Just a few years after Game of Thrones ended its run, HBO is set to release the first of its planned spinoffs, House of the Dragon (although there was a previously announced Naomi Watts-led spinoff that HBO eventually put on the back burner).The new series is meant to be a prequel to Game of Thrones and as the title suggests, it particularly puts focus on the Targaryen Dynasty that Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen descended from.Just like the original show, House of the Dragon is also based on a novel by author George R.R. Martin. And while it does share some similarities with Game of Thrones, the creative team behind House of the Dragon is also determined not to repeat some mistakes that fans had long criticized the Emmy-winning show for.
House Of The Dragon Has No Intention Of Being Another Game Of Thrones
The idea for the show came up during a meeting that Martin had with HBO. Following the end of Game of Thrones, he had two pitches for the network, and unsurprisingly, the one he referred to as The Dance of the Dragons was the one that they liked more.
“Dance had all the intrigue, competition for the Iron Throne, murders, duels, big battles, 20 dragons — all of that stuff,” Martin explained.
From here, HBO thought of other prequel concepts and explored how each would fare as a series before they eventually decided on Martin’s Dance. The first attempt to get the concept off the ground was with Bryan Cogman who wrote some episodes for Game of Thrones and also co-executive produced the show.
HBO eventually passed on his take though and when that happened, Martin, himself tapped Ryan Condal (Rampage, Colony). This time, Condal’s pitch won HBO over and Dance became House of the Dragon.
Going into it, Condal also explained that there is no intention for the show to become another Game of Thrones. “You can’t follow Thrones, it’s The Beatles. I’m setting out as a fan to make the thing I want to see, and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved,” he explained.
“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.”
Unlike Game Of Thrones, This Show Is Done With ‘A Lot More Awareness’ Than Before
As massively successful as Game of Thrones was, one also can’t forget the constant criticism the show faced regarding its treatment of female characters as well as the rather excessive sexual scenes on Game of Thrones. As far as the scenes go, House of the Dragon promises to “pull back.”
That said, the show also looks to tackle the issue of violence against women head-on, instead of merely glossing over it. “[We] don’t shy away from it. If anything, we’re going to shine a light on that aspect,” Condal said.
“You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed, and it shouldn’t be glorified.”
At the same time, Condal also worked to bring more diversity into his show even if the Targaryens are white in the novel. “We knew from the outset that we wanted to change that conversation,” he explained. “The world changed a lot between 2011 and 2021 and [so did] what audiences expect to see on camera.”
For instance, the show cast Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, the wealthiest man in all of Westeros, who is also supposed to be white in the book. Unfortunately, some fans have already been hostile towards Toussaint even before the new show started airing.
Diversity Is A Key Element In House Of The Dragon
“I didn’t realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media,” the actor said. “Yeah, that s*** happened. I was just like, ‘Oh wow,’ and then I thought: ‘OK, so this means a lot to some people, but I can’t allow that to bother me.’”
Behind the scenes, the show’s push for greater diversity also continues with four episodes of the show being helmed by female directors. “ We worked really hard to ensure that there was real diversity across our entire ship,” Francesca Orsi, HBO’s EVP explained.
So far, House of the Dragon has received a lot of positive reviews from critics. Some have even gone as far as to say that the series is better than Game of Thrones itself. As for Martin, the show also has his seal of approval, so much so that the acclaimed author is even eager to take the show beyond a single season.
“The early reviews from people who saw the first episode is very, very positive. So, I’m excited,” he remarked. “And meanwhile, we’re thinking about season 2.”
HBO Max subscribers can watch House of the Dragon for free on the streamer starting in August 2022. Basic HBO Max plans are available for $10/month or $100/year, and ad-free packages are available for $15/month or $150/year.
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