A Game of Thrones prequel called House of the Dragon is coming—and here's a sneak peek

Ready to return to Westeros? HBO has given the green light to produce a new Game of Thrones prequel series titled House of the Dragon.

Ever since Game of Thrones ended, we've been mourning the loss of one of the most epic series to grace our TV screens. Fantasy shows like Shadow and Bone have definitely kept us distracted, but there hasn't yet been a show to truly replace GoT—until now.

Take a sneak peek at the characters of House of the Dragon below and read on for all of the intel we know so far: 

What is House of the Dragon?

The spin-off series is said to be taking material from George R. R. Martin's book Fire & Blood. That means we most likely won't be seeing characters from the original GoT series. (Sorry, Sophie Turner!)

Instead, the show will take place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, focusing mainly on the history of House Targaryen. So, for those up to date on their Game of Thrones history, we can expect to witness some major battles like the Dance of Dragons (a.k.a. the Targaryen civil war), and the aftermath of the Doom of Valyria.

When does House of the Dragon come out?

Production for the show just started and the streaming service posted that the show will air sometime in 2022, so we still have a bit of a wait until our favorite dragonlords grace our screens.

For now, HBO has been teasing out the show with posts on social media, including one announcing that production's underway with the fitting caption: "Fire will reign."

Who will be in House of the Dragon?

The show will star Matt Smith—who fans will recognize as a young Prince Philip from The Crown—as well as Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Olivia Cooke, and Rhys Ifans. The network even dropped photos from filming showing some of the stars dressed in character. 

Rhys Ifans is coming onto the show as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King who is a loyal and faithful servant to Viserys and his realm. Next to him in the above photo is Olivia Cooke who plays his daughter, Alicent Hightower.

HBO has described Alicent as, "the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle, and possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.”

Emma D'Arcy is pictured above as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys Targaryen (played by Paddy Considine). Not only will she be a dragon rider, but she's said to be of pure Valyrian blood.

Then we have Matt Smith, who is headed back into the fantasy genre but this time not as our beloved Dr. Who. Instead, he's taking on the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the king's younger brother and heir to the throne.

If this show is in true Games of Thrones style, then we know to expect lots of betrayals, twists, turns, and, of course, dragon-packed action. While we wait for House of the Dragon to air on the small screen, we'll just have to enjoy the tiny teases HBO graces us with over social media.