New trailer for Game of Thrones prequel is released

The new trailer for HBO’s much-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, has been released.

A teaser for the series, based on George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood, reveals both the main cast and a look at some of the expensive world-building, with each episode estimated to cost around $20m.

The story is set 200 years before the events of the original series, detailing the history of House Targaryen. Stars include Rhys Ifans, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best and Matt Smith.

“This is something else, and should be something else,” co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik said to the Hollywood Reporter last year. “It’s a different crew, different people, different tone. Hopefully, it will be seen as something else. But it will have to earn that – it won’t happen overnight. Hopefully, fans will enjoy it for the thing that it is.”

Sapochnik, who also directed last year’s Tom Hanks sci-fi tale Finch, said he wants to “try and complement” the original show rather than reinvent it.

Considine, who plays King Viserys Targaryen, has called it “the most demanding thing I’ve ever done”, while Cooke has said that, unlike the show’s predecessor, there won’t be graphic violence against women, something that drew controversy during earlier seasons.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable in being a part of anything that has just egregious graphic violence towards women for no reason whatsoever, just because they want it to be tantalizing in a way that gets viewers,” Cooke said to the Telegraph. “I was lucky enough to read the [prequel] script before, and it has changed a lot from the first few seasons. I don’t think they’d be in their right minds to include any of that any more.”

Game of Thrones premiered on HBO in 2011 and over eight seasons became the company’s biggest show ever, winning 59 Emmys, a record for a drama series. After it ended in 2019, HBO was keen to extend the brand and ordered episodes of House of the Dragon, with other potential spin-offs nixed.

Last year it was announced that a stage show based on Martin’s books would make its way to the UK, the US and Australia, revolving around the Great Tourney at Harrenhal. Martin has also signed a five-year, eight-figure deal with HBO for further projects.

House of the Dragon starts on 22 August on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.

• Game of Thrones

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