinos, you’ll be glad to know that we are soon getting hauled back to Westeros and beyond.
Who’s Involved?
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes are Martin and screenwriter Ryan Condal (Hercules and Colony) as co-creators. Condal will also serve as showrunner in collaboration with Miguel Sapochnik, who directed six episodes of GOT and won Emmy and DGA for “Battle of the Bastards”. He will also be writing the script alongside Sara Lee Hess, who will be working with Vince Gerardis, Martin, and Sapochnik as executive producers.
Also expected to direct are Greeta V. Patel (The Witcher and Meet the Patels), Clare Kilner (director of The Alienist: Angel of Darkness), and Greg Yaitanes (House, Banshee). The Emmy-winning Game of Thrones Composer Ramin Djawadi (Westworld) will score the series.
Cast
From the official casting announcement that we got in October 2020, we know that the following actors will be involved:
- Paddy Considine (The Outsider, Peaky Blinders) is set to play King Viserys Targaryen, a warm, kind, and decent man chosen to succeed King Jahaerys Targaryen as ruler of Westeros. However, it is said that “good men do not necessarily make for great kings.”
- Matt Smith (Netflix’s Juggernaut as Prince Philip) will be taking the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen, King Viserys’ younger brother and heir to the throne. He is described as an unrivaled warrior and a dragon rider with the true blood of the dragons.
- Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers, Wanderlust) will be Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the King’s first-born child and a pure Valyrian born. She also is a dragon rider. You could say she came into the world with everything – except she wasn’t a man.
- Steve Toussaint (Doctor Who, It’s a Sin) takes the role of Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka The Sea Snake. He is the lord of House Velaryon, an ancient Valyrian bloodline much like House Targaryen. Lord Corlys is the most reputable nautical adventurer in the Seven Kingdoms, claims the largest navy in the world, and his house is wealthier than the Lannisters.
- Rhys Ifans: (Notting Hill, Enduring Love) will appear as Otto Hightower, The Hand of the King. Ser Otto is a faithful servant to both his king and the realm.
- Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel, Vanity Fair) plays the role of Alicent Hightower, the most comely woman in Westeros, who was raised in the Red Keep. She has a keen judgment for politics, as well as a courtly grace.
- Fabien Frankel (The Serpent) will be taking the major role of Ser Criston Cole, a Dornish common-born with no claim to lands or titles, but is an honorable swordsman.
- Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina, Beauty and the Beast) will play Mysaria, who came to Westeros empty-handed and has been sold more than she can remember. Despite all these challenges, she rises to become an unlikely, trusted ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen.
How About the Other Game of Thrones Spinoffs?
The GOT team is currently working on several other spinoffs, although their production and airing timelines are not as clear. Among them is 9 Voyages, which is expected to tell the story of Corlys Velaryo (The Sea Snake) and will be starring Steve Toussant.
10,000 Ships is set 1,000 years before the events in GOT, revolving around Nymeria of House Martel, the founder of Dorne. You may recall Arya’s direwolf in GOT was called Nymeria. So was one of the sand snakes.
Another spinoff, The Tale of Dunk and Egg, tells the story of the iconic knight Ser Duncan the Tall, aka Dunk, (who later becomes king Aegon V Targaryen) and his squire Egg. It is based on Martin’s novel, “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” and is set only 90 years before the events of GOT.
Flea Bottom is another prequel reportedly under development. It is set in Flea Bottom, the slum of King’s Landing. This is where the poorest residents in the Capital of Westeros live. Davos Seaworth and Gendry are some of the GOT characters who started their lives here.
Conclusion
One thing is for sure–Game of Thrones has grown in our hearts to become a culture, touching aspects of life we never before imagined. For all dragon lovers out there, we can’t wait to get immersed in the heroics, politics, cunning, and plot twists involved in Martin’s stories of the Seven Kingdoms. We hope House of the Dragon will fill the air with the same hype as GOT.
