House of the Dragon could be just the beginning for the Game of Thrones spin-off that follows the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, House of the Dragon co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik explained how the upcoming series could be the backbone for even more stories.
“The Targaryens span both directions,” said Sapochnik, refering to both the past and future of the family's timeline. “So as a spine to other possible stories and spinoffs … this is a great place to start.”
House of the Dragon is set two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones. Starring Paddy Considine and Emma D’Arcy, it chronicles the ultimate fall of House Targaryen, including the Targaryen civil war, also known as the Dance of the Dragons.
“I liked the idea of focusing on one family, and obviously the Targaryens have a lot of drama to go around,” said HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys. “I also liked the echo of how empires can quickly fall — those are the types of conversations we are having in our own country, which I don’t think is anything I would’ve thought we’d be talking about 20 years ago.”
It also happens to be the first Game of Thrones spin-off to head to our screens, with an earlier project canceled despite a $30 million pilot having been produced. Then there’s the upcoming Jon Snow series, which will presumably act as more of a sequel to the original series.
Three more spin-off shows are also in the works. 10,000 Ships will tell the story of Princess Nymeria, an ancestor of House Martell and founder of the kingdom of Dorne. This series is set a millennium before the events of Game of Thrones, making it even more of a history lesson than House of the Dragon.
Another spin-off show is set in Flea Bottom – the shady, slum district of King’s Landing. Finally, 9 Voyages will tell the story of Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as the Sea Snake and the head of the House of Velaryon.
Although House of the Dragon will feature some familiar names for fans of the show, its setting might feel a little different.
“The biggest difference about this series is the fact that dragons exist in this [era], whereas they were an extinct species that came back to life in the original show,” said co-showrunner Ryan Condal (at least 17 dragons will appear in the show, according to THR). “So, there’s an infrastructure built around them. There’s a dragon pit, saddles, and dragon keepers — this monk-like order that takes care of them.”
Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long to find out how that all works – House of the Dragon will debut over at HBO on August 21, 2022.
Want to find out more about Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon? Check out the latest details from the show and find out everything you need to know before it airs.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.