‘Game of Thrones’ Fans React to ‘House of the Dragon’ Set Photo Leaks

Set photos from the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon leaked on Tuesday night, and fans reveled in their first glimpse of the prequel series. House of the Dragon is currently filming in Cornwall, England and The Daily Mail obtained photos of stars Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith in costume on the beach. This drove social media wild with speculation, fan theories and early opinions on their new dragon queen.

D’Arcy plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, a contender for the Iron Throne while Smith plays her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen in the new series, based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire and Blood. In some ways, the photos had fans flashing back to the original series — two finely dressed nobles from a medieval fantasy world having an apparently dramatic conversation in fine clothing. However, in many others ways, they expect the new show to be different from its predecessor. Mostly, those differences will come in post-production when they add in the dragons.

House of the Dragon is set about 170 years before the events of the main series, during a time when Westeros is engulfed in civil war. It will pit Princess Rhaenyra against her younger half-brothers Aegon II, Aemond and Daeron, who believe a male claimant to the throne should take precedence. With about a dozen battle-ready dragons on the continent at the time, the war for control will be fiercer than anything we saw in the original series.

Fans are excited, and these leaked photos only boosted their anticipation. House of the Dragon is expected to premiere in 2022 on HBO. Scroll down for a look at the reactions to the leaked photos this week.

‘Great Wig Discourse’

YouTuber Joe Magician joked that the Game of Thrones fandom is about to be preoccupied with “The Great Wig Discourse” as photos of Targaryen costumes go public. The silver-blonde hair of the Targaryen’s is hard to get right in costuming and effects, though some fans are prepared to overlook a distracting hairstyle.

Joe Magician also pointed out a similarity between Daemon’s costume and the ones worn by Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) in the original series. He wondered if fans were meant to draw a subtle comparison between the two.

Disappointment

Many fans admitted that they were hesitant to watch House of the Dragon after the ending of Game of Thrones left them so disappointed. However, most said they would at least give it a chance.

Casting Smith

Some fans have been disappointed in Smith’s casting since it was announced, but those who agreed with the choice were vindicated on Tuesday night. They felt that this first glimpse was a good sign for things to come.

Rhaenyra’s Weight

In Fire and Blood, the fictional author reports that Rhaenyra became “stout and thick of waist” after having her third child, and never lost the weight she gained during her pregnancy. This has some fans disappointed to see the relatively slender D’Arcy playing the role. They feel this is a missed opportunity to represent different body types in media — particularly in a leading role like this. They also worry about any changes made from the source material.

‘The Witcher’

Since Game of Thrones ended, a bleach-blonde fantasy hero has come to town, and Daemon got his fair share of comparisons to The Witcher as the pictures spread.

Show The Dragons

Many fans were blunt in saying that they were more excited to see the dragons than the actors in this new series. House of the Dragon will include more dragons with a wider range of ages, sizes and riders than the original series, and some will battle it out in the skies above Westeros.

Excitement

Finally, for many fans the reactions boiled down to simple but powerful excitement for the new series to arrive. House of the Dragon is filming now and is expected to premiere sometime in 2022 on HBO. Martin’s books, including Fire and Blood are available now in print, digital like Kindle, and audiobook formats.

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