While Game of Thrones fans wait with bated breath for the release of the prequel series, House of the Dragon, we finally have something concrete to look forward to.
HBO has announced the show will premiere on August 21.
House of the Dragon is set 200 years before Game of Thrones and will recount the height of the Targaryen empire in Westeros—specifically, chronicling what happened before and during the Dance of the Dragons, a destructive civil war between the Targaryens as they vied for the Iron Throne.
Emma D’Arcy is set to play Princess Rhaenyra, the first-born child of the current ruler, King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Matt Smith will play Rhaenyra’s uncle, Prince Daemon, Rhys Ifans will play Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, and Olivia Cooke will play his daughter, Alicent. Steve Toussaint will play Lord Corlys Velaryon, or the Sea Snake, the most well-known nautical traveler in Westeros.
The cast is rounded out by Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Ryan Corr, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, and Gavin Spokes.
“So far, I am very excited,” George R.R. Martin said earlier this month when the series finished filming in London. What I have seen, I have loved. … I am eager to see more.”
