Shortly after news broke that HBO’s first Game of Thrones prequel, which was developed by screenwriter Jane Goldman and starred Naomi Watts, had been killed, HBO and WarnerMedia announced that a second prequel called House of the Dragon was ordered to series at the premium network.
Now, in an interview with Deadline, HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys said the new series will air “sometime in 2022.” Bloys did not offer additional detail about the show except to say that writing for the series is underway and that although several other Game of Thrones successors are in the works, House of the Dragon is the primary focus. No casting details have been announced.
“There are no other blinking green lights or anything like that,” Bloys said. “Sometime down the road who knows, but there are no immediate plans. We are all focusing on House of the Dragon.”
The now-dead Watts-led prequel, which never received an official title, only filmed a (reportedly expensive) pilot before HBO pulled the plug.
House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones tie-in Fire & Blood, and is set about 300 years before the flagship series. It centers on the trials of House Targaryen, the noble family that conquered Westeros and united the Seven Kingdoms, that eventually produced Daenerys, who was both one Game of Thrones‘ most beloved heroes and most fearsome villains.
#HouseOfTheDragon, a #GameofThrones prequel is coming to @HBO.
The series is co-created by @GRRMSpeaking and Ryan Condal. Miguel Sapochnik will partner with Condal as showrunner and will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Condal will be writing the series. pic.twitter.com/9ttMzElgXm
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) October 29, 2019
As previously reported, House of the Dragon was co-created by Martin and screenwriter Ryan Condal. Condal will pen the pilot and is expected to serve as showrunner alongside Game of Thrones veteran Miguel Sapochnik, who will direct the first episode.
According to Martin, House of the Dragon may not be the only Game of Thrones prequel that has survived at HBO. Martin hinted that a third prequel series was still in development in a blog post in September. A fourth prequel, which was created by Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman, was axed in April.
It’s been a busy time for Game of Thrones and its related personnel. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss made headlines in late 2019 when they admitted they weren’t initially qualified for the gig. Just a few days later, Benioff and Weiss announced that they were dropping their long-gestating Star Wars project in order to focus on their new Netflix deal.
House of the Dragon should be available on HBO and HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service.
Updated on January 16, 2020: Added HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys’ commentary on the release date.
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