We all know that many Game of Thrones fans weren’t all-in when it came to either the final season, which aired back in 2019, or the actual series finale. But, that doesn’t diminish the intense love that many of them have for the rest of the acclaimed HBO drama, or its source material. That’s why millions of viewers are now waiting with bated breath for House of the Dragon, the first of several planned prequels and/or spinoffs which will keep the world of GOT going on the small screen. Luckily, House of the Dragon won’t be too different from Game of Thrones, and we now know why.
Miguel Sapochnik directed several episodes of GOT, and is now working as co-showrunner on House of the Dragon. He recently opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the new drama, which will follow the Targaryens and their assorted enemies and allies about 200 years before the action of the original series. When asked how his show will differ in look and tone from GOT, Sapochnik said:
I think we were very respectful of what the original show is. It wasn’t broken so we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. House of the Dragon has its own tone that will evolve and emerge over the course of the show. But first, it’s very important to pay respects and homage to the original series, which was pretty groundbreaking. We’re standing on the shoulders of that show and we’re only here because of that show. So the most important thing for us to do is to respect that show as much as possible and try and complement it rather than reinvent it. And I was involved in making the original show, so I feel like that’s been useful. Like, I’m not arriving going, ‘Let’s change everything! Let’s do a different color palette!’ No, I quite like the color palette.
Even though there are a number of GOT viewers who will still say, to this very day (and likely into infinity if they could), that the last season ruined much of the show’s legacy, the fact remains that a lot of people look back on most of it with a lot of love, whether they enjoyed those last episodes or not. As Sapochnik noted, the show as a whole “wasn’t broken,” so there was no reason for him and his team to try to make House of the Dragon a completely different animal, like, say, a wyvern. No one wants that.
If you haven’t seen the first trailer for HOTD, you can check it out below and see just how many GOT vibes you get from it:
We all know that Game of Thrones was, indeed, groundbreaking television, which is one of the many reasons why so many of the actors became stars and it’s remembered fondly by audiences. But, while Sapochnik understands how important that series was, and the fact that there’d certainly be no House of the Dragon without the previous show’s many successes, he’s also aware that his televised entry to the lore has to be its own thing.
Miguel Sapochnik added that they’re very aware, as they make HOTD, that respecting what’s gone before can only go so far, because if they lean on that history too much, this series won’t stand on its own enough. He said that House of the Dragon “will have to earn” the right to “be seen as something else,” and he knows it’ll take time to get there. Hopefully, we don’t have too long to wait until we can judge the full results for ourselves, as House of the Dragon is set to debut sometime in 2022. Until then, make sure to see what’s new on TV right now with our 2021 fall TV schedule.
