HBO dropped three first-look images of its upcoming “Game of Thrones” prequel series, “House of the Dragon,” on Wednesday, a week after revealing production on the spinoff had finally begun in the U.K.
Set 300 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” “House of the Dragon” tells the story of House Targaryen, the ancestors of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen. The series is set to debut in 2022.
In the first of the three first-look photos released today, which you can see below, “House of the Dragon” cast members Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith are shown in character as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen, respectively. The other two images show Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, a.k.a. The Sea Snake, and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower.
Now in case you aren’t an avid reader of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series — or “Fire & Blood,” the book on Targaryen family history on which “House of the Dragon” is based — and have no idea who those characters are yet, here are the descriptions, courtesy of HBO:
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 to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon 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, “The Sea Snake”: Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower: 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.
Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower: The Hand of the King, Ser Otto 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.
See the “House of the Dragon” first-look photos below.
While Martin is credited as the show’s co-creator and executive producer, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik will handle the showrunning. (Condal is fellow co-creator, writer and executive producer; Sapochnik is directing the pilot and other episodes, and is an executive producer.)
Also executive producing are writer Sara Hess and non-writers Vince Gerardis and Ron Schmidt. David Hancock is a co-executive producer. Jocelyn Diaz is a consulting producer. Additional directors include co-executive producer Greg Yaitanes, and Clare Kilner and Geeta V. Patel, who do not get producing credits.
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