Game of Thrones alum Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shares his thoughts on the latest trailer for House of the Dragon. Following the monumental success of Game of Thrones, HBO is eager to continue building upon its expansive world with numerous spin-offs. The first slated to arrive is House of the Dragon, a prequel series set hundreds of years before Thrones. The show is based on author George R.R. Martin's novel Fire and Blood and will focus on the Targaryen reign that dominated Westeros before the family's fall from grace. House of the Dragon is currently slated for release sometime in 2022.
As the first Game of Thrones offshoot to arrive following the flagship series' conclusion in 2019, there are a lot of high expectations trailing House of the Dragon. The series stars Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Sonoya Mizuno, Steve Toussaint, and Rhys Ifans, among others. It will begin with King Viserys' (Considine) time on the throne, though as anyone who watched GoT will know, that might not last very long once the show gets going.
HBO recently unveiled the first full teaser trailer for House of the Dragon, and Game of Thrones star Coster-Waldau revealed his reaction to it in a recent interview with THR. Coster-Waldau famously played Jaime Lannister on the show and is still sharing his thoughts on the franchise to this day. He admitted he did see the teaser trailer and came away "intrigued." Coster-Waldau said, "I thought it was fun to see Matt Smith in that world, in that beautiful white wig. And listen, I’m curious as everyone [to see it]." He then went on to elaborate on his thoughts regarding House of the Dragon at large, saying:
But it is a very different show. It’s its own show. I just hope it’s great. I hope the success of Game of Thrones won’t get in the way for people when they experience this new show. For us, it took a while for people to get into Game of Thrones. I remember the first season people were saying: “they’re too many characters, I don’t know what’s going on!” I don’t think they have the luxury we had. They have to start with where we were in like season four or five, because that’s what they will be compared to. But I really hope that it’s a massive hit for them.
Even the fiery responses to Game of Thrones' ending haven't changed the fact that, when it was on, it stood as the biggest show in the world. House of the Dragon has some big shoes to fill, and as Coster-Waldau pointed out, it doesn't have the luxury of a slow-burn build-up like its predecessor did. Because audiences have grown accustomed to the scale and style of Game of Thrones, they'll expect a similar approach for House of the Dragon. It'll be interesting to see if the prequel can match the original right off the bat, or if it too will need time to reach the lofty heights of Thrones.
Nevertheless, Coster-Waldau is excited, and fans have reason to be as well. Game of Thrones' final season was polarizing to say the least, but there's much interest in seeing how the franchise will continue with other projects. House of the Dragon is just the first, and its cast already has the backing of those that came before them. Perhaps Coster-Waldau will share his thoughts on the show after it premieres as well; fans will find out next year.
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO in 2022.
Source: THR