‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ wraps filming

MANILA, Philippines – After Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin gave his stamp of approval for the upcoming spin-off prequel series, he finally announced that House of the Dragon has finished filming. 

“Exciting news out of London – I am informed that shooting has wrapped for the first season of House of the Dragon. Yes, all ten episodes. I have seen rough cuts of a few of them and I’m loving them,” he wrote in a blog post. 

Martin, however, added that there’s still “a lot more work [that] needs to be done.” “Special effects, color timing, score, all the post-production work. But the writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific,” he said.

“I hope you will like them as much as I do. My hat is off to Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] and their team, and to our amazing cast.” 

Based on Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It tells the history of House Targaryen and the Targaryen civil war that became known as the “Dance of the Dragons.” 

It is directed by Greg Yaitanes and stars Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, and Sonoya Mizuno. 

A one-minute teaser for the series was released in October 2021. HBO has previously announced that House of the Dragon is set for a 2022 release, but a specific premiere date has yet to be announced. 

Martin also wrote in his blog that he remains unsure when it will be released. “I wish I could tell you. Lots of work remains to be done, as I said, and COVID makes planning difficult. This spring? Unlikely. Maybe summer? Could be.  Fall? Who knows?” he said.

Game of Thrones, which premiered in 2011, is a medieval fantasy series that bagged several awards during its eight-year run. The series’ finale, which aired in May 2019, was polarizing for fans. – with reports from Edmar Delos Santos/Rappler.com

Edmar Delos Santos is a Rappler intern under the Life & Style and Entertainment section.