It looks as though Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon won’t tell a linear story.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-showrunner Ryan Condal revealed that the Game of Thrones spin-off will jump through time several times.
“This is how you tell this story correctly,” said Condal. “We’re telling a story of a generational war. We set everything up so by the time that first sword stroke falls, you understand all the players.”
It all came about due to a simple problem – at what point should the show start?
The rich history of Games of Thrones makes that a little problematic. After all, there are so many places that would provide an excellent jumping-off point. Ultimately though, they decided to tell the story of House Targaryen using multiple time periods.
The show begins with its female leads as teenagers (played by Emily Carey and Milly Alcock). Halfway through the season, the story jumps 10 years forward, allowing Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy to take over the roles.
As for the show’s two male leads, these are both a little older and played by the same actors throughout.
“It made me nervous,” said HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys. “It’s hard enough to cast any role, but if you’re casting two characters of different ages, you have to be right four times. Now that I’ve seen the result, I feel really good about it.”
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.
House of the Dragon also happens to be the first Game of Thrones spin-off to head to our screens, with an earlier project canceled despite being made into a $30 million pilot. Then there’s the upcoming Jon Snow series, which will presumably act as more of a sequel.
Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long to watch the inter-generational exploits of House Targaryen – House of the Dragon will debut on 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.