House of the Dragon - a new trailer lands showing simmering tensions

The Game of Thrones prequel show premieres this August.

With House of the Dragon, the upcoming show set in the Game of Thrones universe, due at the end of the summer, HBO have released another trailer following October’s teaser.

The show is based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood and set some two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. The writer has described the show as “dark, powerful and visceral.”

The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke.

Most empires-real and imagined-crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne.

But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm.

“History does not remember blood. It remembers names.”

The trailer gives us a look at the runners and riders in the kingdom ruled by Paddy Considine’s King Viserys; with issues of primogeniture, there’s plenty of tension along with the dragon eggs and political alliances.

Former Doctor Who Matt Smith appears in the show as Prince Daemon Targaryen, with Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenrya. Rhys Ifans plays Ser Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, with Olivia Cooke as his daughter Lady Alicent. The cast is rounded out by Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, The Sea Snake. Plus, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon and Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria.

The show’s Twitter feed has also dropped posters for each of the nine principal characters too.

Here’s Matt Smith as Prince Daemon:

We can’t help but think there’s a look of a young Vigo the Carpathian – maybe it’s the hair?

House of the Dragon’s first 10-episode season comes to HBO on August the 21st 2022. In the UK, it’s on Sky Atlantic.

As with GoT, the show will air at the same time as the US, in the early hours of Monday, and be available on demand immediately after.