Why House Of The Dragon Is So Exciting Despite Game Of Thrones Backlash - Screen Rant

There are still plenty of reasons to be excited for House of the Dragon despite the ongoing Game of Thrones backlash. The forthcoming spinoff will serve as a prequel to the groundbreaking HBO title, following House Targaryen 300 years before the events of the original. With a scheduled premiere date set for 2022 on HBO Max, the series will come roughly three years after Game of Thrones ended. The conclusion wasn't well-received by a large portion of viewers, but that shouldn't deter interest in the new series.

The release of House of the Dragon will mark HBO's first foray into expanding the fictional world created by George R.R. Martin. In 2018, before Game of Thrones ended, the network ordered a prequel set 10,000 years before the primary story, documenting the Age of Heroes. Naomi Watts was attached to the project titled Bloodmoon, but HBO never moved forward with the project and instead shifted focus to House of the Dragon. Created by Martin and Ryan Condal, the new prequel will be based on Martin's Fire & Blood novel, documenting the rise and fall of House Targaryen. Paddy Considine will be portraying Viserys I Targaryen in a cast that includes Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and Matt Smith.

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Based on Game of Thrones' immense popularity, it felt inevitable HBO would explore spinoff opportunities. Though interest in continuing the franchise was initially high, the backlash stemming from the controversial Game of Thrones' ending may have hampered excitement. The conclusion of the epic fantasy was underwhelming in the eyes of many, with criticism pointed to the fates of characters like Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, and Jon Snow. The mothership series shouldn't take away from the potential of House of the Dragon even though Game of Thrones season 8 didn't end as many had hoped, especially since the spinoff has the power to exist without too much reliance on Game of Thrones.

Aegon Visenya Rhaenys Targaryen Casting HBO House of the Dragon

Martin's fictional world centered on the landscapes of Westeros, Essos, and everything in between still has a rich and intriguing history to explore. There are countless stories to tell with the array of noble houses, great wars, and territorial conflicts. Certain aspects of the past were mentioned in Game of Thrones, but House of the Dragon won't necessarily need to tie into the HBO title with shared characters or storylines to make an effective story. The narrative will be familiar, but the focus will be fresh enough to garner intrigue to new and existing fans of Martin's work.

The situation echoes that of the hype surrounding the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Based on the rocky reception surrounding the prequel trilogy, it was unclear what kind of future the Star Wars franchise would have. By the time Disney took over and announced plans to continue the Skywalker saga, fans were eager to welcome back the series. It also showed that one portion of the story shouldn't impact the overall franchise. HBO can learn this lesson with the development of House of the Dragon and other future spinoffs.

Regardless of how poorly the Game of Thrones finale was received, there's no doubt how monumental the series was when it ended its run. It was the biggest show in the world until the finale aired, and there's still a willingness from fans to dive back into the franchise as long as it's not the main story. Depending on the excitement and viewership with House of the Dragon, it's safe to expect plenty of other Game of Thrones spinoffs to come to fruition.

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Kara Hedash (1606 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world's most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara's not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.