House of the Dragon trailer: HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off teases 'Gods, kings, fire, blood'

HBO had a major surprise for Game of Thrones fans on Tuesday. The first trailer for House of the Dragon, a spin-off that will tell the story of House Targaryen, has been released.

HBO Max on Tuesday dropped the first trailer for House of the Dragon, the spin-off to the hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, based on the books by George RR Martin. The series is set ‘200 years before the fall of the throne’ and the surprise trailer was revealed at WarnerMedia’s HBO Max European launch event.

HBO dropped the House of the Dragon trailer.

“Gods, kings, fire, and blood,” says Matt Smith's character, Prince Daemon Targaryen, in a voiceover, as we see glimpses of the sea, fierce battles, and ominous shots of new characters. “Dreams didn't make us kings, dragons did,” he finishes, as the one-minute trailer cuts to the logo and title treatment, which bears the Game of Thrones brand and reveals that the show will arrive in 2022.

“Dracarys,” said a tweet from HBO, which reposted the original tweet by HBO Max. House of the Dragon is co-created by Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, who will also direct several episodes.

House of the Dragon is just one of several GoT spinoffs in the works. As previously reported, one project in development will focus on The Sea Snake, who HBO described as ‘the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros'. Another spin-off, written by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts, didn’t proceed after the pilot stage.

The cast includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower. Other cast members not photographed include Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole.

The 10-episode first season will air on HBO and HBO Max in 2022. Game of Thrones concluded its eight-season run in 2019.