Many, not all, but many, have been holding their breath for the continuation in the GAME OF THRONES milieu and officially – HOUSE OF THE DRAGON has won the honor.
“What,” you ask? Did “BLOODMOON” with Naomi Watts change its name? And the answer to that is “No.” Remember there have always been a few story concepts out there. “BLOODMOON” just happened to be the forerunner. Well, today was big Investor Day for WarnerMedia who touted HBOMax news mostly. But this news was also dropped, while they had everyone’s attention. Foregoing a pilot, the House Targaryen story from George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal has received a 10-episode straight-to-series order. 
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON is based on R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel and it takes place 300 years before the Benioff/Weiss show we know. We mentioned it was a viable option back in September and it seems the powers that be did not need a pilot to go ahead with this venture. Though we are not sure at this early stage whether the series will address all the plotlines of the book here is a description of the tome that gives us a strong idea of what the new show is all about –
Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen-the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria-took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire & Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart. What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies?
I guess we will find out as the show moves forward. What we won’t discover is the story tagged as “BLOODMOON.” That prequel crafted by Jane Goldman and starring Watts is no longer happening. The pilot was not well received and retooling of it proved a great expense and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, even though it was pitched later quickly was on the fast track as a more cohesive piece. Veteran Miguel Sapochnik and Condal will partner as showrunners and will also serve as executive producers along with GoT co-executive producer Martin and Vince Gerardis. Sapochnik was also noted to direct.
HBO Programming President Casey Bloys stated “The Game of Thrones universe is so rich with stories. We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George.”
I’m sure there are a few around here who are looking forward to it as well. So, there you go GOT fans. The Westeros universe continues and we will keep a very close eye as HOUSE OF THE DRAGON develops.
