Forget winter, dragons are coming in HBO Max’s House of the Dragon teaser

Winter isn’t coming anymore, but dragons are on the way in HBO Max’s new House of the Dragon teaser. The first footage from the Game of Thrones prequel series has arrived, and it focuses primarily on Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) ancestors.

Set 200 years before Dany’s bid for the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon will show what Westeros was like when House Targaryen reigned over the Seven Kingdoms.

The first footage only offers a brief glimpse of the characters we’ll be following, but they look every bit as clever and conniving as the leaders who vied for the Iron Throne in the original series.

Played by an impressive lineup of actors — including Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Sonoya Mizuno, Steve Toussaint, and Rhys Ifans— they’re likely to be just as compelling, too.

Of course, none of the Targaryens need to do quite as much scheming as Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) to keep the throne. The words at the end of the teaser ring true in that regard: “Dreams didn’t make us kings; dragons did.”

Watch HBO Max’s new House of the Dragon teaser below:

House of the Dragon teaser confirms 2022 release date

In addition to giving us a first look at who we’ll be following in the upcoming series, the House of the Dragon teaser confirms the show’s release date.

The Game of Thrones prequel arrives sometime in 2022, so fans don’t have to wait long before diving back into Westeros (though they should probably hurry if they’re planning to read the tome that is George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, which the series is based on).

That means that, sometime next year, Game of Thrones fans will be congregating in front of the television on Sundays, ready to discuss whatever wild developments take place that week. If that isn’t nature healing I don’t know what is.

What do you think of the House of the Dragon teaser? Are you excited to tune in when it debuts in 2022? Sound off in the comments below.