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Typically the first part of telling a story is figuring out where to start it. The lengthy and epic mythos of the Targaryen bloodline in the Game of Thrones franchise could fill a series on its own, but with the prequel series that focuses on them, that was the first problem going in. Luckily, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal figured out where to exactly start and found a way around things.
Implementing time jumps similar to Netflix’s megahit The Crown solves the tangled web of the house’s complicated, and incestuous at times, history.
“The main characters are two women and two men. There’s the king (Viserys, played by Paddy Considine), his brother (Daemon, played by Matt Smith), the king’s daughter (Rhaenyra, played Emma D’Arcy), and her best friend (Alicent, played by Olivia Cooke),” explains co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik to the Hollywood Reporter. “Then the best friend becomes the king’s wife and thereby the queen. That in itself is complicated…when your best friend goes and marries your dad. But from the tiniest things, it slowly evolves this gigantic battle between two sides.”
At the start, the show opens with the women leads as teens (played by Emily Carey and Milly Alcock). A few episodes in, that’s where the story jumps 10 years and the roles are taken over by Cooke and D’Arcy.
It’s interesting to note though that House of the Dragon’s two male leads are older and played by the same actors. There will be additional multi-year time jumps within the 10-episode season as well.
“This is how you tell this story correctly,” Condal added. “We’re telling a story of a generational war. We set everything up so by the time that first sword stroke falls, you understand all the players.”
HBO’s Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon premieres on HBO Max on August 21.
