House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon

• Action
Genre
• Adventure

• Fantasy

• Serial drama

Created by • Ryan Condal

• George R. R. Martin

Based on Fire & Blood

by George R. R. Martin

Starring • Paddy Considine

• Matt Smith

• Emma D'Arcy

• Rhys Ifans

• Steve Toussaint

• Eve Best

• Sonoya Mizuno

• Fabien Frankel

• Milly Alcock
• Emily Carey

• Graham McTavish

• Matthew Needham

• Jefferson Hall

Theme music Ramin Djawadi

composer

Opening theme "Main Title"

Composer Ramin Djawadi[1]

Country of origin United States

Original language English

No. of seasons 1

No. of episodes 3

Production

Executive producers • Miguel Sapochnik

• Ryan Condal

• George R. R. Martin

• Ron Schmidt

• Jocelyn Diaz

• Sara Hess

• Vince Gerardis

Producers • Karen Wacker

• Angus More Gordon

• Alexis Raben

• Kevin Lau

Production locations • Portugal

• England

• Spain

• United States

Cinematography • Fabian Wagner

• Pepe Avila del Pino

Editors • Tim Porter

• Selina MacArthur

Running time 53–66 minutes

Production companies • GRRM

• Bastard Sword

• 1:26 Pictures Inc.

• HBO Entertainment

Distributor Warner Bros. Domestic Television

Distribution

Release

Original network HBO

 Picture format • 4K HDR

• Dolby Vision[a]

Audio format Dolby Atmos[a]

Original release August 21, 2022 –

present

Chronology

Related shows Game of Thrones

House of the Dragon is an American fantasy drama television series.

A prequel to Game of Thrones (2011–2019), it is the second show in the franchise,
created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. Both series are based on
the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by Martin. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik are
the showrunners. Based on parts of the novel Fire & Blood, the series is set about
200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth
of Daenerys Targaryen. It portrays the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, the
events leading up to and covering the Targaryen war of succession, known as the
"Dance of the Dragons".
House of the Dragon received a straight-to-series order in October 2019, with
casting beginning in July 2020 and principal photography starting in April 2021 in the
United Kingdom. The series premiered on August 21, 2022, with the first season
consisting of ten episodes. Five days after its premiere, the series was renewed for a
second season. Sapochnik departed as showrunner after the first season, leaving
Condal to serve as the sole showrunner for the second season.

Contents

• 1Cast and characters

o 1.1Starring
o 1.2Recurring
o 1.3Guest
• 2Episodes
• 3Production
o 3.1Development
o 3.2Writing
o 3.3Casting
o 3.4Filming
o 3.5Language
o 3.6Budget
o 3.7Changes from the novels
• 4Release
o 4.1International broadcast
• 5Reception
o 5.1Critical response
o 5.2Viewership
• 6Footnotes
• 7See also
 • 8References
• 9External links

Cast and characters

Starring
• Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen:[2] The fifth king of the Seven
Kingdoms. Known as "a warm, kind, and decent man", Viserys was
chosen by a council of lords to succeed his grandfather, King Jaehaerys I
Targaryen, as king.[3] Viserys is the first born son of King Jaehaerys'
second son Prince Baelon Targaryen and his sister-wife Princess Alyssa
Targaryen.[4]
• Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen: The younger brother of King
Viserys and the uncle of Princess Rhaenyra. Known as the "Rogue
Prince" for his unpredictable behaviors, Daemon is also a fierce warrior
and an experienced dragonrider on his dragon Caraxes.[3]
• Emma D'Arcy (adult) / Milly Alcock (teenage) as Princess Rhaenyra
Targaryen: King Viserys' daughter and heir apparent, the firstborn and
only surviving child of Viserys and Queen Aemma Arryn. Praised as the
"Realm's Delight" during her youth, she rides the young dragon Syrax. [3]
• Olivia Cooke (adult) / Emily Carey (teenage) as Lady Alicent Hightower:
Rhaenyra's childhood lady companion and later the second wife of King
Viserys. She is raised in the Red Keep as part of the King's inner circle,
and is known as the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. [3]
• Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower: Alicent's father and the Hand of the
King who serves King Viserys. He is a bitter political rival of Prince
Daemon.[3]
• Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon: The head of House Velaryon,
the wealthiest and most powerful clan in the realm. Known as the "Sea
Snake", he is the most famous seafarer in Westerosi history.[3]
• Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen: King Viserys' cousin and wife
of Corlys Velaryon. Known as the "Queen Who Never Was", Rhaenys is
the daughter and only child of Jocelyn Baratheon and Aemon Targaryen,
King Jaehaerys' late heir apparent and oldest son, and was once a
candidate to succeed her grandfather as ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, but
was passed over in favor of her younger cousin Viserys due to her
gender.[3] She is a formidable dragonrider.[4]
• Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole: A skilled swordsman from the Dornish
Marches and the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of
Blackhaven.[3] Later known as "the Kingmaker", Criston is handpicked into
the Kingsguard by Princess Rhaenyra, and later becomes the Lord
Commander.
• Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria: A foreign-born brothel dancer who rose to
become Prince Daemon's paramour and most trusted confidante.[3]
• Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling: Current Lord Commander of
the Kingsguard who has served since King Jaehaerys. He was once a
powerful knight and is tasked with watching over and protecting Princess
Rhaenyra.[3]
 • Matthew Needham as Larys Strong: The younger son of Lord Lyonel
Strong, the Master of Laws.[3]
• Jefferson Hall as the twins Lord Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly
Rock, and Ser Tyland Lannister, a cunning politician who replaces Corlys
Velaryon as the Master of Ships.[3]
Recurring
• David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos: A trusted advisor to King
Viserys[3]
• Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury: Lord of Honeyholt and Master of
Coin on King Viserys' small council[3]
• Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong: Master of Laws to King Viserys and
Lord of Harrenhal.[3]
• Steffan Rhodri as Hobert Hightower: The head of House Hightower and
ruler of Oldtown. He is the older brother of Ser Otto Hightower.[5]
• Elliott Tittensor as Ser Erryk Cargyll: Member of Viserys' Kingsguard, as
well as the twin of Ser Arryk Cargyll[5]
• Luke Tittensor as Ser Arryk Cargyll: Member of Viserys' Kingsguard, as
well as the twin of Ser Erryk Cargyll[5]
• Julian Lewis Jones as Boremund Baratheon: the Lord of Storm's End and
head of House Baratheon early in the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen.
He is also the maternal uncle of Rhaenys Targaryen.[5]
• David Hounslow as Lord Rickon Stark of Winterfell.
• Frankie Wilson as Captain Randyll Barret
• Gary Raymond as High Septon
• Anthony Flanagan as Ser Steffon Darklyn, a member of the Kingsguard.[5]
• Nanna Blondell as Lady Laena Velaryon: Daughter of Corlys Velaryon and
Rhaenys Targaryen. She is the second wife of Prince Daemon
Targaryen,[6][7] and rides the dragon Vhagar.
o Savannah Steyn portrays young Laena Velaryon. [5]
o Nova Foueillis-Mose portrays child Laena Velaryon.[5]
• Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin Strong: The eldest son to Master of Laws Lord
Lyonel Strong and heir to Harrenhal. Known as "Breakbones", he is said to
be the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms.[3]
• Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon: Younger brother to Lord Corlys
Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy.[6]
• John Macmillan as Ser Laenor Velaryon: Son of Princess Rhaenys and
Lord Corlys Velaryon. He is the first husband of Princess Rhaenyra. [6]
o Theo Nate portrays young Laenor Velaryon.[6]
o Matthew Carver portrays child Laenor Velaryon.
• Solly McLeod as Ser Joffrey Lonmouth: Knight of House Lonmouth, and
the lover to Laenor Velaryon.[5]
• Daniel Scott-Smith as Craghas "Crabfeeder" Drahar
• Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen: The eldest daughter of Prince
Daemon Targaryen and Lady Laena Velaryon. She is a dragonrider
whose mount is the young dragon Moondancer.[5]
• Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen: The younger daughter of
Prince Daemon Targaryen and Lady Laena Velaryon.[5]
 • Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon: Princess Rhaenyra's first-born
son.[5]
o Leo Hart portrays young Jacaerys Velaryon.[5]
• Tom Glynn-Carney as Prince Aegon Targaryen: The firstborn son of King
Viserys[5]
• Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen: The second son of King
Viserys, nephew to Prince Daemon, and half brother to Princess
Rhaenyra[5]
o Leo Ashton portrays young Aemond Targaryen. [5]
• Phia Saban as Princess Helaena Targaryen: The second-born daughter of
King Viserys, sister to princes Aegon and Aemond, half sister to Princess
Rhaenyra[5]
o Evie Allen portrays young Helaena Targaryen.[5]
• Phil Daniels as Maester Gerardys: one of the Maesters of the Citadel.[5]
• Kurt Egyiawan as Maester Orwyle: one of the Maesters of the Citadel.[5]
• Roger Evans as Ser Borros Baratheon: son of Lord Boremund
Baratheon.[5]
• Elliot Grihault as Prince Lucerys Velaryon: Princess Rhaenyra's second-
born son.[5]
o Harvey Sadler portrays young Lucerys Velaryon.[5]
• Paul Kennedy as Jasper Wylde: known as "Ironrod", the Lord of Rain
House and Head of House Wylde.[5]
Guest
• Sian Brooke as Queen Aemma Arryn: the queen consort and first wife of
King Viserys Targaryen.[5] She is a granddaughter of King Jaehaerys
Targaryen through her mother, Daella Targaryen, making Viserys her first
cousin. She died giving birth to Prince Baelon, who also died within the
day of his birth.[4]
• Michael Carter as King Jaehaerys I Targaryen: The fourth king of the
Seven Kingdoms, preceding King Viserys I Targaryen. He is the
grandfather of King Viserys, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Princess Rhaenys
Targaryen, and Queen Aemma Arryn. He organized a council to choose
his heir, after tragedy claimed the lives of his sons.

Episodes

No. Title [8] Directed by Written by

1 "The Heirs of the Dragon" Miguel Sapochnik Ryan Condal

With both his sons dead, old King Jaehaerys I Targaryen convenes a Great Council to choose an heir. The Westerosi lords s
years into his reign, King Viserys organizes a tournament to celebrate Queen Aemma Arryn's pregnancy, confident she is ca
Velaryon's warning that the Triarchy, an alliance of Essos' Free Cities, threatens to cripple Westerosi shipping lanes. Hand o
the City Watch commander. At the tournament, Ser Criston Cole, a common-born Dornish knight, outcompetes Daemon, w
pleas to anoint a new heir until Ser Otto reveals that Daemon mockingly styled Baelon as, "The Heir for a Day." Outraged,
to the Iron Throne.

2 "The Rogue Prince" Greg Yaitanes Ryan Condal

Six months after Rhaenyra is named the heir, Daemon illegally occupies Dragonstone, supported by loyal City Watch guard
Triarchy's behest, Rhaenyra's suggestion to show force is dismissed. She is instead relegated to appointing a new Kingsguar
Ser Otto's daughter, Lady Alicent, has been privately consoling Viserys since his wife's death; she advises that he and Rhae
Viserys unite their Valyrian houses through marriage with their twelve-year-old daughter, Laena. Meanwhile, the Small Co
mistress Mysaria as a second spouse. Ser Otto and a small detachment sail to Dragonstone to retrieve the egg. Rhaenyra foll
Viserys announces he will wed Lady Alicent, angering Lord Corlys, who then seeks out Daemon to propose an alliance.

3 "Second of His Name" Greg Yaitanes Gabe Fonseca & Ryan

For three years, the conflicts in the Stepstones region have escalated. Lord Corlys and Prince Daemon battle Craghas Draha
situation. Meanwhile, King Viserys plans a great hunt to celebrate his and pregnant Queen Alicent's son Aegon's second bir
strained by the ailing king's insistence that Rhaenyra marry to form a strong alliance and protect their lineage. Among many
recommends that Rhaenyra wed Ser Laenor Velaryon, Lord Corlys' son, to repair the rift between their two houses. On his b
Hightowers' power and prestige. Viserys assures Rhaenyra she will always remain the heir and can choose who to marry. A
the remaining House Velaryon soldiers fight a losing battle against Triarchy forces. Ser Laenor arrives on his dragon Seasm

4 "King of the Narrow Sea" TBA TBA

5 "We Light the Way" TBA TBA

6 "The Princess and the Queen" TBA TBA

7 "Driftmark" TBA TBA

8 "The Lord of the Tides" TBA TBA

9 "The Green Council" TBA TBA

10 "The Black Queen" TBA TBA

Production
Development
In November 2018, George R. R. Martin, creator of A Song of Ice and Fire, stated
that a "potential spin-off series would be solidly based on material in Fire &
Blood."[12] By September 2019, a Game of Thrones prequel series from Martin
and Ryan Condal that "tracks the beginning of the end for House Targaryen" was
close to receiving a pilot order from HBO.[13] The following month, House of the
Dragon, which is based on Martin's book Fire & Blood, was given a straight-to-series
order. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, who won an Emmy Award for directing the
episode "Battle of the Bastards", were selected to serve as showrunners. Sapochnik
was also hired to direct the series premiere as well as additional episodes.[14] The
series takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones during the reign
of King Viserys I Targaryen, ultimately leading to the Targaryen civil war known as
the Dance of the Dragons.[15][16] The project is a reworking of the rejected spin-off
concept from Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman, on which HBO officially
passed.[17]
On August 26, 2022, less than a week after its premiere, the series was renewed for
a second season.[18] On August 31, it was announced that Miguel Sapochnik would
leave the series after its first season, stepping down as director and co-showrunner,
but remain an executive producer. Sapochnik stated, "It was incredibly tough to
decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and
professionally." Alan Taylor, who directed multiple Game of Thrones episodes, will
join in season two and serve as an executive producer and direct multiple
episodes.[19]
Writing
In January 2020, Casey Bloys, HBO's President of Programming, stated that the
writing process had begun.[20]
Casting
Casting began in July 2020.[21] In October 2020, Paddy Considine was cast as
Viserys I Targaryen.[2] By December, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, and Emma
D'Arcy were cast as Alicent Hightower, Daemon Targaryen, and Rhaenyra
Targaryen, respectively. In February 2021, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve
Best and Sonoya Mizuno were added to the main cast.[22] By April, Fabien
Frankel joined the cast as Ser Criston Cole.[23] In May, Graham McTavish was
spotted on set in full wardrobe.[24] Emily Carey and Milly Alcock were added to the
cast in July 2021.[25]
Filming
Principal photography on the ten-episode first season of the series began in April
2021.[26] The series was filmed primarily in the United Kingdom.[27] During the last
week of April 2021, filming took place in Cornwall.[28] According to Production List,
additionally, parts of the first season were filmed in Spain and California.[29] House of
the Dragon was the first production to be shot at Warner Bros. Leavesden
Studios' new virtual production stage.[30] On July 18, 2021, production paused for two
days because of a COVID-19 case.[31]
The Spanish publication Hoy reported that House of the Dragon would be filmed in
the Province of Cáceres in western Spain between October 11–21, 2021.[32] From
October 26–31, the series was filmed in Portugal at the Castle of Monsanto.[33]
Additional filming locations included Trujillo, Cáceres, a medieval town. Locations
in Somerset, England included St Michael's Mount, Holywell Beach and Kynance
Cove. Other locations included Castleton, Derbyshire, in areas such as Cave Dale,
Eldon Hill Quarry and the Market Place. Some scenes were shot in Aldershot,
Hampshire.[34]
In February 2022, HBO confirmed that House of the Dragon had wrapped
production.[35]
Language
Game of Thrones linguist David J. Peterson returned to continue his work on
the constructed language High Valyrian.[36] Emma D'Arcy reports enjoying learning it,
while Matt Smith initially dreaded it and found it daunting.[37]
Budget
According to Variety, each episode of House of the Dragon cost under US$20
million.[38] In comparison, its parent series Game of Thrones, cost around $100 million
per season beginning with nearly $6 million per episode from seasons one to five,
around $10 million for every episode in seasons six and seven, and up to $15 million
each episode in its eighth and final season, earning $285 million in profits per
season over its eight seasons.[39][40] The overall production budget of the first season
of House of the Dragon was nearly $200 million, while the marketing budget
according to Deadline Hollywood was in excess of $100 million, comparable to the
marketing budget for a tentpole theatrical film.[41]
Changes from the novels
In the novels, House Velaryon are generally described as "having pale skin, silver
hair, and purple eyes", however, Condal and Sapochnik wanted to include more
racial diversity with its casting. Condal stated, "The world is very different now than it
was 10 years ago when [Game of Thrones] all started. It's different than 20 years
ago when Peter Jackson made The Lord of the Rings. These types of stories need to
be more inclusive than they traditionally have been. 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." According to Condal, Martin had previous considered the
idea of making the Velaryons a House of Black nobles in his novels.[42]

Release
House of the Dragon premiered on August 21, 2022.[43] It is HBO's first new series to
stream in 4K, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos on its streaming platform HBO
Max.[44] The first episode was released for free on YouTube on September 2, 2022.[45]
International broadcast
See also: List of HBO international channels
In New Zealand, the series is distributed by Sky's SoHo TV channel
and Neon streaming service.[46] In India, Disney+ Hotstar distributes the show.[47] In
the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the series airs on Sky
Atlantic and its accompanying streaming service Now.[48] In Canada, House of the
Dragon is available on Bell Media's Crave streaming service and its HBO linear
channel.[49] In Australia, the series is available for streaming on Binge and Foxtel.[50]
Reception
Critical response
House of the Dragon: Critical reception by episode

Percentage of positive critics' reviews tracked by the website Rotten Tomatoes[8]

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval
rating of 85% with an average rating of 9/10, based on 580 reviews.[8] On Metacritic,
which uses a weighted average, the series has received a score of 68 out of 100
based on 42 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[51]
Viewership
The day following the series premiere, HBO claimed the episode had been viewed
by an estimated 9.99 million viewers in the U.S. on its first night of availability –
including both linear viewers and streams on HBO Max – which HBO said was the
largest single-day viewership for a series debut in the service's history.[52] In
announcing a second-season renewal four days later, the network said the premiere
episode had been watched by over 20 million linear, streaming, and on-demand
viewers in the U.S. by that point.[53] After one week of availability, the viewership of
the premiere rose to nearly 25 million in the U.S. across all platforms. [54]
The size of the audience during the show's premiere caused HBO Max to crash for
some users, particularly those using Amazon Fire
TV devices.[55][56] Downdetector reported 3,700 instances of the application not
responding.[55] There were also reports of widespread streaming issues on Canadian
partner service Crave.[57]
The second episode was watched by 10.2 million U.S. viewers on all platforms when
it premiered, based on data from the Nielsen Corporation and HBO. This was an
increase of 2% from the first episode