House of the Dragon release countdown starts! Get last minutes updates

"Game of Thrones" is back in the form of a prequel called "House of the Dragon," which is set to premiere on August 21, 2022. It is coming in an exclusive, new form. Here are all the details about House of the Dragon:

The new showrunners, who took over from David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, are Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik. The series will feature an all-new cast, most of who attended the launch event of the show in Los Angeles.

George R. R. Martin, Vince Gerardis and Casey Bloys are working as executive producers, and Wes Tooke, Claire Kiechel, Ti Mikkel, Sara Hess, and Charmaine DeGraté are working as writers in House of the Dragon.

The first episode of the spin-off series will debut on HBO and HBO Max on August 21, 2022, according to HBO. The next day, on August 22, 2022, Indian viewers will be able to watch the series on Disney + Hotstar.

What to expect from House of the Dragon?

House of the Dragon Season1 consists of 10 episodes. The story is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon is based on George RR Martin's series of suspense fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire. The story will cover the Doom of Valyria and the fabled Dance of Dragons. It will predominantly focus on the Targaryen dynasty when they arrived in Westeros.

The filming for House of the Dragon Season 1 commenced on April 2021 and concluded in February 2022.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Barrie Gower the Game of Thrones make-up artist revealed that he can’t say much about the plot but the scripts for the House of the Dragon is “incredible”.

He said, “They're really incredible. And it's going to be very exciting to see how that's received. But it's really well-written, and there are some fantastic stories in there. That's all I can say, really, about that."

HBO's House of the Dragon will also have some changes in the plotline. Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik told The Hollywood Reporter that the new series "pulls back" on sex scenes. Sapochnik added he and fellow showrunner Ryan Condal "carefully" approached sexual violence on the show. He cleared that House of the Dragon feels like a family drama while Game of Thrones's setup sounds more intimate.

The eight seasons of Game of Thrones feature several sex scenes and graphic portrayals of incest and sexual assault. However, House of the Dragon cast members recently explained to Insider how Miguel Sapochnik is tackling the issues of race and sexual violence in the new series.

Sapochnik revealed that House of the Dragon "won't shy away from exploring the role of sex in the Targaryen court, as well as the sexual violence inflicted upon women in George R.R. Martin's books.

He described the frequent sexual assaults that occur in Westeros in this manner: "If anything, we're going to shine a light on that aspect. You can't ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn't be downplayed and it shouldn't be glorified."

Sapochnik breaks down the prequel's story in the simplest of terms: "The main characters are two women and two men. There's the king (Viserys), his brother (Daemon), the king's daughter (Rhaenyra) and her best friend (Alicent). Then the best friend becomes the king's wife and thereby the queen. That in itself is complicated — when your best friend goes and marries your dad. But from the tiniest things, it slowly evolves this gigantic battle between two sides."

Paddy Considine (as King Viserys Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen), Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Rhaenys Velaryon), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), Emily Carey (Alicent Hightower young), Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra Targaryen Joven), Fabien Frankel as SerCriston Cole are the cast members of House of the Dragon.

Bend the knee.Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, and Sonoya Mizuno join the cast of @HBO’s #HouseOfTheDragonFor the latest updates: https://t.co/ojAsdiyoWV pic.twitter.com/VKuZDWne1s

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) February 11, 2021

Another good news is George RR Martin hinted on House of the Dragon Season 2. While talking on the world premiere of House of the Dragon that happened the week after Comic-Con, George RR Martin said,"Of course, I saw House of the Dragon, or our first episode, some time ago. They've continued to refine it and trim it and polish it and improve the special effects…but it's more or less the same, and I think it's very strong. I hope you guys will agree when you get to see it. August 21, it will be on the air," George RR Martin added. He also cited, "And meanwhile, we're thinking about season 2."

On the other hand, Martin has posted a new video providing his latest news after his House of the Dragon plans and importantly The Winds of Winter writing has been temporarily stalled. Fans are highly concerned as there is no sign of a release date for The Winds of Winter, albeit they are just close to the premiere of Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon Season 1 will premiere on HBO on Sunday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for more updates on the HBO series!

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