House of the Dragon: Release Date, Cast, Trailer, HBO, News & Everything You Need to Know

For fans who are still not over Game of Thrones, HBO has some excellent news. Following the cancellation of another prequel project, a new journey to Westeros was confirmed... and there will be dragons! House of the Dragon, adapts parts of George R. R. Martin's book, Fire and Blood, a history of the House Targaryen. And if the teaser released by HBO max is any indication, the series might be closer than we thought.

House of the Dragon release date: When will it be released on HBO?

No exact release date has been announced yet. But after a cumbersome process that involved a different, now discarded prequel project taking place during the Age of Heroes, we can rest assured that House of the Dragon is well underway. At a recent, happy turn of events, we learned, through a reel teaser about next year's releases, that House of the Dragon will become available on HBO and HBO Max sometime in 2022.

Credit: HBO

House of the Dragon cast: Who will appear?

There are four confirmed cast members so far, portraying as many characters :

Paddy Constantine (Dead Man's shoes, Tyrannosaur) as King Viserys Targaryen: This one might ring a bell, as Viserys Targaryen was also the name of Daenerys's cruel and weak brother. Thankfully, the only thing the two characters have in common is their names.

Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen: Rhaenyra is the king's daughter from his marriage with Queen Aemma Arryn. She is a dragon rider at a time when dragons were not an uncommon sight. Being Viserys' only living child from his first marriage, Rhaenyra has a claim to the throne. But in a medieval society that favors boys over girls, her position is very complicated.

Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel, Ouija) as Alicent Hightower: The beautiful daughter of the Hand of the King who – in the book at least – becomes Viserys' second wife, giving him sons and complicating Rhaenyra's position in the court.

Matt Smith (Doctor Who) as Prince Daemon Targaryen: Daemon is Viserys' brother and presumed heir, in the absence of sons. He is a charming but hot-tempered dragon rider.

Credit: BBC

House of the Dragon plot: What is it about?

As the title indicates, the House Targaryen will be the main focus of the show. Game of Thrones found the Targaryens in a bad place, with most of them being dead, and the two remaining siblings living in exile. Things went downhill from there with the infamous ending living no room for the House to return to power. On the contrary, House of the Dragon will find the Targaryens in their full force, when they were still ruling the seven kingdoms.

Credit: HBO

George R. R. Martin's Fire and Blood recounts the history of the Tragaryens from the beginning of their rule. As the announced main characters indicate, House of the Dragon will focus on a particular episode from Fire and Blood knows as The Dance of Dragon. This involves a civil war between Rhaenyra, King Viserys' eldest daughter, and Aegon II, his son by his second marriage to Alicent Hightower. In the ninth episode of Game of Thrones season 5, Shireen Baratheon recalls these brutal events.

House of the Dragon timeline: When does it take place?

The Dance of Dragons takes place from 129 AC to 131 AC, several centuries before the events covered in Game of Thrones.

Credit: HBO

House of the Dragon Script: Is George RR Martin involved?

Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin might have confirmed that the long-awaited The Winds of Winter will be completed at some point in 2021, but this is not his only project. Martin is currently also working on the script of House of the Dragon, suggesting this will likely be a faithful adaptation, not unlike the first Game of Thrones seasons.

House of the Dragon episode count: How many will there be?

It has been announced that House of the Dragon is going to have 10 episodes. We might not know their titles yet, but the number, and the fact that George R. R. Martin is also working on the production, give us reason to hope that the prequel will resemble the Game of Thrones TV show at its best.

House of the Dragon Director: Who will be making the show?

Screenwriter and producer Ryan Condal (Hercules, Colony). Condal will be one of the show-runners along with director Miguel Sapochnik who worked on some of the best Game of Thrones episodes, such as "Hardhome", "The Gift", "The Winds of Winter", "The Long Night" and the "Battle of the Bastards."

These are all the details we know so far about House of the Dragon. With the good news about its release, we will hopefully know many more soon.

Related Article: Winds of Winter Chapters: Alayne, Tyrion, Barristan, Theon & More That Have Been Released So Far by George RR Martin