House of The Dragon: HBO announces GoT's prequel, cancels another
What's the story
Game of Thrones gave HBO unimaginable success, the channel minted tons of money, and the stars who acted in the series became global sensations. But television's biggest spectacle turned out to be a disappointment in its final episodes, provoking a backlash from fans. And now, perhaps with an intention to win them over, HBO is re-investing in the "realm" by announcing a prequel.
Background
HBO was working on multiple 'GoT' related projects
Before we jump straight to the new announcement, let's give you a quick recap. While GoT was yet to reach its (rushed) climax, the broadcaster announced it's working on as many as five projects. One such series starred Naomi Watts. Supposedly focusing on White Walkers, this one garnered a lot of attention. But on Tuesday, it was learned this prequel has been axed.
Decision
The pilot's reception led HBO to scrap the series
The termination of the Watts-led series was taken after a lengthy discussion with the production team. The pilot episode shot over the summer didn't get rave reviews, suggests Deadline. Some issues related to shooting in Northern Ireland also cropped up. Meanwhile, series writer Jane Goldman, who was working with author George RR Martin, has started shooting off emails to cast informing about the decision.
Announcement
After breaking hearts, HBO did some damage control
Just when fans were dealing with the news of much-talked-about series going down the drain, HBO appeared to offer them some consolation by ordering 10 episodes of House of the Dragon. Ryan Condal will be working on this series with Martin and the pilot will be directed by Miguel Sapochnik. To note, Sapochnik has won an Emmy for directing the Battle of Bastards.
Twitter Post
The dragons are returning!
#HouseOfTheDragon, a #GameofThrones prequel is coming to @HBO.
— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) October 29, 2019
The series is co-created by @GRRMSpeaking and 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
Prequel
Soon, we'll know life story of Daenerys' ancestors
As GoT loyalists may have guessed by now, the prequel is centered around House Targaryen. It will tell viewers the story of Daenerys' fiery ancestors. The show will be set 300 years before GoT. While Martin's Fire & Blood spans generations of Targaryens, it's unclear how this will be included in the prequel. And like everything he's written, even this book is unfinished.
Do you know?
Will prequel do justice to the "fiery" house?
The divisive final season, notwithstanding, fans would surely be eager to learn more about Targaryens. In GoT, this "house" became the center of detest, was feared and didn't get a happy ending. Let's see if the prequel makes an attempt to change that.