It has been a while since HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones concluded its story, but three years after the epic finale, the prequel show House of the Dragon emerged on the small screen post-pandemic. While fans expressed enthusiasm toward the spin-off, many of the original cast from Game of Thrones refused to watch.
House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events in Game of Thrones, and it follows the rise and fall of the House Targaryen as the civil war consumes each member of the royal family. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel, House of the Dragon turned out a massive success for HBO.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Refuses To Watch House Of The Dragon
While promoting his new Apple TV+ project, Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau revealed he has not seen House of the Dragon. He played Jaime Lannister in all eight seasons of the original show, which earned him major Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The Danish actor told EW:
“One day it came on, and I saw the opening credits. And it was a little strange because it was the same music, and the title sequence was kind of similar. I was like, ‘Ah, this is too soon. Too soon.’”
Unlike Emilia Clarke, who firmly avoids seeing the prequel series, Coster-Waldau intends to wait a little longer until there are more episodes to binge-watch. He also expressed support for the show:
“I’ll wait. I’ll give it a couple of seasons, then I can binge-watch it, and then there’s the whole thing. But I know that so many people love that show, and I’m really happy for them.”
It seems there will be a long wait for the actor and the fans because the sequel is only starting production this year. Due to its high viewership, the series was renewed for a second season within the week of its debut. Now, HBO is looking at a mid-2024 release.
What To Expect From House Of The Dragon Season 2?
House of the Dragon’s first season featured Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, and Rhys Ifans, and they will be joined by more new actors in the upcoming installment.
The author teased fans in a previous interview with Deadline that there will be several deviations from the book. Speaking at HBO’s FYC event, Martin said:
“It was an imaginary history book that has a few scenes where I zero in, and I give you a half page of a scene. But, mostly, it’s history. It’s an outline, and you can’t present an outline on television, so it has to be filled in.”
In the meantime, HBO announced another exciting prequel series in the works that date back earlier than House of the Dragon. This upcoming project will tackle the events which took place during Aegon’s Conquest, the epic bloody war led by Aegon I Targaryen. The Jon Snow spin-off starring Kit Harrington is still reportedly in development, although no potential release date has been confirmed.
Watch the first season of House of the Dragon on HBO Max.
