House of the Dragon writer and executive producer Sara Hess has confirmed that the upcoming series will take a different direction from Game of Thrones regarding its sexual content.
Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama adapted from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels. The show ran from April 2011 to May 2019, with eight seasons consisting of 73 episodes.
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Although widely popular with fans due to its story and characters, it has faced criticism with its depictions of sex and violence. With this in mind, the creators of House of the Dragon aim for a different direction when approaching the darker aspects.
House of the Dragon Burns Before Winter Has Come
House of the Dragon will take place two centuries prior to the events of Game of Thrones, complete with a tale of a civil war within House Targaryen, known as the “Dance of the Dragons”. The prequel adapts from Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, the namesake of the Season 1 finale of Game of Thrones. Family drama will be the central conflict as rival branches of House Targaryen feud over who would be Viserys’ successor.
While there may still be depictions of violence against female characters like in Game of Thrones, one of the significant differences in the prequel is that the sexual content will not be a prominent feature. As the world of Game of Thrones is a medieval setting, it is clear that the patriarchal system plays a major role in the female characters’ conflicts.
As alluded to in the second trailer and revealed in the third, the men in Westeros are reluctant to have a woman claim the Iron Throne, out of a genuine belief in following and preserving tradition. Naturally, such prejudices eventually lead to the infamous Dance of the Dragons, referred to in both the books and the show. As season 1 of the series begin, viewers will have to keep an eye out for actions taken that will have consequences down the line – perhaps all the way down to Daenerys’ fiery reign in Game of Thrones.
The cast of House of the Dragon consists of Paddy Considine (King Viserys I Targaryen), Emma D’Arcy (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen), Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Lady Alicent Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Velaryon), Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole), Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria), Rhys Ifans (Ser Otto Hightower), and more. One interesting thing to note is that Rhaenyra and Alicent begin the show as best friends, which is a certainly a new addition that will complicate relationships and loyalties down the line.
George R. R. Martin and Ryan J. Condal are co-creators as well as executive producers, with Miguel Sapochnik, Vince, Gerardis, Sara Lee Hess, and Ron Schmidt as executive producers as well. With so many names involved in the new production who had so much to do with the previous series, it will be interesting to see how much they deviate from the tone and direction of Game of Thrones – especially the last few seasons of the show, which were widely panned.
House of the Dragon is set to premiere on August 21, 2022. The first season will consist of 10 episodes, with the second also in the works.
Are you looking forward to House of the Dragon? How do you think it will recontextualize the story and characters of Game of Thrones? Let us know in the comments!
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Source: Vanity Fair
