House of the Dragon is the first of many prequels and spin-offs planned in the Game of Thrones Universe. The show will focus on House Targaryen’s reign and the games that will be played for the Iron Throne. The prequel is set 172 years before our Mother of Dragons- Daenerys Targaryen. The show’s premise is simple, King Viserys I must choose between his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen and his brother Daemon Targaryen as his heir to the Iron Throne. While you might feel this would end up in generic chain of events, that is not the case. The show has done exceptionally well in taking this simple premise and making it complicated and hence interesting. The prequel is created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal. Martin took a more active role for the prequel seeing what happened in Game of Thrones.
Ryan Condal also serves as co-showrunners with Miguel Sapochnik. Earlier this year, the showrunners had mentioned that they intend to run the show for at least 5 seasons. However, after only two episodes of the GOT prequel are out Miguel Sapochnik, the co-showrunner of the series has exited. This news comes off the heels of the show getting picked up for a Second Season and its viewership increasing with each episode. Let’s see why this major shake-up has taken place.
House of the Dragon: Is Miguel Sapochnik’s Exit Amicable?
Miguel Sapochnik is a veteran TV director from the 90s. He was part of Game of Thrones as well where he served as director to many episodes. At first, Sapochnik was hesitant to return to the Game of Thrones universe considering what happened with Season 8. It also didn’t help that Sapochnik helmed two of Season 8’s most controversial and worse episodes- The Long Night (S8, Ep.3) and The Bells (S8, Ep.5). The third episode was criticized for the handling of the long awaited battle with the Night King.
While the fifth episode saw the sudden change of series hero Daenerys Targaryen into a crazed villain, something that GOT fans have still not gotten over and the show still faces backlash for. However, after Sapochnik saw how fervent the fanbase was first-hand at a Game of Thrones Experience concert in Los Angeles with a crowd of 17,000 others. Sapochnik spent months developing House of the Dragon with Condal and Martin. After two years of filming and working on post production the TV director has left the show.
To Sapochnik’s credit, he has also directed some of the beloved Game of Thrones episodes as well. Hardhome (S5, Ep.8), Battle of the Bastards (S6, Ep.9) and The Winds of Winter (S6, Ep.10). The split seems to be totally amicable and mostly based on Sapochnik’s desire to branch out. Sapochnik will still serve as executive producer to House of the Dragon’s upcoming seasons. The news of this major shake-up first came from The Hollywood Reporter. Here’s the statement issued by Sapochnik following his exit.
“Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honor and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon. I am so proud of what we accomplished with season 1 and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers. It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally. As I do so, though, I am deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series. He’s someone I’ve known and respected for a long time, and I believe this precious series could not be in safer hands. I am so glad to remain a part of the HBO and House of the Dragon family and, of course, I wish Ryan and his team success and all the best with season 2 and beyond.”
Following Sapochnik’s exit the prequel has roped in another director from the GOT space- Alan Taylor. He would serve as executive producer and also direct a number of episodes in House of the Dragon Season 2. Along with directing House of the Dragon’s pilot, Sapochnik also be directed Episode 6 and 7 of the first season. This is news is shocking but it seems like it was pre-decided and discussed by Sapochnik and hence won’t affect the show too much. All has gone right for House of the Dragon so far. Hopefully that won’t change now.
The GOT prequel has an incredible ensemble cast that includes Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Along with the main cast, the supporting cast of the show includes- Milly Alcock, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, Savannah Steyn, and more.
House of the Dragon’s first two episodes are currently streaming on HBO Max or Disney+. New episodes will debut on every Sunday or Monday on HBO and HBO Max or Disney+ Hotstar depending on the region you live in, at 9 pm or 6.30 am.
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