Fire and blood will be in the air in HBO's "Game of Thrones" prequel "House of the Dragon," about the Targaryen dynasty, as HBO adds to its cast, including Olivia Cooke, Emma Darcy, and Matt Smith in addition to Paddy Considine as King Viserys HBO also recently premiered the show's dragons in two concept art images

Winter has already come and gone for "Game of Thrones," with its eight-season run ending in May 2019; HBO wanted to follow up on the greatest show of all time and began developing five potential "Game of Thrones" spin-offs One of these will proceed: the "House of the Dragon"

There was a somewhat tortuous path to the creation of "House of the Dragon," and HBO's first choice for a spinoff was an entirely different project set in the Age of Heroes However, after filming a pilot starring Naomi Watts, that project was scrapped

HBO then made a surprise announcement that it had ordered 10 episodes of House of the Dragon The series is based on George R R Martin's fantasy novel "Fire and Blood," which chronicles the rule of House Targaryen beginning with Aegon Targaryen I's conquest of Westeros some 300 years before "Game of Thrones"

Screenwriter Ryan Condal ("Colony") and veteran "Game of Thrones" director Miguel Saposhnik are co-showrunners Saposhnik directed several hit episodes of "Game of Thrones," including "Hardhome," "The Long Night," and the Emmy Award-winning "The Bastard's Battle"

Here is what we know so far about "House of Dragons"

A release date for House of the Dragon has not yet been set

HBO announced a series order in October 2019; initial casting began in late July 2020 However, many steps remain to be taken, including filming, editing, and visual effects The latter may take much longer, as the Targaryen-focused series must feature dragons

"My guess is sometime in 2022," HBO programming president Casey Blois told Deadline in January 2020 'It's obviously a big, complex show'

If it's as complex as "Game of Thrones," consider this: it took nine months to shoot Season 8 and then nine months to premiere If "House of the Dragon" follows a similar timeline, the release date would be around March or April 2022, which makes sense since almost all of the seasons of "GOT" premiered around that time

In early December, HBO released two teaser images with the caption "The Dragon is Coming" as part of its announcement that filming would begin in 2021 This basically matches the estimated timeline above

According to Entertainment Weekly, the cast of House of Dragons will be led by Paddy Considine, who plays King Viserys He is described as "chosen by the Lords of Westeros at the Grand Council of Harrenhal to succeed old King Jehaeris Targaryen Mild-mannered, kind, and well-mannered, Viserys wants nothing more than to carry on his grandfather's legacy But good men do not always make great kings"

Other main cast members of the Dragon family include:

- Olivia Cooke (as Alicent Hightower): "Daughter of Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, she is the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms She grew up in the Red Keep and was close to the King and his closest aides" She possesses both courtly grace and keen political acumen

- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen: "Brother of King Viserys and heir to the throne An unparalleled warrior and dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon But whenever a Targaryen is born, it is said that the gods throw a coin into the air "

- Emma Darcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, "The firstborn of the king, she is of pure Valyrian blood and is a dragonrider Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything But she was not born a man"

"The House of Dragons" takes place hundreds of years before "Game of Thrones" Based on Martin's novel "Fire and Blood," it depicts the reign of the House of Targaryen from the beginning The story begins with Aegon I's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros

House of the Dragon focuses on a specific part of Targaryen history: the Dance of Dragons This was a bloody and brutal Targaryen civil war that took place 200 years before "Game of Thrones" (2]

The death of Viserys I sets off a struggle for succession between his daughter from his first marriage, Princess Rainila, and his son from his second marriage, Aegon II Princess Shireen Baratheon tells this story in an episode of the fifth season of Game of Thrones

"Brother fought brother, and dragon fought dragon," she reminded her father Stannis By the time it was over, thousands were dead"

As Shireen noted, the conflict took its toll on the Targaryens Dragons remained extinct for a century and a half until Daenerys Targaryen hatched three dragons in "Game of Thrones [House of the Dragon] will consist of 10 episodes Episode titles are not yet known, but HBO has revealed the director

"House of the Dragon" Season 1 directors include Claire Kilner ("EastEnders"), Geeta Patel ("The Witcher"), and Greg Yaitanes ("House") He joins Miguel Sapochnik, who was announced as the director of the pilot

There is no trailer for House of the Dragon yet

HBO may include a mention of the series in the network's look-ahead teaser in the fall or 2021