House of the Dragon: We BET you did not know these facts about the fantasy show

Whether you are an ardent fan of Game of Thrones or not, House of the Dragon will leave you amazed and perplexed at the same time.

Fans of fantasy, fiction, dragons, and drama will know what it means to say that House of the Dragon on Disney+ Hotstar, is shaping up to be one of the biggest series of the year. While some of its elements will be familiar to those who know Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is a standalone show with a compelling cast and a gripping narrative. The 10-episode series, with new episodes dropping every Monday at 6:30 AM IST (same time as the US telecast), is a remarkable, turbulent story of the House of Targaryen, set 200 years before the events that captivated global audiences in Game of Thrones.  Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, Clare Kilner, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Greg Yaitanes, the series has been executive produced by George R. R. Martin, Ryan Condal, and Miguel Sapochnik, along with Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, and Ron Schmidt.

While the story continues to deepen in  bitter rivalries, jealousy, lust, the quest for power, and betrayal  to destroy the Targaryen dynasty, here are four things you didn’t know about the show featuring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, and Rhys Ifans:

The idea of House of the Dragon was first explored in 2018

In 2018, HBO was already exploring ideas for a prequel to Game of Thrones, filming its final, eighth season. That same year, George RR Martin invited Ryan Condal to write the pilot of the show, and a month later, the two sat together to begin work on the series.

Miguel Sapochnik was skeptical about being part of the prequel

Miguel Sapochnik directed six episodes across three different seasons of Game of Thrones, including Battle of Bastards, the penultimate episode in season six, which won him an Emmy. HBO knew the premium value of that experience and wanted Sapochnik’s skill and knowledge for the next project in the franchise. However,  Sapochnik was a little reluctant to come on board. He said after Game of Thrones, he didn’t know if he wanted to enter something of greater intensity.

5,000 costumes were made for the cast of the series

Costume supervisor Joanna Lynch and her team of 150 members sourced acres of material – including cotton, silks, velvet, leather and chiffon – from all over the world to manufacture approximately 5,000 costumes, including those for the principal cast and hundreds of extras.

An hour of make-up and hair at 5:30 in the morning

The cast would arrive in the make-up room hours before filming each day on set. Hair and Makeup designer Amanda Knight and her 15-member strong team would work with the leading cast, and another 20-member strong team would prepare the extras needed on set, starting at 5:30 in the morning.

HBO’s House of the Dragon, which releases a new episode every Monday at 6:30 AM (IST), streaming exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar in India.