The old saying has it that blondes have more fun. And if you count riding dragons, stabbing people in the back (both literally and metaphorically), and going on fire-fuelled rampages as ‘fun’, then you can certainly apply that adage to the platinum-haired Targaryen family. In Game Of Thrones, they were almost entirely gone, save for rising warrior Daenerys and her trio of tiny (and eventually not-so-tiny) flying flamethrowers. Flash back a few hundred years into the history of Westeros, though, and the Targaryens were at the top of their game – ruling on the Iron Throne, dragons by their side, and conducting all kinds of maniacal meddling across the Seven Kingdoms. But how, and why, did it all fall apart? We’re about to find out in House Of The Dragon, the flame-scorched follow-up to the biggest TV series of all time. The Song Of Ice And Fire is over. The Dance Of The Dragons is about to begin.
This month’s issue of Empire finds us flying back to Westeros for the ultimate inside look at Thrones’ bloody new saga – a show with even more political maneuvering, crueller familial betrayals, and more dragons. Lots more dragons. Inside the issue, we get to grips with a whole new age of this most violent and unpredictable of fantasy worlds, in which a civil war is brewing that will tear its most powerful family apart – and we discover how its makers dealt with the unenviable task of creating something that’s both Thrones through-and-through, and full of fresh surprises. Packed with never-before-seen exclusive images, our House Of The Dragon cover feature also features brand new interviews with showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan J. Condal, plus stars Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Rhys Ifans.
On this month’s newsstand cover, you’ll find Emma D’Arcy’s Princess Rhaenyra, Matt Smith’s ferocious Prince Daemon, and Paddy Considine’s stoic King Viserys flanked by flames in the halls of the Red Keep – not a white-blonde hair out of place.
And this month’s stunning subscriber cover is illustrated exclusively for Empire by Peter Strain – a storm of swords with flaming dragon eyes, capturing the power and violence of the Targaryen reign.
And that’s not all! Inside, we rally a war-cry with Viola Davis’ historical epic The Woman King, get rebellious with the latest Star Wars series Andor, get up-close with cult action hero Scott Adkins, take an inside look at the new season of Gangs Of London, revisit Event Horizon with Paul WS Anderson, reunite Flight Of The Conchords duo Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, and much more.
Get ready for the House Of The Dragon issue to swoop onto shelves from Thursday 4 August – or pre-order a copy online here. House Of The Dragon airs on Sky Atlantic / NOW from 22 August.