New ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ Officially Coming, Ordered Straight-to-Series

Just hours after a Game of Thrones prequel was scrapped after only filming a pilot, HBO has ordered a a different series, House of the Dragon. The show, created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, is set three centuries before GoT and will be all about the ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen. The first season will run 10 episodes. Miguel Sapochnik and Condal will serve as showrunners and executive producers, while Martin and Vince Gerardis will serve as executive producers.

“Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series, which is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen,” HBO announced on MOnday. “Miguel Sapochnik will direct the pilot and additional episodes. (Ryan) Condal and Sapochnik will partner as showrunners on the series, which will be written by Condal.”

In addition to the reveal of the show’s straight-to-series order, HBO also revealed its first poster, which features the insignia of House Targaryen. The show’s tagline is “Fire Will Reign.”

“The Game of Thrones universe is so rich with stories,” Casey Bloys, president, HBO programming, said in a press release. “We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George.”

Martin is, of course, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series fo fantasy novels that Game of Thrones is based on. He has been involved with bring his works to TV for quite some time. He was heavily involved in GoT’s production, even penning several episodes himself. He was also an executive producer on Nightflyers, a Syfy series based on another one of his works. He also wrote several episode of the ’80s TV shows Beauty and the Beast and The Twilight Zone.

Condal is best known for his work on USA Network’s Colony. He co-created the series alongside Carlton Cuse and served showrunner.

Sapochnik is known to GoT fans for directing six episodes of the original series, including “The Battle of the Bastards,” “The Long Night,” “Hardhome” and “Winds of Winter.” He earned an Emmy for his work on “Battle of The Bastards” and was also nominated for “The Long Night.” He also directed episodes of True Detective and Banshee.

No release date has been set for the show, but due to the fantasy elements involved, an educated guess would land the series premiering some time in 2021. However, a late 2020 release could be possible if production ramped up quickly.

No other information has been revealed as of press time.