House of the Dragon Showrunners Speak Out on Taking Over the Game of Thrones Franchise

The Game of Thrones franchise is returning to television in August, in the form of a prequel series that takes place hundreds of years before the flagship program. House of the Dragon charts the rise to power for the Targaryen family, and fans are excited to finally get the chance to follow another story in the world of Westeros. This time around, the Game of Thrones franchise is under new leadership. Ryan Condal and Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik serve as co-showrunners for House of the Dragon, taking over for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Condal has been seen as the Game of Thrones TV successor by author George R.R. Martin. He then brought Sapochnik into the mix, though he was initially skeptical about returning to the franchise. Fortunately, he received the blessing of Benioff and Weiss before taking on the project.

"I had one of the best experiences I've ever had in my career working with David and Dan – they were wonderful to me, wonderful friends," Sapochnik told The Hollywood Reporter. "No one's ever going to happy if you start going out with your best mate's girlfriend, it's just not going to happen, but they were good."

At the premiere, Condal opened up about telling a new story in the world of Westeros, and how the tale of the Targaryens came into focus.

"As soon as George pitched this to me, all the gears clicked into place. Telling the story of the Targaryens at the height of their power made tons of sense coming off the original show because we get to know Daenerys very well, we get to know the myth and legend of her family but we don't know much about the Targaryens as they actually existed," Condal said. "It's an intimate story; it's a bit of a Greek tragedy about the house divided, a house that tears itself apart over a succession. Very Game of Thrones but very different from the original."

House of the Dragon is set to make its debut on HBO and HBO Max on August 21st. Are you looking forward to the new series? Let us know in the comments!