Matt Smith dons super blonde Targaryen wig in official House Of The Dragon images

HBO is stepping back into the vast world of Game Of Thrones with long-awaited spinoff, House Of The Dragon. The fantasy drama is set 300 years in the past and focuses on the Targaryens, specifically on King Viserys (The Outsider’s Paddy Considine) and his younger brother, Prince Deamon, played by Doctor Who and The Crown star Matt Smith.

The cable network recently announced it had finally started production on the series, including a socially distanced cast table read. Now the first images are here to tide us over. It’s only three new photos but those costumes, the doom-and-gloom expressions, and the uber-blonde Targaryen wigs perfectly fit into the Game Of Thrones universe.

We get the official look at Smith as Prince Deamon, who is touted as a “peerless warrior and a dragon rider” in the show synopsis. He is sharing space with Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D’Arcy. She is the King’s firstborn child but her claim to the throne is challenged because of her gender.

We also get a glimpse at another family, the Hightowers. The Amazing Spider-Man’s Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower, the loyal Hand to King Viserys, who sees Prince Deamon as the greatest threat to the realm. Bates Motel and Sound Of Metal’s Olivia Cooke plays his daughter, Alicent, who might turn into a power player because of her political skills, courtesy of growing up in the Red Keep.

Finally, HBO also released the first photo of It’s A Sin’s Steve Toussaint as the Sea Snake or Lord Corlys Velaryon, belonging to a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. He’s a brilliant and adventurous man who is the husband to Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, played by Eve Best. He built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and claims the largest navy in the world.

Game Of Thrones, which ran for eight seasons and ended in 2019, was a massive hit for HBO. Even if the final couple of seasons weren’t as creatively successful, a number of potential sequels and spinoffs were announced that got nixed, including a pilot starring Naomi Watts set 10,000 years before the events of the show. House Of The Dragon is the only one that got greenlit. The upcoming series is based on George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood.

The cast also includes Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole and Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, a trusted ally of Prince Daemon. Martin and Ryan Condal serve as co-creators and Miguel Sapochnik is the showrunner with Condal. House Of The Dragon is expected to drop sometime in 2022 on HBO Max.