House of the Dragon is almost here and we are learning more about the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series. However, one of the things we already knew from the start was the major change made to the Sea Snake and the rest of House Velaryon, which will be mostly played by Black actors.
But what sparked the changes to Lord Corlys Velaryon and the rest of his family? House of the Dragon co-showrunner Ryan Condal admitted it had to do with how the times are changing.
Ryan Condal serves as one of the showrunners of House of the Dragon along with Miguel Sapochnik and he reveals to Entertainment Weekly that they agreed we are all living in very different times.
"The world is very different now than it was 10 years ago when [Game of Thrones] all started," Condal stated. "It's different than 20 years ago when Peter Jackson made The Lord of the Rings."
"It was very important for Miguel and I to create a show that was not another bunch of white people on the screen, just to put it very bluntly," he continued.
Condal also confirmed that casting Steve Toussaint as the Sea Snake was approved by George R.R. Martin, who had "considered the idea of making Velaryons a race of Black people with silver hair."
"That's a fascinating idea," Condal said. "And that always really stuck with me because it's such a stark image. I just thought, 'Well, why couldn't we do a version of that now?'"
In Martin's Fire and Blood, the Velaryons are described as being generally white with silver hair and purple eyes, just like the Targaryens. It's a major change but one that could become an interesting point to ponder in House of the Dragon.
Catch the Sea Snake in action in House of the Dragon, which premieres on HBO on August 21, 2022.
Related: Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon Star Compares New Character to Arya Stark
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