Winter is coming — again. HBO has long been searching for a new series set in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire universe followingGame of Thrones, and the most likely product of that search now appears to beHouse of the Dragon.
Announced just hours after HBO’s firstGame of Thronesprequel wascanceled by the network,House of the Dragonwill be a new prequel and has already received a full-season order from the premium network. One ofseveral spinoffs in development,House of the Dragonwill bring us back to a Westeros that is both familiar and foreign by focusing on House Targaryen — 300 yearsbeforethe events of the original series. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming prequel series so far.
More great characters
Game of Thronesgained a reputation for producing some of the greatest characters we’ve ever seen on TV. AsHouse of the Dragonramps back up in production, Olivia Cooke — who plays Queen Alicent Hightower — assuredColliderthat the spinoff series will deliver a similar level of character complexity.
“What’s amazing about Game of Thrones, like we saw in the past series, is that one season, you hate a character, and the next, you absolutely love them and will go to the ends of the earth for them,” Cooke said. “You just don’t know what you’re gonna get with these characters. They’re so well-written. Such is the human condition, you can do some horrendous things, but then you can also do some wonderful things as well. It’s very complex, and it’s not black and white at all.”
In a holding pattern
Like many television and film projects, certain aspects of development onHouse of the Dragonwere brought to a halt. The series was still in the early stages of scripting when productions were shut down around the world, so it remains to be seen how much the lockdown will delay the series.
Premiere date
In aninterview with Deadline, HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, said the new series will air “sometime in 2022.” Bloys did not offer additional detail about the show except to say that writing for the series is underway and that although several otherGame of Thronessuccessors are in the works,House of the Dragonis the primary focus.
“There are no other blinking green lights or anything like that,” Bloys said. “Sometime down the road who knows, but there are no immediate plans. We are all focusing onHouse of the Dragon.”
House of the Dragonshould be available on HBO and HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s streaming service.
The production team
House of the Dragonwas co-created byA Song of Ice and Fireauthor andGame of Thronesexecutive producer George R.R. Martin and screenwriter Ryan Condal. Condal will pen the pilot and is expected to serve as showrunner alongsideGame of Thronesveteran Miguel Sapochnik, who will direct the first episode.
#HouseOfTheDragon, a#GameofThronesprequel is coming to@HBO.
The series is co-created by@GRRMSpeakingand Ryan Condal. Miguel Sapochnik will partner with Condal as showrunner and will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Condal will be writing the series.pic.twitter.com/9ttMzElgXm
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones)July 15, 2025
Notably absent from the production team are David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who served as creators and showrunners forGame of Thrones. After that series ended, they famously admitted theyweren’t initially qualifiedfor the gig. No word on when or if they will become involved withHouse of the Dragon.
House of the Dragonis based on George R. R. Martin’sGame of Thronestie-inFire & Bloodand is set about 300 years before the flagship series. It centers on the trials of House Targaryen, the noble family that conquered Westeros and united the Seven Kingdoms — and that eventually produced Daenerys, who was both oneGame of Thrones‘ most beloved heroes andmost fearsome villains.
