Casting officially underway for House of the Dragon, HBO confirms

The president of HBO confirms that casting is underway for the network’s Game of Thrones prequel, and that it’s on target to hit its release date.

Last night’s Emmy ceremony was weird in a lot of ways: everything was socially distant, obviously, with host Jimmy Kimmel playing to a mostly empty theater. It was also the first ceremony in years where Game of Thrones didn’t have a presence, HBO’s fantasy smash having ended in 2019.

But that didn’t faze HBO much: the network still picked up more awards than any other, including several top ones such as Outstanding Limited Series (Watchmen), Outstanding Variety Talk Series (Last Week Tonight With John Oliver), Outstanding TV Movie (Bad Education), Outstanding Drama Series (Succession) and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Zendaya, for Euphoria).

So even without Game of Thrones, HBO is doing just fine when it comes to awards hardware. Still, the shadow of the show looms. The show still holds the record for most Emmys won in a single year at 12, which is pulled off for both its fifth and sixth seasons. At 59 Emmys total, it’s won more than other drama series, and ties L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues and The West Wing for the most wins for Outstanding Drama Series, at four.

Maybe House of the Dragon, HBO’s follow-up to Game of Thrones, can pick up that torch? Speaking to Deadline after the ceremony, HBO president Casey Bloys confirmed that work on the show continues, and that it’s on track for a 2022 release date.

Shooting hasn’t begun, but Bloys did say that casting was underway. We’ve heard a lot of rumors about that but nothing solid, so it’s nice to hear it directly from Bloys.

Specifically, a couple months back we heard that House of the Dragon was casting women to play Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, two key players in the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war at the center of the show. A little later, we heard they were casting Daemon Targaryen, another big part.

The Dance of the Dragons is a long, bloody tale full of revenge, violence, lust, love and dragon-to-dragon aerial battles. It was made for TV, and I love to hear that it’s moving forward. 2022 is a while to wait, but considering how spectacular some of the set pieces are, it’s understandable. Plus, it’s all to the good that HBO wants to take its time and build a solid foundation.

House of the Dragon comes to us from Colony showrunner Ryan Condal and Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels