Principal production on Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon has started, and leaked photos show Doctor Who and The Crown actor Matt Smith as a Targaryen prince.
Alright, I'll address the elephant in the room. Not everyone was too thrilled with the way things were left in the finale of Game of Thrones. Shorter than the standard, the eighth season of the show is the lowest-rated of the lot on Rotten Tomatoes, and lots of people felt let down due to confusing character motivations and divergences from the established themes of the interweaving stories.
In that vein, the upcoming spinoff House Of The Dragon signifies a resurrection for the show which will tickle the fancy of those who were disappointed in the original and those who await a return to one of the most iconic fantasy worlds from the last decade.
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The new show takes place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and will tell the story of how House Targaryen triggered its meteoric rise, as well as the tragedies that caused its eventual destruction. Alongside Ryan Condal, author George R. R. Martin is also writing House Of The Dragon and it will primarily draw from the descriptions in his novel Fire & Blood.
Fans of the original show will be pleased to know that Miguel Sapochnik is directing, as he was responsible for a handful of the highly acclaimed episodes like Hardhome, Battle of the Bastards, and The Winds of Winter. The cast is stacked, too - Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen.
Courtesy of Alamy Live News, these leaked photos of production occurring in Cornwall, England show D'Arcy and Smith in costume and don't they look warm. Goodness gracious.
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Garbed in what looks to be a heavy dark red dress with her hair piled high in white-blonde braids, D'Arcy appears to be in conversation with Smith, possibly deliberating what they want for the Seven Kingdoms. On the other hand, Smith is wearing a long black jacket with knee-high boots and looks pensive in their discussions as his white-blond wig waves in the sea breeze. I know they're too warm. I know these actors are sweltering in those costumes. What's worse is that their wigs and high collars are insulating them even more rather than allowing them respite. Poor souls. The Targaryens should've picked summery colours for their sigil.
We can expect to see more photos pop up on the Internet now that fans know where the show is filming, so watch this space for further updates on House Of The Dragon.
Featured Image Credit: HBO, BBCTopics: News, TV, Game of Thrones