The "House of the Dragon" series takes place 172 years before "Game of Thrones."
There are two eras in the history of Westeros: Before Conquest (BC) and After Conquest (AC). The Targaryen Conquest began with Aegon I's arrival in Westeros at time zero. Although some characters will mention BC historical events like the Doom of Valyria, a Pompeii-like catastrophe that nearly wiped out all the dragons, the events of "House of the Dragon" take place in AC.
After a first-scene prelude in 101 A.C., the first episode of the series picks up in 112 A.C., under Viserys I's rule. Before the first episode of "Game of Thrones," which begins in 298 A.C., there had been almost 200 years. However, the remaining series' events are most likely to occur between 129 and 131 A.C.
George R.R. Martin's 2018 book Fire and Blood, which chronicles the history of House Targaryen, is said to have served as source material for the television series. The television show will focus on the events covered in Martin's book's second half, which includes the "Dance of the Dragons." Princess Rhaenyra is a key figure in the succession war.
What inspired the "House of the Dragon" series?
The Anarchy, a conflict over succession involving Henry I of England's only surviving child, Empress Matilda, who fled to Normandy in the 12th century, and Stephen of Blois, the king's nephew, served as the series' main source of inspiration.
HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys announced that the writing process had started in January 2020. Condal and Sara Hess, who have written for "Deadwood" and "Orange Is the New Black," are among the show's writers. George R. R. Martin participated in the pre-production phase as well, giving feedback on the plots and reviewing the scripts and rough cuts. Less than a week after its premiere, on August 26, 2022, the show's second season was ordered.
Miguel Sapochnik left his positions as co-showrunner and director for the second season on August 31, but he remained an executive producer. The decision to leave was extremely difficult, but Sapochnik said, "I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally." Season two will see Alan Taylor, who directed episodes of "Game of Thrones," join as an executive producer and director.
Bloys announced that the second season's premiere is anticipated for 2024 after the second season was renewed. Late in December 2022, Hess revealed to Variety that the majority of season 2 has already been written and will feature a revenge plot against Alicent in response to the events of the first season finale.
What aspects of the "House of the Dragon" novels differ from the series?
Similar to the Targaryens, members of House Velaryon are typically described in the novels as having "silver-gold hair, pale skin, and violet eyes." Condal and Sapochnik, however, wished to add more racial diversity through their casting. Cultural stereotypes and the lack of a diverse cast in "Game of Thrones" have drawn criticism.
As a result, the television series depicts House Velaryon as being black. Condal claims that Martin thought about making the Velaryons a house of black aristocrats who came to Westeros from the racially diverse region of Valyria when he was writing the novels. Although the ethnicity change was initially criticized by fans, publications and commentators claimed it helped viewers distinguish between the large cast of characters in the two families.
The novel Fire & Blood is written in the manner of a history book by a fictional historian who is researching the Targaryen dynasty and various civil wars in its universe. However, the novels of A Song of Ice and Fire are more immersive, with each chapter written in a limited third-person perspective from a character's first-person point of view.
Because of this, some of the accounts of the events in Fire & Blood are second-hand narrations that might be speculative or distorted which makes the narrator unreliable from the viewpoint of the reader. The show's writers made the decision to present the book's events in chronological order from a third-person perspective in an effort to make the narrative more understandable for viewers.
Where was "House of the Dragon" filmed?
In April 2021, principal photography for the first season's 10 episodes of the show started. The majority of the series' filming took place in the UK. On July 18, 2021, a COVID-19 case that was successful necessitated a two-day pause in production at Leavesden Studios' new virtual production stage.
According to the Spanish newspaper Hoy, "House of the Dragon" was filmed between October 11 and October 21, 2021, in the province of Cáceres in western Spain. Scenes for King's Landing were shot in the medieval town of Trujillo and the provincial capital of Cáceres. The television show was filmed in Portugal at the Castle of Monsanto from October 26 to October 31.
St. Michael's Mount, Holywell Beach, and Kynance Cove were among the locations in Cornwall, England. Other locations included Cave Dale, Eldon Hill Quarry, and the Market Place in Castleton, Derbyshire.
HBO announced in February 2022 that the first season of "House of the Dragon" had finished filming. Pixomondo, which worked on "Game of Thrones" and won an Emmy for outstanding visual effects, contributed to the production of the series' visual effects.
The second season will start shooting at Warner Bros. in the spring of 2023. Watford, England's Leavesden Studios, will eventually relocate to Cáceres, Spain. The OSVP stage at Leavesden Studios, which was used for the series, was said to be closing in October 2022.
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