House of the Dragon

It's impossible to talk about the House of Dragon without looking back at Game of Thrones - the predecessor project left too much of a mark on pop culture and its shadow will be falling for a very long time to come.

After the unpopular and plot-breaking Game of Thrones season 8 finale due to the fault of the two producers - David Benioff and Daniel Weiss, who effectively put an end to the franchise, HBO began serious rehabilitation work - the development of spin-off projects on the Song of Ice and Flame universe has been underway for several years.

(If anyone doesn't know - George Martin's agent Paul Haas said in an interview that a few years ago George personally talked to the HBO directors, were ready to extend Game of Thrones up to season 10 for the sake of a better finale, but the producers insisted on their decision on 8 seasons and a reduced number of episodes in the final seasons in order to quickly finish the series and move to another rival studio).

About Dragon House:

This project is produced by Ryan Kondal, a big fan of George Martin's work (who, by the way, has seen the draft scripts of all the episodes and participated in the discussion of all the differences from the book's original source material).

Talented director Miguel Sapochnik, who directed the best episodes of Game of Thrones, is also involved in the work on the project.

The action of the series is set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, at that time her family still rules the Seven Kingdoms and their dragons, not yet extinct, fly across the sky. The story of the civil war between the two branches of House Targaryen awaits us.

At first, we are waited by the young versions of the characters and the beginning of the main events, and then, after a short time jump, the adult characters and the main plot itself.

Unlike its predecessor, the House of the Dragon looks more chambered, more local, but no less interesting because of this, here will be all the things that millions loved in 2011, Game of Thrones - colorful characters, interesting storylines, intricate court intrigue, the struggle for power and, of course, dragons, a lot of dragons.

Actors:

Millie Alcock as young Rhaenyra is absolutely adorable. Emily Carey as young Alicenta is also very good. The young heroines are similar to their adult versions, so no complaints here.

Emma D'Arcy plays the now-grown-up Rainier and looks much better than her character in the book version. Olivia Cooke did a great job as the adult Alicenta, it will be interesting to watch the relationship between this duo, from their strong friendship to the events that follow.

Matt Smith seemed perfect for the role of the wayward Daemon Targaryen.

And in general, the rest of the actors do a great job with their roles.

The only controversial casting moment that divided fans into two camps was the House of Velarion family, a topic that deserves a separate item.