Milly Alcock as Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Photo / HBO
House of the Dragon - the first of four planned spin-offs of HBO's smash hit Game of Thrones - has released its first dragon-filled teaser trailer.
The highly anticipated show releases here in NZ on August 22 and will be available to be streamed on Neon and Sky Go.
Set 200 years before the events portrayed in Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will chronicle the events leading to the bloody downfall of the Targaryen empire. Just as in the original series, succession will be a major theme, with multiple powerful families all vying for control of the Iron Throne.
Two of these great families will be familiar to fans of GoT. One scene in the trailer shows members of House Baratheon and House Stark swearing fealty to King Viserys Targaryen, played by Paddy Considine, and his female heir Princess Rhaenyra, played by Emma D'Arcy.
Alongside the trailer, HBO has also released a series of character posters, each spotlighting one of the protagonists. Arguably the highest-profile casting choice is former Doctor Who, Matt Smith, whose role as the white-haired Prince Daemon Targaryen will undoubtedly be pivotal.
Inspiration for the series comes from George RR Martin's book Fire and Blood published by Harper Collins in 2018. The book gives us some idea of what to expect, mainly a violent civil war known as the Dance of Dragons that will break out amongst the Targaryen family leading to its downfall.
Martin said in a blog post "For what it's worth, those who have read [my novel] Fire & Blood will realise it contains enough materials for a dozen shows.
"I can say that there will be dragons. Everyone else has said that, so why not me?"
While the land of Westeros remains patriarchal, House of the Dragon appears to continue Game of Thrones' tradition of giving women crucial roles in a world dominated by men. Another scene portrays Eve Best's Princess Rhaenys confiding to her daughter that "Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne".
The trailer ends with a dramatic voice-over.
"History does not remember blood it remembers names," Steve Toussaint's character Lord Corlys Velaryon says before a searing eruption of dragon fire fills the screen.
'It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm.'