With House of the Dragon set to premiere next year, many fans of George R.R. Martin's fantasy epic A Song of Ice and Fire are hesitant about embracing the new series in light of Game of Thrones's notoriously disappointing final season; however, according to star Matt Smith, the show isn't like its predecessor.
Speaking with Cnet, Smith, who plays Prince Daemon Targaryen, explained the challenges that come with creating something new in a franchise with a well-established fan base and legacy. He stated, "I suppose you bring yourself and your own spin on it. It's like to a certain degree, what does anyone bring to a Shakespeare play or something that's been done before? You have to bring your own emotional makeup and your own identity and your own spin and take on things and, you know... throw some paint at the wall and see what sticks."
"We're trying to make a show that's entertaining on lots of different levels and has a similar scope and ambition to the previous show, in many respects," the actor continued."But obviously, you're never going to be able to re-create the success of Game of Thrones, because that was a very particular point in time. It was its own unique entity."
House of the Dragon's co-showrunner Miquel Sapochnik shared a similar sentiment in an earlier interview, stating, "House of the Dragon has its own tone that will evolve and emerge over the course of the show. But first, it's very important to pay respects and homage to the original series, which was pretty groundbreaking."
The new series is set roughly two hundred years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones. The story chronicles the beginning of the downfall of House Targaryen, detailing the succession crisis that resulted in the Targaryen civil war referred to as the Dance of Dragons, and the war itself.
Beyond Smith, House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine (The Girl with All the Gifts) as King Viserys I, Emma D'Arcy (Hanna) as Princess Rhaenyra, Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One) as Lady Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1) as Ser Otto Hightower and Eve Best (Fate: The Winx Saga) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon.
The first season of House of the Dragon is scheduled to make its debut on HBO sometime in 2022 and will have a total of ten episodes.
Source: Cnet