The Pitfall Peter Dinklage Hopes House Of Dragons Can Avoid

If you're tired of Peter Dinklage and his refreshingly candid, unfiltered thoughts on "Game of Thrones" and the franchise in general, well, he put it best himself in "Game of Thrones" as Tyrion Lannister: "You've come to the wrong place."

The outspoken and immensely talented actor has never shied away from making headlines, whether it be taking a stand against the depiction of little people in movies these days, defending the divisive finale of "Game of Thrones," or even opening up about his own mixed feelings about the prequel/spin-off series "House of the Dragon." After accumulating the high-profile roles that he has and never once coming across as anything less than a gentleman, Dinklage has more than earned the right to wade into the discourse and be honest about how he feels regarding any topic out there.

His latest comments — wouldn't you know it — once again have to do with the fantasy land of Westeros and the next adventure that will take place in author George R.R. Martin's epic story. In the aftermath of the original series ending, "House of the Dragon" has quite a lot riding on its success. Despite the lingering skepticism among fans of "Game of Thrones" (Dinklage included!), even he has to admit that the follow-up series comes with plenty of potential ... provided that it steers clear of one specific obstacle that has taken down many a franchise before. 

As much as the widely-derided final season of "Game of Thrones" may dominate our memories of the hit HBO show, it would be a mistake to act as if there's no positive lasting legacy whatsoever. One of the first major examples of prestige television benefitting a genuinely blockbuster look (and budget), "Game of Thrones" continues to influence both fantasy and non-fantasy productions that have followed in its wake. Peter Dinklage remains aware of this and, quite shrewdly, realizes that this could end up being a stumbling block for those trying to bring "House of the Dragon" to life.

In an interview with Independent, the former Hand of the Queen underlined the importance of the spin-off show charting its own path altogether, resisting the temptation to merely become another "Game of Thrones." According to Dinklage:

"I think the trick is not to try to recreate 'Thrones.' If you try to recreate it, that feels like a money grab. With a lot of sequels, the reason for them is that the first one made a lot of money, which is why they aren't as strong. But I am excited to watch the 'House of the Dragon,' purely as a viewer, not knowing what will happen next."

Aside from the confirmation that the actor has never read Martin's "Fire & Blood," which "House of the Dragon" is based on, the key takeaway here should be that Dinklage has an impressive grasp on why so many sequels struggle to match up to the original. From a business point-of-view, HBO likely wants "House of the Dragon" to fill the exact same niche "Game of Thrones" did. Creatively, however, Dinklage knows that couldn't be further from the truth.

"House of the Dragon" flies into HBO on August 21, 2022.