How far have the mighty fallen? Game of Thrones on HBO was a cultural phenomenon, at least the first 5 seasons were. The intrigue, violence and real-world Politik grabbed audiences by the throat and had us strung along until the abysmal ending. While the first 5 seasons had the books to follow, thus giving us exactly what author George R.R Martin envisioned, the final three seasons were subject to the hubris of the showrunners. And, as such, they suffered greatly. There has not been a show that has fallen off so hard as Game of Thrones has. But, there seems to be a bit of a silver lining in the clouds. HBO has just released a teaser for the prequel to Game of Thrones titled, House of the Dragon.
We can rest easy as it looks like David Benioff and D. B. Weiss do not seem to be attached to the show. It also looks like the show will be an adaptation of George R.R Martin’s prequel novel Fire and Blood. The show looks to chart the history of the Targaryen dynasty, 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. From what we can see, the showrunners have taken extra care to portray the Targaryens as close to the book as possible with the white hair and purple eyes. Martin has also stated that there will be 15 to 17 dragons in the show, with all different personalities. It also helps that the book has a definitive end and will certainly not fumble at the finishing line. And, although we get a bit of ‘diversity' in the form of cliched dreadlocked black people, there is still hope that there won’t be too much of an external influence on the story.
It does look like HBO has heard the fans and are giving us a show that will be untainted by Wiess and Benioff. As far as first looks go, the show has a lot of awesome imagery going for it. The swordfights, the impressive armour and the roar of the dragons. If you were among the many that were disappointed by the end of Game of Thrones should give this show a chance. House of the Dragon will premier on HBO in 2022.
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