HBO drops 1st trailer for Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon

Prequels are coming.

HBO on Tuesday dropped the first teaser trailer for its Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Revolving around House Targaryen, the show is set about 200 years prior to Game of Thrones. The first footage is narrated by Prince Daemon Targaryen, the brother of King Viserys Targaryen played by Doctor Who's Matt Smith.

"Gods, kings, fire, and blood," he says in the trailer. "Dreams didn't make us kings. Dragons did."

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While the teaser doesn't reveal much in the way of the show's plot, it features quick glimpses at the main cast of characters, shows a few sword fight sequences, includes an eerie rendition of the main theme, and culminates in a look at the Iron Throne. The throne appears to have had its design modified from the original series to be even more threatening and a bit more in line with the books, with swords adorning its steps.

House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones prequel series from HBO, and it also stars Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, with the rest of the cast including Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, and Rhys Ifans. And yes, there will be plenty of dragons: 17 to be exact, according to author George R.R. Martin. Martin is a producer on the series, which is based on his 2018 book about the history of House Targaryen, Fire & Blood.

House of the Dragon is set to debut about three years after Thrones took its final bow on HBO with a series finale that was highly controversial among fans. But it's expected to be just the first of many Thrones-related projects from the network, as there are numerous other prequels in the works — not to mention a Broadway show. House of the Dragon doesn't yet have a premiere date, but it's set to debut sometime in 2022.