When Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, audiences saw the beginning of a great war between several families seeking the Iron Throne’s power. HBO’s upcoming prequel series, House of the Dragon, will be similar; however, the focus will be on one family. The Targaryens are near the height of their power when the show debuts later this month, and a civil war is on the horizon for the most powerful family in Westeros.
Ryan Condal, showrunner for House of the Dragon, recognizes the similarity between his new series and another HBO show, Succession. The writer spoke with SFX magazine via GamesRadar, promoting the new series. When it premiered in 2018, audiences witnessed members of the Roy family fight for their place in the inheritance of their aging father’s media empire. Condal mentions that the stakes will be raised from the tensions in Game of Thrones, as similarly to Succession, House of the Dragon will center on one family and the blood spilled between its members. When asked about the comparable structure, Condal says:
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Condal presents an intriguing premise to the show, and fans can’t wait to get their first complete look at the series when House of the Dragon arrives on HBO later this month, Aug 21.
“Yeah, I think that’s actually a great metaphor, and the things we referenced in the [writers’] room the most were The Crown and Succession, just as tonal analogs and as shows that we, the writers, were really enjoying and immersed in. The original Game of Thrones is really the War of the Roses, so it’s the Yorks and the Lancasters [played out] with the Starks and the Lannisters - two separate families that never liked each other in the first place going at it. This, however, is the Dance of the Dragons. It’s a civil war that happens within a singular family, which in a way makes it much more engrossing and tragic, because you see people who are blood relatives turning against each other and going to war.”
Ryan Condal Reveals the One Big Change They Made for House of the Dragon
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Audiences expect to notice distinctions between House of the Dragon and the original Game of Thrones series when the show premiers on Aug 21. However, Ryan Condal claims much of the scenery and sets will remain relatively similar. He tells GamesRadar, ‘This is a medieval world, which means time moves more slowly than it does in our time… But in this setting, things like castles have been standing for centuries or even millennia, and they don’t change very much.’ However, the showrunner does mention one thing in the series that will be different from their Game of Thrones counterpart: fashion.
The outfits created by the makeup and costume department will undoubtedly be top-notch, just as Game of Thrones was while it was on the air. Expect to see unique and beautiful designs from House of the Dragon and some breathtaking scenery as fans are brought back to Westeros on Aug 21.
“The one big change that we made was fashion. Even in medieval times, if you look at the way a soldier dressed in 1100 versus 1300, there’s a huge difference there. That’s one of the things that we played with, but even when you do that, you’re still paying homage to the design of the original show, because it has to look like it lives in the same universe.”
