Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint and more star in the series set 300 years before the events of 'Game of Thrones.'
On Wednesday, HBO shared the first look at the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon.
Based on author George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood books and set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the upcoming series tells the story of House Targaryen centuries before reign of the Mad King and Daenerys Stormborn.
Emma D’Arcy stars as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). "The king’s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man."
Matt Smith is another member of the Targaryen family, Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is King Viserys' younger brother and heir to the throne. "A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…"
Steve Toussaint stars as Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as The Sea Snake. "The most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world."
Rhys Ifans stars as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, who faithfully serves King Viserys and his realm. "As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king's brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne."
And Olivia Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. "She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen."
With a number of Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works, HBO Programming President Casey Bloys gave some insight on the future of those shows and what his expansion plan is for the award-winning, critically acclaimed fantasy franchise in a February interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"The way we try to approach it is not by [saying], 'We need five shows within three years,' but 'What are the stories worth telling?'" Bloys explained. "We've been developing multiple takes on different worlds. The one I want to do is the one that I think is best creatively. I prefer to make it about the stories and the showrunners and their vision as opposed to hitting some arbitrary target for the right number of shows."
House of the Dragon received a series order in October 2019, just after the network passed on its other GoT prequel, which had shot a pilot starring Naomi Watts. A series adaptation of Tales of Dunk and Egg, based on Martin's fantasy novellas, is also in development, as is a Game of Thrones animated series.
House of the Dragon is set to debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2022. See more on the franchise in the video below.
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