HBO Begins Casting for Game of Thrones Prequel

HBO has begun the casting process for its Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. House of the Dragon was ordered straight to series by HBO last October, though word on the series has been quiet since then. Much like the rest of the TV industry, this series likely saw its production scheduling reshaped in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but casting has now commenced, according to Entertainment Weekly. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=game-of-thrones-every-major-characters-first-and-last-appearance&captions=true"] House of the Dragon is a prequel set in the universe of HBO's Game of Thrones series, based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book. Both the book and the HBO series are based on Martin's Game of Thrones book series. The Game of Thrones TV show ended last year and House of the Dragon will be the first venture back into Westeros since that finale. Fire & Blood is a book about the history of House Targaryen and it's set 300 years before Game of Thrones. It covers over 100 years of Targaryen history and sees many a leader rise to fame and fall from grace within it. EW reports its sources say that the famous Dance of Dragons, a civil war between Targaryens, will be a part of the show at some point. It's possible the series could center around Aegon's Conquest, a destructive war that saw Aegon Targaryen usher in the reign of House Targaryen, something frequently referenced in Game of Thrones. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/13/game-of-thrones-fire-and-blood-prequel-series-in-development-ign-now"] Ryan Condal, best known for writing the TV series Colony and 2018's Rampage, will serve as the showrunner alongside Miguel Sapochnik, who directed some episodes of Game of Thrones. He will direct the pilot and an unspecified number of episodes afterward. HBO has ordered 10 episodes for the series. It's expected to premiere in 2022. House of Dragons will be the first Game of Thrones prequel series to hit HBO but not the first one announced by the company. An Age of Heroes-focused prequel starring Naomi Watts was set to happen but has since been cancelled. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.