COMING SOON

House of the Dragon

1 SEASON | TV-MA

The story of House Targaryen will be told. House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, is coming to HBO and HBO Max. Here's everything to know so far.

What's it about?

Based on George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, the series will tell the story of House Targaryen (a.k.a. the House that gave us the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys Targaryen) and take place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Who's behind the scenes?

Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony, Hercules) will serve as co-creators on the series.

Miguel Sapochnik and Condal will be showrunners, and the pair will also serve as executive producers along with Martin, Vince Gerardis, Sara Lee Hess and Ron Schmidt.

Sapochnik, whose directing credits include six Game of Thrones episodes, won Emmy and DGA honors for "Battle of the Bastards." He was nominated for another Emmy in 2019 for directing "The Long Night" and won the Emmy for Best Drama Series as an executive producer for the final season.

Clare Kilner (The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, The Wedding Date) and Geeta V. Patel (Meet the Patels, The Witcher) will also direct the series. Greg Yaitanes (Banshee, House) is director and co-executive producer.

Game of Thrones and Westworld composer Ramin Djawadi will score the series.

Who's in the cast?

Paddy Considine (HBO's The Third Day and The Outsider), Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Emma D'Arcy (Truth Seekers), Matt Smith (The Crown, Doctor Who), Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin, Doctor Who), Eve Best (Nurse Jackie, The King's Speech), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina, Crazy Rich Asians) have signed on for the series.

Who will they play?

Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen. Viserys was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather's legacy, but as we've learned from Game of Thrones, good men do not necessarily make for great kings.

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower. She's the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.

Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. The king's first-born child. She is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything... but she was not born a man.

Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen. The younger brother of King Viserys and heir to the throne, Daemon is a peerless warrior and a dragonrider who possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air...

Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon aka "The Sea Snake." The lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen, "The Sea Snake," is the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros. He built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.

Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. A dragonrider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, "The Queen Who Never Was" was passed over as heir to the throne at the Great Council because the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.

Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, who loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king's brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.

Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria. She came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall, and could have wilted...but instead she rose to become the most trusted - and most unlikely - ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.

Check back for more official updates about House of the Dragon.