Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon has been forced to postpone production due to a COVID-19 outbreak. House of the Dragon is currently shooting over in the UK, where there was reportedly an outbreak of positive COVID-19 infections in “zone A,” an area that includes cast and crew of the show. According to the report, “a production member tested positive and in compliance with industry guidelines, will isolate and close contacts are required to quarantine. Production will resume on Wednesday.” So, not a disastrous setback- at least so far. Like with anything with COVID-19, a small problem can become a big problem very quickly.
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House of the Dragon marks just the latest high-profile UK production that has recently been shut down; Netflix’s Bridgerton season 2 had to halt production due to COVID last week; the streaming service’s new Matilda series also halted production when an outbreak of infections was detected. It’s been no secret that the UK has continued to have more recent struggles with COVID than the US. That’s in part due to a lack of resources (vaccine) and the emergence in the spread of new COVID-19 variants in places like the UK and India. As long as the European countries continue to be mired in higher states of lockdown and COVID infection rates, it’s only inevitable that productions in the region will be affected.
House of the Dragon is set 300 years before Game of Thrones, during the reign of House Targaryen in Westeros. The fall of the Targaryen dynasty formed the backdrop of the events of Game Thrones, making this a pivotal chapter of George R.R. Martin’s saga. House of the Dragon is the only Game of Thrones spinoff to survive; a prequel about ancient Westeros and The Long Night got cancelled during production – as did a spinoff about the Flea Bottom area of King’s Landing.
Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin co-created House of the Dragon based on his book about the Targaryens, Fire & Blood. Game of Thrones vet Miguel Sapochnik and writer Ryan Condal will serve as co-showrunners for House of the Dragon; the show’s cast includes Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, as well as recent additions Milly Alcock and Emily Carey.
HBO programming president Casey Bloys announced the Game of Thrones spinoff in 2019 by saying: “We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George.”
WarnerMedia CEO Ryan Kilar has hyped House of the Dragon by saying: “I’m just so excited because the world that exists in Westeros and the broader landscape and the characters,” Kilar said. “The Targaryens are about as crazy as they get. It’s literally the essence of good drama.”
House of the Dragon will resume production on Wednesday.
Reported by Deadline
