HBO Starts Casting For ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel ‘House of Dragons’

HBO has begun its casting for a Game of Thrones prequel, House of Dragons. The show is set 300 years before the storyline for Game of Thrones and is based on the book by George R.R. Martin, Fire & Blood. HBO has committed to 10 episodes of House of Dragons. 

The book focused on 150 years worth of history about the House Targaryen and includes many different characters. This has made it difficult for fans to speculate on which part of the book House of Dragons will focus on. Sources revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the Dance of Dragons, which is the civil war heavily mentioned in Game of Thrones, will be a part of the upcoming series. Some believe that the show could follow in the footsteps of American Horror Story, meaning that it has a different story every season, and that House of Dragons would follow different characters. 

The showrunner for House of Dragons is Ryan Condal alongside Miguel Sapanchnik, who had worked on the original Game of Thrones. Sapanchnik had been a part of Game of Thrones episodes “The Battle of the Bastards” and “The Wings of Winter.” Sapanchnik is set to direct the pilot as well as the following episodes. 

In 2019 another Game of Thrones prequel was to be produced that starred Naomi Watts and had Jane Goldman as showrunner. However, it was cancelled shortly after. The cancellation was announced in October of 2019 on the same day that the production House of Dragons was greenlit. HBO said in a statement, “After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward to series with the Untitled Game of Thrones prequel. We thank Jane Goldman, S.J. Clarkson, and the talented cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication.” House of Dragons is scheduled to premiere in 2022.

Game of Thrones ended after eight seasons in May 2019.