After months of waiting, a release date for Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has finally been confirmed.

The first episode of the highly-anticipated show will air in Australia on August 22.

HBO has been tight-lipped about the highly anticipated series for five months, since it updated fans with a teaser trailer in October 2021.

The release date was revealed in an HBO Instagram post on Wednesday (US time), with the calendar date looming over a burning dragon’s egg, seemingly ready to hatch.

It has been almost three years since GOT wrapped, with its final season getting mixed feedback.

Fans upset by the show’s final season will perhaps be delighted to know that original series creators David Benioff and Daniel Brett Weiss are not involved in the House of the Dragon project.

Instead, the prequel is being crafted by series author George R.R. Martin, along with Hercules and Rampage screenwriter Ryan Condal.

What we know so far

So far, we know the series is based on Martin’s Fire & Blood – a novel about the origins and downfall of the House of Targaryen.

HBO has hinted the series will offer insights into the lineage of the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Tagaryen, who met a grim fate in the Game of Thrones finale.

The prequel series will be set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and is so far confirmed to run to 10 episodes.

It remains unclear whether HBO will expand House of the Dragon into multiple seasons like its predecessor.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by HBO (@hbo)

The dream team

Fans have also had another taste of the series’ lead actors in character, with a collection of stunning images released on social media.

The first image shows Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders, Hot Fuzz) as King Viserys. Fans will remember that King Viserys is the namesake of Daenerys’ brother in the original series.

Doctor Who and The Crown star Matt Smith will trade his trademark dark locks for platinum blond to play Prince Daemon Targaryen, King Viserys’ younger brother.

Emma D’Arcy, best known from Wanderlust and Truth Seekers, will play Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen – a bold dragon rider and niece of Daemon.

Australian actress Milly Alcock, seen in much of the promotional footage, will enter the House of the Dragon universe as a younger version of Princess Rahenyra.

Award-winning Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi will return to score the series.

Australians can watch the series on Foxtel and streaming platform Binge from August 21.