By Yetunde Adeyeri
The order for House Targaryen-focused drama arrives after the cabler officially killed its Naomi Watts-led project.
Hours after its surprising decision to pass on its Namoi Watts-led Game of Thrones prequel, HBO on Tuesday afternoon announced a straight-to-series order for a prequel in the world of Westeros called House of the Dragon.
The rumored project, which focuses on House Targaryen and was created by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony), was given a formal series order on Tuesday at the end of HBO Max’s formal unveiling to investors.
The prequel is set 300 years before the events of the flagship series which tracks the beginnings and the end of House Targaryen. Emilia Clarke earned four Emmy nominations for her role as fan-favorite Daenerys Targaryen. Martin and Condal will pen the script for the 10-episode project, which is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Miguel Sapochnik, who earned an Emmy for helming the “Battle of the Bastards” episode, will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Vince Gerardis will also executive produce. Sapochnik and Condal will serve as co-showrunners. House of the Dragon will be the first project to stem from a new overall deal that Sapochnik has signed with HBO, in which he will develop and produce content for both HBO and HBO Max.
The pilot pass arrives a day after Game of Thrones showrunners Benioff and Weiss walked away from a planned trilogy of Star Wars feature films. The duo, who aren’t involved in any other follow-up shows, departed their overall deal with the premium outlet for a five-year, $250 million film and TV pact with Netflix.
