Every Game of Thrones spin-off coming to HBO, ranked by hype level

Emma D?Arcy as “Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen” and Matt Smith as “Prince Daemon Targaryen” in House of the Dragon. Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO

House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon is the show that is closest to becoming reality. We know who’s in the cast and filming is ongoing. The show?will follow the events of the Dance of the Dragons, the bloody civil war that tore Westeros in two between 129-131 AC, over 100 years before the start of the original series. On one side you have Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), daughter to the late King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and his chosen heir to the throne. On the other side you have Aegon II, the king’s eldest son by his second wife Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Both claimants have big casts of characters supporting them, many of whom can ride dragons. When these two sides clash, heads, arms and wings will roll.

While we may know some things about the adaptation, much remains unclear. It?will most likely begin before the start of the Dance, but we?re not sure exactly when. Behind the scenes, Colony?creator?Ryan Condal and?Game of Thrones?director?Miguel Sapochnik will serve as showrunners. Martin, Vince Gerardis, Sara Lee Hess and Ron Schmidt will executive produce.

While I would have much preferred the first prequel to be about other events detailed in Fire & Blood, like Aegon?s Conquest or maybe Jaehaerys and Alysanne?s reign, I am still excited about House of the Dragon, as it gives me?my much-needed dose of Targaryen content.

Some things House of the Dragon needs to be careful about: not tossing around the word ?mad? like it doesn?t carry huge significance in the real world and applying it to characters that aren?t, in fact, mad; and making sure all key characters from the book end up in the show. I?ve heard many people saying they think Laena Velaryon might be cut from the show, or not all of Rhaenyra?s children will be included because it will be easier to simplify the story if they prune the packed (and incestuous) family tree. That would be a huge mistake, and I hope the show keeps every character in.

Last but not least, we need King Viserys’ court jester Mushroom to provide his account of how things (truly?) went throughout the show. I don?t care how, but we need his commentary. Perhaps at the end of every episode, the screen can fade to black and then Mushroom can tell us how things?actually?went. That would stay true to the chronicle-style of?Fire & Blood.

Hype Level: High

More Targaryens and Velaryons, please. Just do it right.