House Of The Dragon Release Date Revealed As New Images Tease Fire And Blood

Correction: An earlier version of this article had the incorrect premiere date listed. It has been updated and is now accurate. We regret the error.

Are you ready to return to Westeros? HBO sure hopes so, as they've poured unfathomable amounts of resources into multiple prospective "Game of Thrones" spin-off/prequel shows, all in an effort to keep the wildly popular (and always controversial) franchise moving right along. First on the docket will be "House of the Dragon," a new story set hundreds of years before the events of the original series and revolving around the fearsome Targaryen family (from which Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen would eventually descend) as they establish their sprawling, dragon-powered dynasty. As with "Game of Thrones," "House of the Dragons" is similarly based on material from author George R.R. Martin's prolific (and notoriously procrastinating) mind, this time taking its cues from his "Fire & Blood" series that recounts the history of the continent of Westeros.

Today brings us a whole swath of new images, a poster, and, most importantly, a release date for the new HBO drama series. Only a few years removed from the spectacularly divisive final season of "Game of Thrones," has enough time passed for audiences to feel the need to devote untold amounts of hours to yet another dark, brutal fantasy series — especially when another big rival for attention, Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is set to arrive later this year and battle for genre supremacy? Who knows! But the premise, cast, and production value that HBO has invested in this new production surely speak for themselves. Check out all the details below!

Ever wonder about the largely unseen series of events that led to Daenerys and her would-be king brother, Viserys (Harry Lloyd), becoming exiled and ending up destitute in Essos at the very beginning of "Game of Thrones," which motivated them to either reclaim the Iron Throne from the "Usurper," King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), or die trying? Well, we're about to find out ... in almost exactly 6 months, in fact. HBO has announced that the new spin-off and prequel series "House of the Dragons" will arrive on HBO Sunday night, August 21, 2022, and will subsequently be made available to stream on HBO Max.

HBO

"House of the Dragons" comes from co-creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin, along with co-creator, co-showrunner, executive producer, and writer Ryan Condal and co-showrunner, executive producer, and director Miguel Sapochnik (who has plenty of "Game of Thrones" experience himself, having directed several of the biggest and most well-received episodes of the original series). The series stars Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon (aka "The Sea Snake"), Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, and many more. For those who may feel just as lost as they did at the beginning of "Game of Thrones," we've previously provided a handy breakdown of all the important characters featured in this upcoming story.

HBO

Check out the brief synopsis and new teaser poster for the series below.

Based on George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," the series, set 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones," tells the story of House Targaryen.

HBO