The cast and crew of Game of Throne's prequel The House of the Dragon made their SDCC debut. Ahead of the release of the upcoming HBO series, we learned plenty of what to expect – as well as seeing some exclusive footage.
George R.R. Martin was there with showrunner Ryan Condal, along with cast like Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, and Eve Best to drop all of the hints. So strap in for all of the major revelations about the new series unveiled at the fan convention direct from Hall H. Expect fire, blood... and plenty of dragons.
New exclusive footage
The panel kicked off with more footage. Our Total Film team on the ground in Hall H said it featured "lots of Targaryens and dragons," Matt Smith’s Daemon in armor, and it all carries a "real early season Game of Thrones feel to the footage."
Seated in Hall H for the #HouseoftheDragon panel — just seen an extended trailer featuring lots of Targaryens and dragons. Real early season Game of Thrones feel to the footage. And Matt Smith in armour. The panel are here, including George RR Martin! #SDCC pic.twitter.com/72BjaTkQo1July 23, 2022
Speaking of dragons, showrunner Ryan Condal revealed that House of the Dragon begins with the Targaryens at the height of their power and with the most dragons the dynasty will ever have. 17, by Condal’s count.
George R.R. Martin speaks out
History buffs, it’s time to hit the books before House of the Dragon launches in August: "Game of Thrones was based on War of the Roses, this is based on an earlier period called the Anarchy. I pilfer freely from history," says Martin.
The author also admits he didn’t visit the set but has seen nine out of 10 episodes, which were "amazing." Martin also anticipates fans to be torn over who the hero is in House of the Dragon, much like with his acclaimed Fire & Blood novel.
There were some props they loved – and others they hated
Paddy Considine admitted he hoped he’d get to take home his knife from the set. "My knife. I wanted to keep it," he told the crowd. "Trying to nick one was hard. I thought they’d give me it at the end. If anyone from HBO is listening, give me the fucking knife."
However, Smith explained he wasn’t so keen on some of the other parts of becoming a Targaryen. "It looks great but it’s a pain in the arse to put on. It takes an hour and a half," says the Daemon actor. "I’d decree they could dye their hair."
House of the Dragon debuts on HBO on August 21. You can keep up to date on Comic-Con with our complete SDCC 2022 schedule.
