House of the Dragon premiered last night in The UK and Ireland (Sunday in the US), and HBO has now released a new trailer (via SFFGazette) highlighting what viewers can expect from the Game of Thrones prequel series in the weeks to come.
Spoilers follow.
Towards the end of the first episode, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) names his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as his heir over his more volatile and ruthless brother Daemon (Matt Smith). His decree sows the seeds of civil war in Westeros, and if this new trailer is any indication, there will be plenty of fire and blood to go around!
Though things probably won't play out exactly as you'd expect (no book spoilers here), it's clear that these brothers are going to clash, as we see Viserys hold a blade to Daemon's throat and call him a "plague.". Elsewhere, tensions mount between the now adult Rhaenyra and her one-time friend Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who becomes the King's new bride.
Check out the trailer below, and let us know what you made of the first episode of House of the Dragon in the comments.
"The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."
House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders) as King Viserys Targaryen, Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One) as Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy (Wanderlust) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith (Doctor Who) as Prince Daemon Targaryen. The show is set to premiere on August 21.