You’d think Warner Bros. is all Max’d out after announcing one project after another, but there are quite a few plans to make their re-dubbed streaming service stand out. They continue to promote the cross-platform releases of some of their biggest HBO series even as the former HBO Max has dropped its naming. Among the various announcements is that they have now confirmed that George R.R. Martin’sTales of Dunk and Egg will be adapted as a Game of Thrones prequel.
The series will be titled A Knight of theSeven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, which is quite a long title if you include the Game of Thrones logo being part of its official reveal. The project will explore the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire by the name of Egg, who is described as “two unlikely heroes” by the series’ official logline.
Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
The series is described as a more lighthearted spinoff, which would give the Game of Thrones franchise something a bit different compared to its usual fantasy epic drama, which was also the main focus of House of the Dragon. HBO has been quite focused on getting as many series out as possible. The title of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” with a subtitle sounds like perhaps this series will act as an anthology series that could explore different stories throughout its runtime.
It almost seems like HBO’s entire Game of Thrones story is to build a series around the Targaryen family line rather than the many houses that exist. While there were a wide variety of projects hinted at early on, there was a hint that they are potentially readjusting their focus after the success of House of the Dragon. A new report by Variety has revealed that HBO how hopes to go even further into the Targaryen past.
While the project is in its early stages with no writer attached, HBO seemingly wants to explore the story of Aegon the First. The story would revolve around his conquest of Westeros alongside his wives/sisters Viseny and Rhaenys. It seems they aren’t going to jump headfirst into another series but rather wants to take a different approach this time around.
They seemingly want to produce a feature film that would then set up a series, though nothing is set in stone. As they have no writer or director attached, who knows if this project will truly move forward but it’s no surprise they want to go 300 years into the past before the events of the original Game of Thrones, as even House of the Dragon continued to praise what the original Aegon has accomplished.
What truly stands out is HBO slowly trying to move into the theatrical market. There is an ever-growing market after the pandemic, and there is seemingly a hope to make good use of it. Game of Thrones is one of the biggest IPs that HBO has produced. So, who knows just how much potential a high-budget fantasy film would offer with the iconic dragons at war? If House of the Dragon is anything to go by, it’s no wonder they want to make use of it.
The fate of HBO’s House of Dragon is beginning to take shape. As production begins shortly for the prequel’s sophomore season, critical choices are being made that will define the show’s overall landscape. Those choices, being made in part by showrunner Ryan Condal and author/executive producer Geroge R.R. Martin, include a reduced episode count for Season 2 as the look to outline and define the future of the series. As of now, The House of Dragoncreative team envisions three to four seasons of the series.
Still, as season three awaits final confirmation, it is unclear what the absolute number of seasons will be, but in October, Martin spoke excitedly about the series potentially extending to four seasons:
I am thrilled that we still have 10 hours every season to tell our tale…It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons…
George R.R. Martin
Whatever the decision, the series has the support of Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO’s parent company. It received a 200 million dollar marketing campaign last year that was a driving force for its huge August 2022 premiere and subsequent season two renewal shortly after.
Game of Thrones returned in style with its first spinoff, House of the Dragon. It took a step back into history long before John Snow even took his first steps and explored the Targaryen’s heritage upon the throne. While we still haven’t seen the man who would eventually become the Mad King, we got the beginning of the end for the Targaryen reign.
It looks like the continuation of this story will take a bit more time, as Variety shared that production on the second season has just started but the Content CEO of HBO and HBO Max Casey Bloys hinted that a 2024 release “is a good guess.” Variety added that it won’t be eligible for that year’s Emmy season, which has a cut-off date of May 31st, which hints at a potential Summer release.
So, it seems we’ll have to wait a while before we see the return of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and her husband/uncle Daemon (Matt Smith). The first season jumped through quite a few different times in their lives but the upcoming second is likely to take a more focused direction similar to the original Game of Thrones, as we explore the aftermath of the war started by a prank gone wrong.
It’s a shame these time windows between seasons seemingly grow with each new high-profile entry. Stranger Things last season only started its writing room after the fourth season was released, which means the wait is also not until 2024. A lot of high-budget projects need time and it’s becoming more and more evident that they’re not spreading out as frequently as normal network series do. So, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see those dragons soar once again.
It looks like we’re taking a trip to Atlantis. Sadly, it isn’t an adaptation of the iconic Disney film, even if it almost seems expected they’d at least try to bring it into live-action but an original story by Jurassic World‘s Colin Trevorrow. Not just that, he’s also set to team up with House of the Dragon‘s Charmaine DeGraté, who will co-write and executive produce the project. The deal was finalized with Skydance which will see Trevorrow also direct the film titled Atlantis.
Trevorrow‘s Metronome Film Company is producing and it seems that this project was already developing for some time. Universal was initially involved but had to return the project to Trevorrow due to turnaround,w which gave Skydance the perfect opportunity to nab it. It does seem like a previous draft was already finished with Alien: Covenant‘s Dante Harper having been involved.
It seems that the base fantasy adventure style will remain exploring the advanced civilization that was sunk. There’s no word yet though how exactly this film will tackle the iconic mythological city and if they’ll take a specific direction with the project to make it stand out from previous iterations. This is also the first non-Jurassic World project for Trevorrow in a while which just released the third entry last year. Perhaps Atlantis is an underwater dino theme park that was never revealed until now.
Shortly before the first season of House of the Dragon aired, one of its showrunners, Miguel Sapochnik, left the series. At the time, it left many scratching their heads on why exactly he ended up leaving the sure-fire hit series behind but most assumed he might have other projects he’s looking forward to tackle. Yet, it seems that the story is quite a bit different than initially expected.
Puck has revealed that the reason Sapochnik left House of the Dragon was due to his wife, Alexis Raben. HB seemingly denied her request of once again joining the producing team for the next season, which is surprising considering she already had a role in the first. She also appeared throughout four episodes of the series, but it seems that not allowing her to join the production was his main reason for leaving the HBO series.
There might be more details to the reasoning he left and why HBO would deny her involvement, but the show is still moving forward with a second season. Sapochnik’s farewell to the project was shared in a more positive light, but that could’ve just been a way to ensure this information doesn’t find its way online. It should be noted that Alan Taylor, a long-time Game of Thrones veteran, has joined the production around the time Sapochnik‘s leave was announced, but Ryan Condal remains as its sole showrunner now.
When it comes to major stories in the television industry in 2022, one of the most notable was the triumphant return of the Game of Thrones franchise. House of the Dragon was a marquee hit for HBO this Autumn and is still part of the conversation as award season approaches. With the fantasy franchise back in the good graces of the public zeitgeist, questions are being asked about what else is in store for the universe. In his latest blog entry, author George R.R. Martin provided some updates on the status of the world of Game of Thrones on HBO.
Martin confirmed that work on season two of House of the Dragon is well underway, though no further word has been given on when audiences should expect the hit series to return. In terms of other spin-offs of Game of Thrones, this is what the author had to say.
Some of those are moving faster than others, as is always the case with development. None have been greenlit yet, though we are hoping… maybe soon. A couple have been shelved, but I would not agree that they are dead. You can take something off the shelf as easily as you can put it on the shelf. All the changes at HBO Max have impacted us, certainly.
George R.R. Martin
It will be interesting to see which of the potential series come to light and which remain in development hell. Of note, fans of the franchise are likely most curious about the status of the Kit Harrington-led series following Jon Snow after the events of the Game of Thrones finale. It would be a series that’d certainly have people talking with it being so tied to the controversial end of the original television series. Though there are still a plethora of other potential projects set within the vast world of Westeros.
With the success of House of the Dragon, it will be fascinating to follow the amount of output that will come out of the world of Game of Thrones moving forward. And of course, the notion of being under the tumultuous Warner Bros. Discovery company is a major factor in this franchise among others under their umbrella.
After seeing how the Greens reacted upon learning of King Viserys’s death, acting on long-laid plans and instilling his son Aegon II as king, over Rhaenyra, Episode 10 took the story to Dragonstone.
The Black Council
The episode opened with Rhaenys serving as the bearer of bad news. Not only is Viserys dead, but Aegon had been named king in front of all of King’s Landing. Daemon point blank asked Rhaenys why she didn’t roast them alive when provided with the opportunity in the previous episode. Rhaenys said it wasn’t her war to start, which makes sense, but come on! They were right there!
The shocking news of her father’s death sent Rhaenyra into labor with her third child with Daemon. She wasn’t due for months, and sadly lost the baby. While this wasn’t the final straw for her to declare war on her childhood best friend and half-siblings, it was just another thing to blame on the Greens.
Rhaenyra was very restrained in the war council, asking if it’s her duty to hold the realm together, or to tear apart the country to get to her throne. This moved Rhaenys, and in turn garnered both her and Corlys’s support and fleet, providing one of many lords and armies she’ll need to take the Iron Throne.
Daemon
Our warmongering rogue prince got up to his usual shenanigans. He’s eager to show Westeros who is the rightful heir to the throne, and he is willing to use dragons to do so. Damon addressed the many dragons that are still unclaimed and stated that the Blacks needed to find riders for them. Even with Vhagar’s sheer size, the Blacks having 13 dragons vs the Greens having 4 would make this war short-lived. But we see later in this episode what a dragon can do to another dragon. Is it worth the cost?
A much-talked-about scene from the episode saw Daemon grab Rhaenyra by the throat and choke her. What forced this? We haven’t seen violence like this between Daemon and Rhaenyra, but he does have a history of murdering his wives. Well, turns out that even though Daemon was the heir before Rhaenyra was confirmed, he didn’t get all of the privileges that a Targaryen heir gets. He had no idea about Aegon the Conqueror’s vision, which is The Song of Ice and Fire (what the entire series is based on) when Rhaenyra brought it up. There’s a very good quote from Emma D’arcy, the actor that plays Rhaenyra, that might help explain the scene. “On the one hand, he can say that he doesn’t believe in prophecies. But he was never trusted to anyway.”
This revelation that he was never really considered as the heir sent him off to try and bring out some of the unclaimed dragons, and we see him singing to Vermithor, the dragon to King Jaehaerys, who ruled before Viserys. Expect to see a lot more of these unclaimed dragons in Season 2.
Storm’s End
Having read Fire and Blood, I knew that this scene was coming, and I knew that the show had to nail this sequence. Aegon being crowned isn’t the catalyst that drove the realm into war. A woman being named heir over a male isn’t the catalyst. It is simply a young man with a vendetta and a nuclear weapon at his disposal that he can’t control.
To set the scene, Rhaenyra was seeking to confirm who her allies are. By sending Jace north to the Vale, White Harbor, and Winterfell, as well as Luke being sent to Storm’s End, it sent a stronger message than just sending a raven. But when Luke gets to Storm’s End to treat with Borros Baratheon (who was chosen to lead, not to read), he finds Vhagar causing a ruckus outside, and Aemond the anime warrior with the sapphire eye already there. Luke was spurned by Baratheon and turned to leave to go back to Dragonstone. Aemond demanded justice, however, telling Luke to cut out his own eye and he’d let bygones be bygones. Borros stopped things and let Luke go. But he also let Aemond go.
If you’re reading this, you saw the dragon fight, if you want to call it that. Vhagar is at least 5 times the size of Arrax, and it was not much of a battle so much a light snack for the oldest dragon in Westeros. But it also proved to be a major deviation from the book, and it might have some effects on the main series, Game of Thrones. Both Arrax and Vhagar disobeyed their riders, with Arrax shooting flame at Vhagar, and Vhagar going after him and killing both Luke and Arrax. With both Aemond and Luke repeatedly screaming for their dragons to stop and obey, it recalls a warning given by Viserys throughout this season that dragons are something that the Targaryens trust in too much, being that they are still uncontrollable wild animals at their heart. That came to life here. Aemond meant to just intimidate his nephew, and instead he started a civil war that will tear apart the Seven Kingdoms.
Things to Come
With the dragons acting on their own will in the ending sequence, I hinted that this may have further effects on Game of Thrones, in particular, when Dany burns King’s Landing to the ground. Could House of the Dragon possibly be trying to retcon this action, by placing the blame on Drogon instead of Daenerys? Something to think about.
In Season 2, we’ll be seeing the Vale again, as well as Winterfell, where Jace will be traveling. We’ll also finally see Daeron, the third son of Viserys and Alicent, who has been in Oldtown for all of this season, along with his dragon Tessarion. He’ll have a large part to play in the coming war. Exciting things to come, and it was a great start to the show.
With House of the Dragon having aired its season finale, speculation has begun about how the Dance of the Dragons will be adapted onto the screen in the second season and beyond. After spending a season chock full of time jumps to build to this moment, it was the murder of Lucerys “Luke” Valeryon at the hands of Aemond Targaryan that officially launched the war that will tear Westeros in half. This is something that has been confirmed by showrunner Ryan Condal to always be the climactic event of the first season’s finale, though the nature of the events which occurred changed significantly in relation to the original book by George R.R. Martin, specifically the culpability of Aemond in Luke’s death. The series adaptation showcased more regret and anguish over Aemond’s rash decision. While discussing the finale with Variety, this is what Condal had to say about the change.
Historians have told us that Aemond intended to kill Luke, but I don’t think any of them could purport to know what was going on in Aemond’s head at the time. And I would also dispute the word “accident” a bit. I mean, Aemond got on his giant dragon and chased his nephew on his much smaller dragon through the clouds screaming and yelling at him, incensing his dragon and starting a fight. He didn’t know how Arrax or Luke were going to respond, and it ended in tragedy. I don’t think that was what Aemond intended when he threw his leg over the saddle, but he did a horrible, dangerous thing. That is the point: This is a war of many cuts that lead to a really, really bloody wound. It adds complexity and nuance to the character that’s potentially interesting. There’s lots of runway to go on with Aemond as a character and the story of the Dance. This is his first act as a dragon rider and a warrior and it’s gone very wrong. Now what happens as a result, and how does he respond? Those are the questions I’m interested in as a dramatist.
Ryan Condal
The change comes after the first season of House of the Dragon has taken some mild creative liberties from the original source material (with varied responses to them). A major component for the future of the series is the potential to travel to more realms of Westeros. After remaining relatively isolated into a select few locations, the showcase of the map in the finale certainly has illuminated interesting possibilities for fans to ponder. Ryan Condal had the following to say about what to expect from the show moving forward in terms of new locations.
The show definitely has to expand its scope in the second season. Just as the original “Game of Thrones” grew in scope and expanse as it went, so, too, will ours. We’ve lived a good bit in three different worlds through this show: King’s Landing, Dragonstone and Driftmark. I think those will continue to be the home bases for the show. But a war is coming that requires allegiances from different kingdoms and armies all over the map of Westeros. I don’t think we’re going to get quite as vast as the original “Game of Thrones” did in its final analysis. But there are definitely many more new worlds to come, and new worlds that you haven’t necessarily seen in the original show, either. Rest assured, plenty of scope to come.
Ryan Condal
The finale of the first season of House of the Dragon is available to watch on HBO and HBO Max. Production for the second season is said to begin at the start of 2023, though no official word has been said as to when it will air.
These words, uttered by Matt Smith‘s Prince/Prince Consort Daemon Targaryen in a moment of raging spousal abuse, really set the tone for an unexpectedly intense season finale. House of the Dragon returned for another hour on HBO last night, it’s last of the year, and somehow managed to up the dramatic ante on a show that’s been pretty consistently melodramatic for ten-straight episodes. Titled The Black Queen, in reference to Emma D’Arcy‘s Princess/Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, the finale stands as the series’ official boiling-over point in the conflict between members of the Targaryen family.
With Tom Glynn-Carney‘s Aegon II Targaryen crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms against the proper line of succession, Rhaenyra and her supporters – known as the “Blacks” – must devise a game plan to win back the Realm. Unfortunately, as is often the case in Westeros, nothing really plays out all that smoothly. While Rhaenyra hopes to find a peaceful transition between rulers, Daemon goes rogue and begins plotting a full-scale war. Elliot Grihault‘s Prince Lucerys Targaryen and his brother Jacaerys (played by Harry Collett) head north in search of allies among the Starks and Baratheons, but a surprise confrontation with Ewan Mitchell‘s Prince Aemond Targaryen puts a major damper on Rhaenyra’s rallying cry.
In the only bit of good news, Steve Toussaint‘s Lord Corlys Valaryon is revealed to have survived his wounds. He and his much-smarter wife, Eve Best‘s Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, pledge their dragons and their navy to the Black Queen, setting up an action-packed second season with tensions high and hearts broken. As per usual, it’s a lot to break down. Luckily for the folks at home, Murphy’s Multiverse has already determined the best and worst moments that occur in The Black Queen.
BEST – Deaths in the Family
House of the Dragon‘s first season finale begins and ends with the deaths of Rhaenyra’s children. Both moments are fairly impactful in terms of viewing experience, but it’s Emma D’Arcy‘s performance in reaction that solidifies The Black Queen as one of the series’ best installments yet. At the top of the hour, Rhaenyra is informed rather abruptly by Rhaenys that her father has finally passed and that Aegon has been chosen to succeed him – in what could be considered a coup on the part of Olivia Cooke’s Queen Alicent Hightower. This shocks the pregnant, would-be Queen into a premature stillbirth, which she delivers on her own – standing up – before walking away to initiate her rightful rule of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s exactly as impressive as it sounds, and an incredibly powerful sequence that likely made it hard for fans to keep their jaws from dropping. The grace and capability with which Rhaenyra handles the situation is eye-opening and sufficiently proves she has the temperament to lead that Aegon does not.
As if that wasn’t enough trauma for poor Rhaenyra, the hour concludes with the loss of a beloved son. Prince Lucerys travels to Storm’s End in an effort to sway Roger Evans’ Lord Borros Baratheon to his mother’s side, but when he arrives, he finds an uncooperative, and surprisingly rude, Borros has already aligned with Aegon at the behest of the latter’s brother, Aemond. The kindly Lucerys tries to leave peacefully on his dragon, Arax, but is pursued by his violently vengeful uncle in a gorgeous – *ahem* – dance of the dragons in the dark skies over Storm’s End. As beautiful and awe-inducing as the moment is, it also results in Aemond losing control over his dragon, Vhagar, with the beast killing both Lucerys and Arax in a shocking clamp of its teeth.
Stylistically, the ending is one of the best to come out of the entire Game of Thrones franchise. Storm’s End and the lightning-filled clouds above it appear to be out of a 1980’s-style Jim Henson film, a la The Dark Crystal, and the visual effects on the dragons and their duel are stunning. There’s a lot to love. However, it’s the minutes following Lucerys’ death that resonate the most. Aemond, for the first time, seems to show some sort of compassion, and the look on Rhaenyra’s face when she learns of what happened can only mean one thing – The Black Queen now has a pretty good reason to be a little less reasonable. Perfect set-up for a second season.
WORST – Otto Hightower Being Himself
Truthfully, there wasn’t much to hate in The Black Queen. The episode sped along at an insane pace and was chock-full of buzz-worthy scenes. However, there was one moment that felt truly infuriating as a viewer, and that was the only one involving a Hightower. Rhys Ifans‘, as good as he is, continues to be one of the most obnoxiously vile characters on the show, with his Otto – Hand of the King – arriving in Dragonstone in an attempt to make Rhaenyra and Daemon swear fealty to their new King. Obviously, they do not, and Otto is forced to make several snide remarks before leaving ominously with the promise of death floating in the air. The best part of his brief appearance in the finale was when Rhaenyra removed his symbol of the Hand and tossed it off a bridge. Hopefully, he never gets it back.
All 10 episodes of House of the Dragon are now streaming on HBO Max. A second season is unlikely to stream until 2024 or later.
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