HBO orders Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon to full series
Story by Jack Foley
JUST hours after announcing the cancellation of one Game of Thrones prequel (starring Naomi Watts), HBO has confirmed a full series order for another, entitled House of Dragon.
The new series will be set about 300 years before events in the original series, which ended its eight-season run earlier this year.
Casey Bloys, president of HBO programming, made the announcement at a launch event in Los Angeles for the HBO Max streaming platform, saying: “It’s my pleasure to announce today that we are ordering House of the Dragon straight to series for HBO. It tells the story of House Targaryen and the early days of Westeros.”
The new prequel series is notable for having been created by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony).
Comprised of 10 episodes, it is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Miguel Sapochnik, who earned an Emmy for helming the Battle of the Bastards episode, will direct the pilot and additional episodes.
News of this prequel should soften the blow over the cancellation of the Jane Goldman/Naomi Watts prequel, especially as it is now unclear which of the other remaining prequels that had been in the works remain active. A total of four had been in development.
But expanding the world of Game of Thrones remains a top priority for HBO, which is under new parent company WarnerMedia (formerly AT&T). Its streaming service, HBO Max, is expected to launch in May.
British fans waiting to hear where their favourite show will be screened can also celebrate news that Sky has extended its broadcast deal with HBO for another five years, according to Deadline, which means that the prequel is likely to air on Sky Atlantic in the UK – as Game of Thrones did.