Warner Bros. has released its first teaser for its upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, teasing the future of the network’s fantasy franchise.
From the looks of things, it’ll keep a lot of what made George R.R. Martin’s series a hit in the first place: the power struggle between noble houses, some brutal-looking fights and action, a bunch of dragons, and one particular iconic throne.
The teaser reveals a world that’s pretty familiar—there are torches and blond Targaryen, and we hear Matt Smith’s character, Prince Daemon Targaryen, utter “Gods, kings, fire, and blood. Dreams didn’t make us kings. Dragons did,” teasing what to expect in the show, along with footage of a joust, some feasts, and people looking forlornly out to the horizon.
House of the Dragon is based on parts of Martin’s 2018 fictional history Fire & Blood, particularly the events known as the Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons. Set nearly two centuries prior to the events of Game of Thrones, the series should set up some of the bigger parts of the world’s lore.
The series features a packed cast: Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower, Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling, Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin Strong, Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister/Ser Tyland Lannister, David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury, and Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong.
HBO greenlit the series shortly after Game of Thrones went off the air back in 2019 (one of several that it had been considering at the time), and it went into production earlier this year. It’s not the only series in the works for the franchise: the network has been considering a whole range of potential live action and animated shows for its streaming service, HBO Max.
The network didn’t reveal a release date, only that the series will debut sometime next year.
