House of the Dragon: First looks at Corlys Velaryon, Targaryen children and more

Filming has officially started on House of the Dragon, and we’re getting lots of images straight from the set of HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series. Set over 100 years before the original series, House of the Dragon tells the story of a brutal Targaryen civil war that tore Westeros apart. After the first season of Game of Thrones, Daenerys was the only Targaryen around. Now, they’re everywhere. The bleached blonde wig budget is going to be insane.

We’ve seen Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy as Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen, two key characters from this family drama. Now, more shots of coming in, each of them introducing us to someone new. For instance, here’s a shot of a child actor sporting that distinctive Targaryen coloring:

"Could this be Aemond? Or one of Rhaenyra kids?? from HouseOfTheDragon"

We’re not sure what character this is. Reddit’s best guess is that it’s Aegon II or Aemond Targaryen, children of the king Viserys I Targaryen by his second wife Alicent Hightower. Aegon is one of two main claimants to the Iron Throne during the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, the other being his half-sister Rheanyra. Although we don’t know the exact timeline, it looks like House of the Dragon will cover some of the years before the Dance officially breaks out. It’s possible that Aegon will be a child for part of that. Or this could be one of his younger brothers.

Targaryen wigs are out in force on the set of House of the Dragon

We’ve also got looks at (left to right) cast members Fabien Frankel, Rhys Ifans and Steve Toussaint as Ser Criston Cole, Otto Hightower and Corlys Velaryon respectively.

"Criston Cole, Otto Hightower and Corlys Velaryon! from HouseOfTheDragon"

Criston Cole is a Kingsguard knight to King Viserys while Otto Hightower is his Hand of the King. They both join with Aegon II when the war breaks out. Corlys Velaryon, meanwhile, is the head of the powerful Velaryon family, which commands an impressive navy. He joins Rhaenyra’s side.

We also have an image of an actor who may play Corlys’ daughter Leana Velaryon, although we’re not sure:

"LAENA VELARYON?! from HouseOfTheDragon"

Did we not say that the bleached blonde wig budget would be out of control on this show?

Just FYI, while the Velaryon family are not, obviously, Targaryens, they are from Valyria, hence why they share the Targaryen’s distinctive platinum blonde hair coloring. It’s even said that they were in Westeros before the Targaryens, although like many other things about this story, the details aren’t filled in. It should give the writers of House of the Dragon some room to maneuver and put their own stamp on the story.

House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO sometime in 2022.

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