HBO unveils the first poster for its Game of Thrones prequel revealing that House of the Dragon's release date is set for August. Created by George R.R. Martin and Colony co-creator Ryan J. Condal, the spinoff series is set 200 years before the events of HBO's beloved fantasy drama and revolves around the House Targaryen near the end of their reign. House of the Dragon will explore the beginning of their demise and the events leading up to and during the Targaryen civil war.

Paddy Considine is leading the cast of House of the Dragon alongside Emma D'Arcy, Milly Alcock, Olivia Cooke, Emily Carey, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel and Graham McTavish. Development on the series was first announced in late 2018 when Martin teased the possibility of multiple Game of Thrones spinoffs being in the works, including an adaptation of that year's Fire & Blood novel, which got a straight-to-series order from HBO the following year. With production on House of the Dragon having concluded as of February, audiences are getting exciting news about the project.

Related: Why House Of The Dragon Risks Being A Game Of Thrones Copycat

Nearly six months after the first teaser for the series arrived, HBO has revealed the first House of the Dragon poster. The key art confirms that the Game of Thrones prequel spinoff series will premiere on the cable network and HBO Max on August 21. Check out the exciting poster below:

House of the Dragon Poster

House of the Dragon's August premiere date officially puts the return of HBO's Game of Thrones franchise as over three years since the mothership fantasy drama series came to a close. After seven acclaimed seasons, however, Game of Thrones season 8 became infamous amongst audiences for being the second season to utilizing unpublished material from Martin's future novels, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, as well as a rushed filming schedule in the hopes of getting the final season released without too much of a gap between seasons. These various elements resulted in Game of Thrones season 8 not only receiving the lowest reviews of the series but also mixed reviews as a whole, with its shorter runtime, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' creative choices and its underwhelming finale.

Regardless of the reaction to Game of Thrones season 8, many audiences are sure to be excited for the reveal that House of the Dragon will premiere on HBO in August. Unlike its predecessor, Martin is more directly involved with the development of the prequel series and has expressed a joy with the final product, leaving many hopeful it will remain true to his vision and characters and expand the franchise's mythos in exciting new directions. Only time will tell if the wait satisfies audiences when House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21.

More: Game Of Thrones' Creators Not Making Spinoffs Is Good (Not Just Due To S8)

Source: HBO