House of the Dragon Trailer: Game of Thrones Prequel Reveals Plot Details, Battle for Succession

House of the Dragon — a prequel to the TV series Game of Thrones — now has an official trailer. HBO dropped the video ahead of its panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and revealed that the new Westeros series will use multiple time jumps to tell the story. The House of the Dragon plot is based on author George RR Martin’s ‘Fire and Blood’ novel, and is set centuries before the events of ‘Fire and Ice.’ The Game of Thrones spin-off will debut on August 21 on HBO Max, and August 22 on Disney+ Hotstar in India.

A succession crisis kicks off the House of the Dragon trailer, with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) battling over who gets to sit on the Iron Throne. Unlike the lore of Game of Thrones, the prequel puts the Targaryens in charge of the spiky seat, currently rested upon by King Viserys I (Paddy Constantine) — who is in dire need of an heir.

Further in the House of the Dragon trailer, we learn that Daemon is the king’s brother, while Rhaenyra is his firstborn child. This establishes the conflict in the story, as he is forced to pick between his brother — which is against the law, or his blood child, who happens to be a woman.

“I will not be made to choose between my brother and my daughter,” says the king while discussing the matter with his council in the House of the Dragon trailer. The medieval setting brings the same plot beats regarding succession, where the women are by default considered unfit to rule a kingdom. “A woman would not inherit the Iron Throne, because that is the order of things,” Rhaenyra is told in one House of the Dragon trailer scene — further boosting her morale to rise above her uncle Daemon.

The House of the Dragon trailer also unveils a third contestant to the Iron Throne. — Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who used to be Rhaenyra’s best friend, before splitting away by ambition. In an interview, House of the Dragon showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik revealed that both characters would be introduced as teenagers, after which there will be a 10-year time jump. From here on out, D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke will take over. Structurally, the new Game of Thrones show will be similar to Netflix’s The Crown, and will have multiple time jumps spread throughout.

In other news, George RR Martin hopes to turn Game of Thrones into a universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with multiple other projects. A Jon Snow spin-off is currently in early development at HBO and serves as a sequel to the eight-season long-running show. “The MCU has The Avengers, but they also have something offbeat like WandaVision,” Martin said to The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s what I hope we can do with these other Game of Thrones shows, so we can have a variety that showcases the history of this world. There are only so many times you can do a competition for the Iron Throne.”

Meanwhile, House of the Dragon premieres August 21 on HBO Max in the US and elsewhere, and August 22 on Disney+ Hotstar in India.