A teaser for the prequel House of the Dragon has given Game of Thrones viewers an insight into the events leading up to the series’ contentious climax. The series, which will premiere later this year, is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and stars Paddy Considine as King Viserys I, Emmy D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenrya, Viserys’ first child, and Doctor Who star Matt Smith as Prince Daemon, Viserys’ younger brother.
Ser Otto Hightower, Olivia Cooke as Otto’s daughter Lady Alicent Hightower, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, and Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria are among the other cast members.
Though some fans were disappointed with the final season of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon appears to be on its way to making an epic comeback, according to a source close to production, the new program has so far cost more per episode than the final series of Game of Thrones.
According to Variety, the first 10 episodes of House of the Dragon cost under $20 million per episode, compared to $15 million per episode for the final season of Game of Thrones and $6 million per episode for the first season.
The budget isn’t the only thing that’s changed; Smith told Comicbook in March that the upcoming series is “really different from the original.”
He went on: “It has to be, I mean. The original series was its own thing, and it was brilliant and left a mark in a way that would be impossible to replicate. So, I’m not sure. To be honest, I haven’t seen any, so it’s difficult for me. Because it is essentially in the same world, it must adopt a slightly different identity. But who can say? I’m not sure.”
After the series wrapped filming, Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin wrote in a blog post that he had seen ‘rough cuts’ of a few of the series’ ten episodes and was ‘loving them.’
In February, he stated that ‘a lot more work’ needed to be done, but that the ‘writing, directing, and acting all look terrific.’
“I hope you enjoy them as much as I do,” he concluded.
