Rise, dragon queen
Game Of Thrones prequel series House Of The Dragon puts young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen on the Iron Throne and seven kingdoms’ worth of enemies baying for her blood.
House Of The Dragon
Season 1 Mondays (from 22 August) M-Net (*101) 03:00 & 21:30
Fantasy series Game Of Thrones (GOT) ended on a low, with fans angry at how the story was altered from author George R R Martin’s novels (which he hasn’t finished writing but did tell the show bosses what he’d planned). Now George has more control over his creations with much-hyped prequel series House Of The Dragon, which is set 200 years before Game Of Thrones and focuses on the blond-haired warmongering Targaryen bloodline. You know, the family that ride dragons and unleash fiery fury on their enemies! “We’re only talking about the Targaryens this time but obviously there are the other names that we know from GOT,” says producer Ryan J Condal. “And what we’re doing is looking at their inner strife and fighting over the Iron Throne.” It all starts with the most unassuming of characters… young Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Milly Alcock (Meg in drama series Upright) and Emma
D’Arcy (Sonia in action series
Hanna) as the older version.
A WOMAN’S WORLD
In the world of House Of The Dragon, it’s unheard of for a woman to sit on the Iron Throne. It just doesn’t happen, says Milly. “But we’re talking about the Targaryen family. They are anything but ordinary. Rhaenyra is the first-born and she’s first in line to her father King Viserys’s (Paddy Considine, Father John in period drama Peaky Blinders) seat. She is his rightful successor but everyone wants control of the Seven Kingdoms.”
And there’s one in particular who wants it more than any other: Rhaenyra’s warrior uncle Prince Daemon (Matt Smith, Prince Philip in biographical period drama the Crown). “Daemon is vicious. He’s a monster. He rides dragons and cuts heads of people for fun. And he does it without an ounce of emotion on his face,” explains Matt. “Daemon is the heir presumptive to the Iron Throne. He’s the younger brother of Viserys and while he loves his niece and would wage war in her name, he wants to be king. He’ll have to do a lot of growing up before he takes the throne, but he fully believes that it’s his for the taking. He earned it.”
FIRE FIGHT
While the Targaryens love fighting with swords, they have a weapon that’s far more devastating – and frightening: Their giant fire-breathing dragons.
“It’s what they’re famous for and even Princess Rhaenyra has one. She rides a giant dragon named Syrax and while they’ll make their appearance later in the 10-episode season, Milly says that her character loves the power of her beast. “She comes over as a very naive and innocent girl. But she is ruthless. Her father sits on the throne clutching his sword as king. He was once a warrior. And Daemon is very skilled at killing on the battlefield, but you should keep an eye on Rhaenyra. She knows the game being played. She understands that her life is in danger. And if she’s able to ascend the throne, she’ll cut the heads off any serpents that rise against her and feed their bodies to Syrax. You’ve seen nothing like Rhaenyra.”
MONSTER MYTHOLOGY
Author George R R Martin was reportedly furious with how Game Of Thrones ended and he made sure that he was at the top when House Of The Dragon was approved. “He wants to make sure his creations and writings are cared for,” says Ryan. “We have George on hand with every single detail. He’s a busy man but he approves everything from the characters’ wardrobes, to the colour of the dragons’ claws.”
George even writes screenplays and helps with the scripts, with Ryan revealing that they took an entire history of the Targaryen family to the executives at production network HBO, including characters who’re only alive after Game Of Thrones’ world. “We had everyone from their origins, through to the descendants down the line. We wanted them to see that George has control of this show and it’s going to be epic because he knows his characters. Rhaenyra is the way she is because he wants her like that.”