To look at the online consensus, Game of Thrones ended nonsensically, left fans incensed if not betrayed, and like so many of its plot points, was largely abandoned, leaving behind a Peter Dinklage-sized cultural footprint.
But to look at HBO’s coming lineup of high-fantasy soap operas, it’s a whole other story.
The network’s “sure it went bad, but you jerks still ate it up” mentality has led to three separate Game of Thrones spin-off attempts. One was so bad it didn’t even make it to pilot; one—The Tales of Dunk and Egg—we haven’t heard about it in over a year; but it seems at least the third will be making it to the screen, because HBO has released a new trailer for House of the Dragon. Have a look above.
Starring the likes of Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, and Rhys Ifans, the prequel series takes place two centuries prior to the increasingly disappointing events we’re already familiar with. It centers on showing us the fall of House Targaryen—a PBS’s Finding Your Roots where Daenerys learns about all the towheaded turds she descended from.
And to look at this trailer, it looks about as well-lit as Game of Thrones’ infamously terrible-looking “The Long Night”—so it’s got that bit of continuity going for it.
We’ll see what else it’s got when the series hits HBO August 21.
