14 Facts About “House of the Dragon” That You Probably Missed the First Time

In May 2019, people watched the last episode of the iconic Game of Thrones TV series. However, fans were not fond of the series finale: more than 1.7 million people signed a petition demanding to reshoot the eighth season. But HBO didn’t yield to these demands and decided that George R. R. Martin’s universe had many other fascinating stories. Therefore, HBO created a Game of Thrones prequel called House of the Dragon.

• The series is based on George R. R. Martin’s fantasy book, Fire & Blood. This story is about the ruling of The Targaryen Dynasty, the ancestors of Daenerys.
• The story describes the events that happened 2 centuries before Game of Thrones. The creators explore the strife between members of the Targaryen family and their struggle for power, which led up to the Targaryen civil war known as the “Dance of the Dragons.”

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith)

• Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother, Aegon fight for the Iron Throne after the death of King Viserys I Targaryen. Also, Rhaenyra’s stepmother and uncle take part in the dynasty crisis.
• In the book, Princess Rhaenyra is only 8-9 years old. But in the series, the creators decided to make her 15 years old.

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

• Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen is a horse and dragon rider, and she wants to become the first ruling Queen of Westeros. Emma D’Arcy portrays the princess, and Milly Alcock portrays the princess at a young age.
• According to the Targaryen family tree, Rhaenyra is the ancestor of Daenerys Stormborn.

Actress Milly Alcock in the role of young Princess Rhaenyra

• Princess Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys I Targaryen, is played by Paddy Considine.
• There is a scene where King Viserys hands a letter to an envoy, exposing something resembling a glove with a green screen on his left hand. It is likely that the actor’s ring finger and pinky finger must have been digitally removed from the frame, perhaps because of the mysterious illness that haunts him.

King Viserys

• The production of the series started in April 2021. The filming took place in Leavesden Studios in England for the most part, where the Harry Potter film series was created. And some episodes were filmed in Spain and Portugal.
• Daemon Targaryen is Princess Rhaenyra’s uncle. He’s the king’s younger brother. This character is played by Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in the first season of The Crown TV series.

• The actor who portrays Prince Aegon is Tom Glynn-Carney.
• King Viserys’s wife, Alicent Hightower, is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. She’s the princess’s stepmother and the mother of Prince Aegon. She is played by Olivia Cooke, who played Becky Sharp in the Vanity Fair TV series.

Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans as Queen Alicent and her father, Otto Hightower

• The House of the Dragon soundtrack was composed by Ramin Djawadi, who won an Emmy for his music in Game of Thrones.
• The last episode aired on October 23. The series was renewed for a second season.

Do you want to watch House of the Dragon? Tell us in the comments below.