A fantasy battle is brewing for the tail end of the summer. We’ve known for a while that Amazon’sLord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Powerseries will finally arrive on our screens on 2 September this year courtesy of Amazon Prime Video, conjuring up a Second Age of Middle-earth. We’ve also long known that this year will bring a much-anticipated return to Westeros in Game Of Thronesprequel seriesHouse Of The Dragon, centred on the history of House Targaryen. But now it’s confirmed the two shows will officially be battling for our attention at the same time – and, in a move worthy of the Lannisters, the Thrones series has snuck just ahead of Rings in the schedule.
HBO has confirmed that House Of The Dragon will debut on 21 August, via a smouldering new poster. No, that isn’t a Westerosi Easter treat – it’s a ready-to-blow dragon egg, and just behind it you’ll see some serpentine eyes looking on with menace.
The good news is, House Of The Dragon is already confirmed to arrive on UK screens more-or-less simultaneously – NOW has announced an air date of 22 August (which, when taking into account time differences, is basically the same). During the Thrones years, Sky and NOW tended to simulcast the episode as it debuted on HBO – subsequently becoming available to stream in the immediate aftermath. Stay tuned for confirmation on that for House Of The Dragon closer to August.
What it does mean is that House Of The Dragon – which stars the likes of Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, and Rhys Ifans, and takes place about 200 years prior to Game Of Thrones – will launch nearly two weeks ahead of Amazon’s mega-budget Middle-earth saga. Will there be a clear winner, in terms of which one grabs the public’s attention the most? Or will fantasy fans everywhere simply be living their best lives, lavishing in expensive streaming series to their hearts’ content? (Emphasis on the ‘content’.) We’ll find out in around five months’ time…