House of the Dragon makes its global debut

• “House of the Dragon” as the prequel of GOT had a spectacular world premiere  in Los Angeles.
• the original “Thrones” became a worldwide hit that captivated audiences and won television prizes, but its conclusion was derided by both fans and critics.
• Reviews and plot details of the first episode of “House of the Dragon,” out August 21, are under embargo

The cast and writers of “House of the Dragon” were keen to move on from the challenging final season of “Game of Thrones” as the prequel’s spectacular world premiere was held on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

With its distinctive fusion of fantasy, bloodshed, mediaeval politics, and dragons, the original “Thrones” became a worldwide hit that captivated audiences and won television prizes, but its conclusion was derided by both fans and critics.

“It’s a real shame that they were so disappointed — but it has been four years, and this is a different story,” said Miguel Sapochnik, the director of several much-loved “Thrones” episodes, who returned for the prequel.

“So now they get the chance to have a different experience. I hope they will,” he told AFP on the premiere’s red carpet.

Reviews and plot details of the first episode of “House of the Dragon,” out August 21, are under embargo, but its screening drew a glowing reception at the recently opened Academy Museum in Los Angeles.

Set years earlier in the same universe of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy books, “House of the Dragon” depicts the glory days of the ancestors of popular “Thrones” characters, such as Daenerys Targaryen.

“Whereas the original ‘Game of Thrones’ was about multiple different families that are spread over multiple continents, ours is a much more intimate story,” said Sapochnik.

“It’s really about the dissolution of one family. So in a way, it wasn’t hard for it to be different.”

Ryan Condal, who serves as the new series’ showrunner along with Sapochnik, told AFP that it had been “very difficult” to end the original “Thrones” but that its prequel is “a totally new deal, it’s 170 years in the past.”

“I think there was a grieving process for the fans,” he said. “They had spent 10 years with these characters, they’d grown up with them.”

Condal stated that he thought the new series still had “a pretty solid underlying fan base.”

Paddy Considine is the gentle King Viserys in “House of the Dragon,” and Matt Smith is Prince Daemon, the ambitious sibling.

The show’s timeline spans at least ten years, and Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy respectively portray younger and older versions of Princess Rhaenyra, the king’s only child.

It was “frightening,” according to Olivia Cooke, who plays the important part of Rhaenyra’s best friend Alicent Hightower, to think about how the finale of the first series would affect its successor.

“It’s hard to please everyone,” she said.

“I haven’t really thought about that at all… I’m super proud of this.”…AFP