House Of The Dragon is an American fantasy drama TV series which first aired in 2021. It was brought to life by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal exclusively for HBO. Serving as a prequel to the popular series Game of Thrones (2011-2019), it stands as the second installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire franchise.
There’s probably a lot that you don’t know about this show, but today my aim is to change that.
Here are 18 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know about the House Of The Dragon TV Show
1. George R.R. Martin drew inspiration for the House of the Dragon plot from the English Civil War of the 12th century. He was particularly interested in the battle for the throne between King Henry I’s daughter Matilda and her cousin, Stephen.
2. House of the Dragon holds the record for the most-watched series premiere in HBO history. 10 million people tuned in to watch the first episode.
3. Five days after the first episode aired, the show was renewed for a second season. At that time the show already had 20 million viewers.
4. To better fit the description of the throne in George R.R. Martin’s novels, the Iron Throne was designed to be larger and asymmetrical.
5. Milly Alcock was 21 years old when she portrayed 15-year-old Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen on the show. However, in the books, the character was only 9 years old at the same point in the plot.
6. All the fire you see on House of The Dragon is real. Milly Alcock told The Hollywood Reporter: “Because there’s no electricity in this world, everything is lit by fire.”
7. Emmy D’Arcy and Milly Alcock were told not to speak before filming. Despite both playing Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (at different ages), director Miguel Sapochnik advised them to steer clear of one another so that they wouldn’t end up copying each other’s performances.
8. Mechanical bull-like machines were used for the dragon scenes in the show.
9. The first season of the show took 10 months to shoot. It was predominantly shot in the UK.
10. While doing a stunt in Portugal, Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen) hit a disc in his neck. He finished filming the rest of the season, but had to go to physical therapy as a result.
11. Season 1 of House Of The Dragon portrays the beginning of the end of House Targaryen, the events leading up to and covering the Targaryen civil war of succession, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
12. The overall production budget of the first season of House of the Dragon was nearly $200 million (under $20 million per episode). By comparison, the first few seasons of Game of Thrones only cost about $6 million per episode to produce, while the final season had a price tag of $15 million per episode.
13. The first eight episodes of the first season dramatize and expand upon a single chapter in the source novel Fire And Blood, specifically Heirs Of The Dragon: A Question Of Succession.
14. The Valyrian steel dagger carried by Viserys is the same one that is used in the attempt on Bran’s life in the first season of Game of Thrones, as well as used by Arya in the final season.
15. Dragons are key characters in this series. To date, three dragons have been introduced on screen: Syrax – a golden yellow she-dragon, ridden by Rhaenyra; Caraxes – a red dragon, ridden by Daemon and Seasmoke – a grey-white dragon, ridden by Laenor Velaryon, son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.
16. The famous Targaryen long white hair meant that a large number of the cast had to sport wigs during their time on set. A self-confessed fidget, Matt Smith joked that it would be the one thing he would change on the show if he had the powers as the ruler of Westeros. “I’d allow them to dye their hair. The wigs were a pain in the arse.” he said at Comic Con.
17. House Of The Dragon wasn’t supposed to be the first Game of Thrones spin-off series. The first spin-off to be developed was a show called Bloodmoon, created by Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts and Jamie Campbell.
Set during the Age of Heroes – about 8,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones – the show was intended to depict the events of The Long Night and the origins of the White Walkers. Bloodmoon was ultimately canceled after its pilot episod (which cost more than $30 million to produce). It received negative reception at HBO and was cancelled.
18. Season 2 is expected to premiere in June 2024.
Well, there you have it, 18 interesting facts you might not have known about the House Of The Dragon TV show. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.
Check out the trailer for the first season below:
Check out the Trailer for Season 2 below:
You can stream House Of The Dragon on Showmax (in South Africa) or Max in the United States.
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