*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS*
Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin has revealed that he didn't want House of the Dragon to begin the way it did.
The show is based on the author's novel Fire And Blood, which is set 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones.
The HBO drama - starring Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy and Paddy Considine - chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen and the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
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Like Game Of Thrones before it, the series has proven to be a huge hit; however, it would have started off differently if Martin had his way.
Speaking to fellow fantasy writer David Anthony Durham, the 74-year-old said: "One of the writers wanted to begin it later, with Aemma dying. Skip the Great Council, skip the tournament, a scream sounds out, Aemma is dead, that's where you begin. That was one possibility.
"Another of the writers wanted to begin even later than that, with Viserys dying. But what happens there? Then you have to present all that material in flashbacks or dialogue, that becomes challenging too. But we discussed all these possibilities."
Martin said his preference - which 'no one liked' - would've been 'much earlier' in the Targaryen history.
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"I would've begun it like 40 years earlier, with an episode I would've called 'The Heir and the Spare,'" Martin said. "Jaehaerys' two sons, Aemon and Baelon, are alive, and we see the friendship but also the rivalry between the two sides of the great house.
"Then Aemon dies accidentally when a Myrish crossbowman shoots him by accident on Tarth, then Jaehaerys has to decide who becomes the new heir.
"Is it the daughter of the son who's just died, or the second son who has children of his own and is a man where she's a teenager?
"You could've presented all that stuff, but then you would've had 40 more years, and even more time jumps and recastings. I was the only one who was really enthused about that."
But regardless of where it begun, all's well that ends well, and following the successful launch of the prequel in August, the series was confirmed for a second instalment.
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"We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one," said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO programming.
"Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV. A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey.
"We couldn't be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with Season 2."
Topics: House of the Dragon, TV and Film, Game of Thrones
Jake Massey