With the recent San Diego Comic-Con event, fans of Game of Thrones are now eagerly anticipating the upcoming spinoff series, House of the Dragon.
Set some 200 years prior to the events that unfolded in Game of Thrones, the new TV show is set to delve into the history of House Targaryen.
The network has released a trailer that shows a new battle for the Iron Throne. In the previous show, everyone seemed to want to get their hands on the throne but, in House of the Dragon, the race is set entirely between members of the Targaryen family.
Season 1 looks set to explore King Viserys Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) controversial decision to move his line of succession from his brother, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), to his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).
This is what then appears to trigger the battle for the Iron Throne.
While this looks set to be an epic story that could, potentially, go on for seasons, it seems the story may only span one season and House of the Dragon will actually be an anthology series.
House of the Dragon could become an anthology series
Recently, the stars of House of the Dragon took to the red carpet in Los Angeles ahead of the television premiere. While they all strutted their stuff, they were also questioned by the media regarding the new series.
When House of the Dragon showrunner Miguel Sapochnik spoke to Entertainment Weekly, made a startling reveal about the TV show when asked if the network was open to the possibility of an anthology series.
“I think that’s one of the interesting things about the Targaryens,” Sapochnik said.
“We’ve chosen a story that’s almost like Star Wars: Episode IV. It’s the New Hope. We can go backwards, we can go forwards. There’s a lot of opportunities there. I hope we’ve been given the opportunity to set up something.”
Currently, viewers were expecting to see a linear approach to House of the Dragon so this was rather unexpected news. However, it seems regardless of whether the new show will be an anthology series or not, it will still focus mainly on House Targaryen.
Season 1 could be self-contained
Already, we know that Season 1 of House of the Dragon will cover the story of King Viserys and his direct succession. But if the show turns into an anthology series, this means that this story could be contained to Season 1.
Earlier in the year, HBO’s programming chief, Casey Bloys spoke briefly of the fact that even as Season 1 of House of the Dragon is in production, they naturally look forward to the possibility of a second season.
“Typically speaking, I like to take an approach where we will talk about what a second season might look like and talk about scripts,” Bloys said at the time.
As yet, Season 2 has not yet been confirmed but, as pointed out by Comic Book, it looks likely that HBO will make a decision quickly after Season 1 debuts.
Bloys has also stated that if he were “betting” on House of the Dragon, he was fairly confident that a second season is in the cards.
Whether or not that second series will continue to follow the ongoing struggle between Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen for the Iron Throne remains to be seen, and viewers will have to tune in to House of the Dragon to find out more.
Season 1 of House of the Dragon will premiere on August 21 on HBO Max.