In a few days, on August 21 (in Russia, the series will air on Amediateka from August 22), millions of viewers will be glued to the screens of their phones, laptops and TVs and will be lost for an hour watching its first episode ” House of the Dragon”. The fact that Game of Thrones, which gained cult status and became a modern classic, would be a prequel became known approximately six months after the finale of “Game”, that is, about six months after the finale of “Game”. He quickly realized that there was such a demand from the audience, as in the story The Seven Kingdoms’ fight for the Iron Throne should not be missed. Therefore, several projects were being developed at once: “Nine Journeys”, “The Tale of the Dunk and Egg”, “Ten Thousand Ships”, “Flea End”, several animated series (yet to be confirmed) and “Dragon’s House”. The latter, of course, receives special attention—the first since Game of Thrones ended, costing HBO nearly $200 million (100 million more than the average cost of a single season of The Game) and after its overwhelming success. its predecessor, apparently, simply cannot lose face. And although the House of the Dragon is unlikely to become the same phenomenon, the audience is making a big bet on it – it is not in vain that the series was called the most anticipated this year, and the number of search queries in Yandex three times higher than that of the Rings of Power “( 194,357 versus 62,570) – a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, named after one of the main competitors of the project.
What else is worth knowing about him before the evening “appointment”? Let’s talk!
About what?
The series is based on the book by George RR. “Fire and Blood” (2018), which takes place 170 years before Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire” and chronicles the Targaryen dynasty (including our Daenerys Stormborn) ruled Westeros long before the Lannisters appeared, the Starks and other houses.
As the project’s demonstrators report, the “Dragon House” will show the so-called dance (or dance) of dragons – a civil war between the two branches of the house of power. The “Dance” began after the death of Viserys I Targaryen, when Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, supported by the Black Party, and Prince Aegon Targaryen, supported by the Greens, simultaneously declared their rights to the Iron Throne. The story itself was written in the name of a learned maester who lived during the reign of Mad Aerys and is stylized as a historical chronicle.
By the way, the literary source of the series – “Fire and Blood” – at one time received mixed reviews from critics. Some described the book as “humble reading”, others criticized George RR’s style. Martin noted for dryness and dullness, while others noted the lack of an exciting narrative. But there were also those who were satisfied with The Flame: The Sunday Times, for example, calling it a masterpiece of popular historical fiction.
Which heroes will be?
Viserys I Targaryen, king of Westeros, a kind and decent man but an evil king, was chosen by the Great Council to replace his grandfather, Jayeheris I Targaryen.
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen is the eldest daughter of Viserys I Targaryen by his first wife, Aima Arryn, the chosen heir. From childhood she was prepared for the role of queen: at the age of seven she first saddled a dragon, at the age of eight she began to attend the meetings of the Little Council and participate in state affairs.
Alicent Hightower – Queen of Westeros, daughter of the royal right hand of Otto Hightower and second wife of Viserys I Targaryen, stepmother to his daughter and mother of their joint children. She was once a friend of Princess Rainier Targaryen, but after the wedding their paths diverged – largely because they have children of her own and she wants to see her eldest son instead of her stepdaughter on the Iron Throne.
Daemon Targaryen is Viserys I Targaryen’s younger brother and a seasoned warrior nicknamed the Barren Prince for personally “inspecting” lairs, taverns, and brothels while working as head of the capital’s guard. He was expelled from King’s Landing under pain of death – because he cheerfully celebrated the death of the king’s wife. After that, Damon Targaryen was the commander of a mercenary detachment and even the ruler of a self-proclaimed island state. He once claimed the Iron Throne and rivaled Reynira Targaryen, but later became his ally and lover.
Otto Hightower is the father of Viserys I Targaryen and Queen Alycent Hightower, the Hand of the Three Kings serving the kingdom.
Corlis Velaryon, known as the Sea Serpent, is the lord of House Velaryon and one of the most powerful men in the Seven Kingdoms. In his youth he made nine sea voyages and returned with a magnificent fortune, distinguished by his intelligence and cunning. Father and loyal ally of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s first husband.
Princess Rhaenys Velaryon is the wife of the Sea Serpent and the daughter of the eldest son of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, the fourth king of the Targaryen dynasty. She claimed the Iron Throne in her youth, but the Great Council chose Viserys I Targaryen – hence the nickname The Unrealized Queen.
Misaria is a slave from the Fox and a former dancer who eventually becomes Daemon Targaryen’s most trusted ally and lover. She is known as grief and Pale Leech she.
Kriston Kohl is a skilled swordsman, a common Dornish knight and later commander of the royal guard.
What does George RR think about it? Martin?
“I’m looking forward to the House of the Dragon. Yes, I’m not very objective. And I know most of what you’re going to see (I wrote the book). I saw a raw cut of the first episode. And I really liked it. Dark, strong, sensual – everything is exactly as I imagined it.” The author wrote on his blog late last year. He also stated that the producers of the project did a “great job” and that he was confident that audiences would fall in love with the stars of the show quickly. “I think the Targaryens are in very good hands. Wait. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
And who filmed it?
Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, who directed the episode “Battle of the Bastards”, were showrunners for House of the Dragon. The latter also became the director of several episodes, including the pilot. In addition to him, the list of directors includes Greg Yaitans (House MD, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy), Claire Kilner (Pennyworth) and Geeta Patel (The Great). But David Benioff and DB Game of Thrones creators Weiss have nothing to do with the show.
Ramin Djawadi, who worked on Game of Thrones, is in charge of the music. Participation in the show brought him two Emmy awards, and his work became so popular that in 2017 HBO launched the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience global tour, in which the composer performed live with music from the series.
The role of costume designer was taken by Jani Temime, who is known for six episodes of the films “Harry Potter”, “Low Down in Bruges”, “Gravity”, “007: Skyfall”, “Children of Men”, “Passengers”. And many others.
What else is worth knowing?
To be honest, House of the Dragon apparently doesn’t plan to surrender to Game of Thrones. Matt Smith, who plays Damon Targaryen, for example, shared in an interview with Rolling Stone: “You’re asking the creators: ‘Do we really need another bed scene? And they answer: “Yes, you need it.” In my opinion, there are too many such episodes.
In an interview with SFX Magazine, Ryan Kondal said that the writers of “House of the Dragon” used the TV series “Heirs” and “The Crown” as references. According to him, “Grandchildren” quite accurately conveys the tone of the project and in itself is very different from “Game of Thrones”, because it conveys the scale of events in a single family.
The Iron Throne in House of the Dragon is different from what we saw in Game of Thrones. This place is bigger because the Targaryens are at the peak of their wealth and power, Ryan Kondal told Empire. According to him, the team of the series wanted to bring the throne closer to the version described in the books, but some swords were placed because it would be inconvenient to hit the king sitting on it at a height of about four meters. on board approach steps.
Each dragon (and there will be nine in total in the first season) has its own personality, which Miguel Sapochnik shared with Empire: for example, one has a crooked leg, another dragon looks like an eagle due to neuroticism, the third looks like a grumpy old woman. Emma D’Arcy, one of the main characters, said that they have a special device to shoot scenes with dragons controlled by the director who planned the flight path.
Source: People Talk
