Game of Thrones Spinoff Prequel House of the Dragon Eyeing 2022 Launch
The HBO gods have flipped a coin, and the world no longer needs to hold its breath to see how it will land: Game of Thrones‘ first spinoff has the beginnings of a premiere date.
House of the Dragon, a prequel series focused on the Targaryen family (aka Daenerys’ ancestors), received a 10-episode series order in October 2019. “My suspicion is it will be on the air sometime in 2022,” HBO president Casey Bloys told TVLine Wednesday.
More from TVLine
The spinoff was co-created by Thrones author George R.R. Martin and Colony creator Ryan J. Condal. It is set 300 years before the original Thrones series and will follow House Targaryen as it begins its infamous downfall. Miguel Sapochnik, who directed some of Thrones’ biggest episodes, will serve as co-showrunner alongside Condal. The project is a reworking of the rejected spinoff concept from Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman, on which HBO officially passed in April. (Cogman is now serving as a consultant on Amazon’s Lord of the Rings adaptation.)
Blood & Fire, a companion book Martin wrote to go along with his A Song of Ice and Fire novels, will provide a template for the new series. Bloys said the existence of that source material gave House of the Dragon an edge over other Thrones continuation ideas including Jane Goldman’s pilot, which starred Naomi Watts (Twin Peaks) and which was killed in October 2019.
“The Jane Goldman one was a bit of a bigger swing because there was a lot more invention,” the exec explained. “House of the Dragon, George has text and history for that era, so there is a bit more of a road map. You understood the history and what the story would be, so it’s easier to [visualize as a series].”
When House of the Dragon was greenlit, Bloys noted that the Game of Thrones universe “is so rich with stories… We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George.” —With reporting by Michael Ausiello
Launch Gallery: <i>Game of Thrones</i> Major Characters, Ranked
Best of TVLine
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
