In spirit, House of the Dragon is basically a thing thanks to the huge success of Game of Thrones as one of the most popular television shows in history. But according to what its crew members have repeatedly claimed over the past few months, the fact that the prequel is taking its cue from the original series doesn’t mean they’re going to rehash everything from D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s adaptation.
Emma D’Arcy, who came on board to portray an older Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, recently spoke with Empire about how the series is taking influence from Game of Thrones, but also how that influence is limited to the overall worldbuilding that goes into projects such as this.
“Fundamentally, House of the Dragon is a different animal. I think we’d be really naive if we tried to mimic or emulate Game of Thrones. I think the thing that’s distinct, and something I love about this season is that it’s really rooted in the home. It’s domestic, it’s psychological, it’s interpersonal, it’s familial.”
Not too familial, we hope, because everyone knows what happens when Targaryens get like that.
House of the Dragon is adapting George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, a work of historical-style prose that delves into the 300-year Targaryen rule over the Seven Kingdoms and ultimately leads into the infamous Dance of the Dragons, the civil war that brought the most powerful dynasty in the annals of Westeros to ruin.
HBO’s new venture into Martin’s fictional world is slated for an Aug. 21 premiere on HBO platforms.