This story first appeared in The Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
George RR Martin is no newcomer to change. After “Game of Thrones” revolutionized the fantasy landscape and paved the way for genre series to garner mainstream acclaim, she and “House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condle pitched a female-centered spin-off. set his sights on another mighty challenger.
“If you’re going to make a successful spin-off or sequel, it has to have a reason to exist,” Condal said. “The original show had great female characters, but really, other than Cersei, no [woman] actually ascends to power the way Alicent and Rhaenyra both do in their own ways.
It’ll be Alicia Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), the dueling heroines of HBO’s prequel series, which takes place roughly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones.” While that show featured female characters lifting themselves from the shadows of a male-dominated kingdom, “House of the Dragon” tells the story of two women at the very nexus of power in Westeros: The Iron Throne. We first meet her as the best friend of the teenagers (played by Emily Carey as Alicent and Millie Alcock as Rhaenyra). But their bond crumbles when Alicent marries Rhaenyra’s ailing father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), and sisterly trust is replaced by ruthless betrayal.
It’s quite a heel turn from “Game of Thrones,” which was often accused of misogyny. (Martin has said that Westeros was “not particularly more anti-feminist or more misogynistic than real life and what we call history.”) The new series explores female sexual awakening and the finer gritty of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood — all The themes have also been explored. The predominantly female writers’ room (which included executive producer Sarah Hayes) could be imbued with an authenticity that, Condall said, “even with the most well-rounded all-male creative team”. will not exist.
“We wanted to present a real female perspective, warts and all, with these women who are both deeply flawed and make bad decisions — as any character does — and seeing how they deal with it.” wrestle with and grow from it,” Condal said.
The battle for female power is established as the heartbeat of the series in the first episode, when the Great Council moves to continue House Targaryen’s tradition of male succession and King Viserys turns against them, choosing Rhaenyra as his Resolve to nominate him as his successor.
“The region prefers a male ruler,” said Kondal. “Viserys, in the bookkeeping of that episode, is going against the Realm. This creates ripples that lead to war.
Martin said that developing a female-centric narrative within the Westeros universe made perfect sense, as her work is rooted in medieval history, with Queen Isabella of France as “the She-Wolf”, Joan of Arc and Eleanor. An era of formidable personalities. Aquitaine.