Prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ held its world premiere at Los Angles

• “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” premiered in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
• Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal said they were eager to move on from last season’s painful conclusion.
• The prequel takes place in the same universe as George R.R. Martin’s books.

Creators and cast of “House of the Dragon” were eager to move on from the painful last season of “Game of Thrones” as they debuted its prequel at a glitzy Los Angeles global premiere on Wednesday.

With its unique blend of fantasy, bloodshed, mediaeval politics, and dragons, the original “Thrones” became a global phenomenon that captivated audiences and won numerous television prizes, but its conclusion was lambasted by 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, who returned for the prequel after directing numerous beloved “Thrones” episodes.

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

The reviews and plot elements of the first episode of “House of the Dragon,” which premieres on August 21, are under embargo, but its showing at the newly opened Academy Museum in Los Angeles was met with acclaim.

“House of the Dragon” shows the glory days of the progenitors of popular “Thrones” characters, such as Daenerys Targaryen, and takes place in the same universe as George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novels.

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

“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 acts as the new series’ co-showrunner alongside Sapochnik, told AFP that it was “very painful” to conclude the original “Thrones” but that the prequel is “a completely different story, set 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 believed the new series still had “a pretty big fan following.”

Paddy Considine portrays the kind-hearted King Viserys in “House of the Dragon,” while Matt Smith plays his ambitious brother, Prince Daemon.

Princess Rhaenyra is portrayed by Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy, with the show’s timeframe lasting at least a decade.

Olivia Cooke, who portrays Rhaenyra’s best friend Alicent Hightower, stated that it was “frightening” to consider how the original series’ conclusion was perceived or how it could affect the sequel.

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

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

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