A few months back, HBO announced that it was ordering a Game of Thrones prequel show all about the Targaryens, House of the Dragon, straight to series. That came on the same day as HBO announced that another Game of Thrones prequel, tentatively titled Blood Moon, wasn’t going forward, so it took with one hand and gave with the other.
The next question fans had was when we might return to Westeros. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, HBO programming president Casey Bloys gave us a pretty good idea. “They are in the room breaking story right now,” he said. “My guess is we’ll see it on the air in ’22.”
Two years to go!
“They,” by the way, refers to writer Ryan Condal and director Miguel Sapochnik (the guy behind Game of Thrones episodes like “The Winds of Winter” and “The Bells”), who are running the show together. Other people in the room include writer Wes Tooker, playwright Claire Kiechel, and writer Ti Mikkel. And of course, George R.R. Martin was involved in the conception of the show.
Back to the release date, when in 2022 are we talking? Bloys didn’t say, but that date makes a lot of sense for a show of this size that’s just getting off the ground. “Obviously it’s a big, complicated show,” Bloys said.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, this show will have some serious production values if it wants to accurately depict the majesty of the Targaryens at their height. Although we’re not sure, the show will likely focus on the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that tore the family — and the realm — apart.
House of the Dragon was once one of several prequel options for HBO, but it sounds like this is the only one that will be moving forward, at least for the moment. “For me for right now, I think getting House of the Dragon on the air will be the number one priority,” Bloys said. “There are no other blinking green lights or anything like that. Sometime down the road who knows, but there are no immediate plans. We are all focusing on House of the Dragon.”
So, with any luck, we’ll be returning to Westeros in 2022. What do we think Game of Thrones fans? Too long? Just right? Let us know below!
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