‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ Ordered Straight to Series on HBO Max

HBO will take what’s theirs with fire and blood. Game of Thrones will find new life on HBO Max in the newly announced prequel series House of The Dragons, based on Thrones author George R.R. Martin’s companion book Fire & Blood. The spinoff has been ordered straight to series, as was announced at WarnerMedia’s HBO Max presentation today.

The series is co-created and executive produced by Martin and Colony creator Ryan Condal. Emmy-winning Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, who helmed favorite episodes like ‘The Long Night’ and ‘Battle of the Bastards’, will also executive produce and co-showrun with Condal, as well as directing the pilot and subsequent episodes of series.

Image via HBO

The announcement comes on the heels of the news that HBO is scrapping its planned Game of Thrones prequel series that was set to star Naomi Watts. While plot details for that series were never revealed, the new series draws inspiration from Martin’s Westerosi history, which charted, in-depth, the rise of House Targaryen, centuries before the events of Game of Thrones.

The book offers a deep dive into generations of Targaryen history, from the Doom of Valyria to the Dance of Dragons. The first installment was published in November 2018 and a second installment is supposedly on the way (though any A Song of Ice and Fire fan can tell you what that’s worth.)

The news comes as part of Warner Media’s massive HBO Max event, which unveiled announcements for several additional new high-profile series, including a Green Arrow series from Greg Berlanti and a new sci-fi original from Ridley Scott, as well as new comedies from Elizbeth Banks, Issa Rae, and Mindy Kaling.