HBO’s latest glimpse at House of the Dragon gives off the same vibes as Game of Thrones. It comes complete with the requisite jaw-dropping picturesque locations and dirty politics that have become synonymous with George R.R. Martin’s sprawling fantasy universe. Best of all, the House of the Dragon trailer gives fans a more extensive look at the menacing dragons that the characters in Game of Thrones could only tell stories about. The trailer warns viewers that “history does not remember blood. It remembers names,” which guarantees that House of the Dragon will be just as bloody and vicious as its predecessor. According to reports, HBO Max is spending more for House of the Dragon’s debut than it did on Game of Thrones’ eighth and final season. If nothing else, this should help ease any concern that HBO Max is cutting costs or rushing its development. Lest we forget, this was the prevalent rumor during the last two seasons of Game of Thrones. Similar to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon’s source material is partly incomplete. The second half of 2018’s two-part Fire and Blood novels will serve as the source material for House of the Dragon. George R.R. Martin has yet to release the second volume. If House of the Dragon pulls in similar numbers to the original show, HBO Max could commission it for more seasons. At that point, fans have every right to worry if the same thing is going to happen all over again. For what it’s worth, House of the Dragon isn’t telling a completely new story - it will explore a tale already told in passing albeit with more depth and detail. As House of the Dragon is a prequel set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the showrunners, Martin and Ryan J. Condal, should already have an ending in mind. Plus, Martin is on board to make sure that the ship is running tight at all times. Speaking of Martin, the world’s most famous procrastinator is currently involved with multiple spin-offs based on Game of Thrones. Who knows? After House of the Dragon, HBO Max might ask him to do a series on Robert Baratheon’s rebellion so we can finally know how strong he was back then.
