Season 1 of “House of the Dragon,” the prequel series to Game of Thrones, will have a significant time jump. Following the former fantasy-drama television series’ enormous success, HBO has revealed that many spinoff programs, including Tales of Dunk and Egg, a Jon Snow spinoff show, and the “House of the Dragon,” are already in production. The eagerly awaited new series recounts the history of House Targaryen and is based on the fantasy book Fire & Blood by author George R.R. Martin.
“House of the Dragon“ will center on the Targaryen dynasty at the height of their power and trace the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which took place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The battle was started in Martin’s original story by King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), who unexpectedly named his daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) successor to the Iron Throne. To counter such a deed, Prince Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) takes up arms against his sister, sparking the destructive Dance of Dragons conflict.
In a recent interview with THR, Ryan Condal, the co-showrunner of House of the Dragon, acknowledged that the first season will have a significant, 10-year time jump. The showrunner argues that the series must incorporate such a significant shift in time within its first 10 episodes to stay true to Martin’s initial idea. Condal reveals that after the time leap, D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke from Ready Player One will take on the roles of Rhaenyra and Lady Alicent Hightower, who were initially played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, respectively, in the series. Condal’s comments are below.
This is how you tell this story correctly. We’re telling a story of a generational war. We set everything up so by the time that first sword stroke falls, you understand all the players.
The showrunner knows how crucial it is to establish the narrative framework before telling a story about events leading to a war resulting from a generational conflict. Since the marriage of Lady Alicent Hightower to King Viserys, I will enrage Rhaenyra (the king’s daughter and Alicent’s best friend), it is crucial to develop the friendship between the two as children before breaking them apart. The time shift will be essential in creating the framework for the ensuing emotional family strife.
Martin is renowned for creating complex, immensely detailed worlds in his fantasy novels. His propensity for creating history for his A Song of Ice and Fire series led to the publication of the book Fire & Blood, which inspired “House of the Dragon.” Jumping through time to fully explain what caused the massive amounts of carnage is important to properly tell the epic tale, as the central plot of those books is the product of decades and decades of political unrest. The HBO series “House of the Dragon” will reintroduce viewers to the lore-rich world of Westeros on August 21.