It’s no secret that the hit HBO show Game of Thrones ruled the airwaves  for many years. With eight seasons averaging 44.2 million views across all streaming platforms, the show quickly rose to become one of the most loved television shows in history, with one of the most controversial finales.

The blueprint fantasy series took viewers by storm a decade ago. Fans watched the complex story play out, showing the lengths in which people will go to obtain power, and how choices can form or fracture friendships.

Each person slowly began to resonate with one of the four major houses. Feeling seen by the cunning Lanisters, the wolfpack Starks, the wild card Targaryens or island dwelling Greyjoys, viewers began to cheer for who they wanted to see rule over The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros in the end.

But when the end did inevitably come in May of 2019, the public was less than thrilled. As a whole, the eighth season faced a large amount of criticism for its abrupt ending, as a large amount of story was compressed into six episodes. This in turn made the ending of two large overarching storylines feel lackluster. As for the finale, without spoiling it, many of the final events seemed to betray the show’s themes, and certainly didn’t feel like the last missing puzzle piece in the series.

But after two very bitter years, there seems to be some good news for those who enjoyed watching the struggle for the iron throne. In late April, HBO announced that an official prequel titled ‘House of the Dragon’ is officially in production.

This news followed the surprising cancelation of a different Game of Thrones prequel. This prequel was never named, however it was cast with leads Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse. HBO ultimately made the decision to axe the show after viewing the pilot.

House of The Dragon will be set about 10,000 years before the events in Game of Thrones take place. However, in order to fully enjoy the prequel, it’s imperative you watch the original Game of Thrones first. Those who watched Game of Thrones may love, or hate knowing that this upcoming series is centered around fan favorite House Targaryen. This precursor dives deep into seven generations of House Targaryan and how it grew to be the most powerful house in Westeros, and its fall from grace and the loss of that title as the lineage descended into madness.

Events that were brought up in Game of Thrones as history of Westeros, such as the ‘Dance of Dragons Civil War,’ will now be explored in depth as we see how the seven kingdoms came to be so unstable under the rule of the Mad King. The staple of House Targaryen, the dragons, are expected to be an important part of the series.

The original showrunners of Game of Thrones have opted to step away from the prequel, leaving the reins to Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal.  Sapochnik directed six episodes of Game of Thrones, including two action-packed episodes in the final season “The Long Night” and “The Bells”. He will be directing the first episode of the new series as well as additional unspecified episodes. Condal has not had any previous involvement with the franchise, but he was a co-creator and showrunner of a USA show titled “Colony” that ran for three seasons.

Former Game of Thrones producer Vince Geradis and George R.R. Martin are both listed as executive producers. Martin is the author of A Song of Fire and Ice and Fire and Blood, both of which are the books which Game of Thrones and House of the Dragons are based on. Fire and Blood is still currently unfinished, leaving Martin the opportunity to grow and evolve the series over time, while giving more content to the show.

Even amid the pandemic, the show has started its early stages of production. The official Twitter account, @HouseofDragon, tweeted out a picture of the cast doing a socially-distanced table read on April 26. In addition to the announcement of House of the Dragon getting the green light, HBO has also stated that viewers can expect to see the latest installment on screen in 2022, and the series is currently signed for ten episodes.

Winter is coming back- will you be watching?