House of the Dragon Filming in Spain in October

[The Bard of Banefort]

Which ASOIAF castle is the one in Spain supposed to be? 

[Corvinus85]

 

[Lady Fevre Dream]

57 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

 

I just saw this on my Twitter feed, I was coming to see if it was posted here at all.

I'm kinda put out......I hate to revive an old saying (that wore on everyone) but:  WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS???

It just seems that a good dragon shot would have fit in well with the wording, LOL  

[Corvinus85]

12 minutes ago, Lady Fevre Dream said:

I just saw this on my Twitter feed, I was coming to see if it was posted here at all.

I'm kinda put out......I hate to revive an old saying (that wore on everyone) but:  WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS???

It just seems that a good dragon shot would have fit in well with the wording, LOL  

I doubt they've done much post production. These are just filmed shots.

[Lord Varys]

Have to say it, I can't take the black Velaryons seriously. They just look ridiculous, like some kind of clan of exotic foreigners.

The only way this can work conceptually, I think, is if they do not mention it all, treat it effectively like color-blind casting. But I doubt they will do this. If they wanted to do something like that, then Viserys I could have been black, Daemon Asian, Rhaenyra white, etc.

So we are likely to see the Velaryons being black being a plot point.

Either they will introduce modern racist concepts into the show, i.e., for instance, Rhaenys marrying Corlys becoming part of the reason why she and her children were passed over by the Old King and the lords of the Great Council, or they will drop or change the 'keep the bloodline pure' marriage policy, because there is just no chance that there were any Targaryen-Velaryon matches prior to Rhaenys-Corlys if the Velaryons are effectively 'black Valyrians'.

As for the teaser:

The arms we see in the joust is the Striding Huntsman of the Tarlys, no? The woman looking somewhat mixed race early in the teaser might be Laena, no? The agitated redhead with the dagger is Alicent, no?

And I guess the black-haired fighting with a Targaryen prick would be Luke vs. Aemond.

In light of all that, it seems the chances are not that bad that the show will start 120 AC with a Velaryon funeral and is subsequently going to use flashbacks rather excessively.

Whether that's a good decision I don't know. Probably not.

[The hairy bear]

Except for the black Velaryons, everything looks great. Rhaenyra dressed in black, Blackfyre, adding more swords to the Iron Throne, etc. But of course, not looking good has never been a problem with GOT.

The two knights at the tourney are some Tarly knight and Criston Cole. The tourney seems to take place at Horn Hill, since the Tarly huntsman is featured on the castle walls. It's weird, and probably a mistake, that there are some Stark and Bolton banners in the tourney grounds. Although it's a very minor issue, I'd had hoped that there were someone in the production paying more attention to detail.

I also wonder if they plan to make some Tarly a recurring character in the show. The Tarly family is an interesting one to follow through the Dance, because while the green leader Ormund Hightower (nephew to Otto) is married to lady Sam Tarly, the lord Alan Tarly supports the blacks.

 

[Ran]

And Alan Tarly may have been the son of Lord Tarly who courted Rhaenyra, which gives some extra layer perhaps to Cole defeating him as well as why it'd be interesting to use the Tarly's to show a family caught between both sides.

[The Bard of Banefort]

Wow, they were able to make Emma D. look a lot older. She has an unconventional look, but I think it works for Rhaenyra.

Hopefully someone on Reddit will post screenshots from the trailer so we can see them all in detail lol. 

Making the Velaryons Black is silly if you’ve read the books, but I actually think Corlys looks pretty good. In a way, it embraces the fantasy elements of this world more.

Is that Viserys narrating? 

[Lord Varys]

8 minutes ago, The hairy bear said:

Except for the black Velaryons, everything looks great. Rhaenyra dressed in black, Blackfyre, adding more swords to the Iron Throne, etc. But of course, not looking good has never been a problem with GOT.

Rhaenyra looks really great. I think we can see that Emma is as much her as Conleth Hill was Varys - who was, perhaps, the actor who physically fit the character perfectly (and also from his acting while the script still included the Varys George created).

I'm not sure if that's enough to make me enjoy the show, but it is a start. If Rhaenyra wouldn't work as a character, then the show would have massive problems.

8 minutes ago, The hairy bear said:

The two knights at the tourney are some Tarly knight and Criston Cole. The tourney seems to take place at Horn Hill, since the Tarly huntsman is featured on the castle walls. It's weird, and probably a mistake, that there are some Stark and Bolton banners in the tourney grounds. Although it's a very minor issue, I'd had hoped that there were someone in the production paying more attention to detail.

The women we see up on the dais seem to be Alicent and Rhaenyra, so perhaps this is going to be what's the Tourney of Maidenpool in the book, i.e. the tourney where Cole gets noticed by the court? Or is Cole already in KG armor on the horse. I can't make that out.

The guy in the Targaryen armor beating up somebody would be Daemon, I expect.

8 minutes ago, The hairy bear said:

I also wonder if they plan to make some Tarly a recurring character in the show. The Tarly family is an interesting one to follow through the Dance, because while the green leader Ormund Hightower (nephew to Otto) is married to lady Sam Tarly, the lord Alan Tarly supports the blacks.

Could be. Perhaps they also help George to figure out the mess that's House Tarly. Is Donald - the father of Lady Sam - also the father of Alan, or how does the family fit together?

13 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Is that Viserys narrating? 

No, that's Matt Smith, i.e. Daemon.

Viserys I looks rather impressive, grasping Blackfyre and sitting on the Iron Throne. I'd like it if they give him, occasionally, a harder edge. He is a Targaryen king, after all, not some bumbling fool like Robert Baratheon.

But I'd have liked it if they had reimagined the Iron Throne to fit better with George's design.

Also, I can't but notice how silly the premise of this show is in light of the whimpering and undignified ending the Targaryens got in GoT. I mean, I've gone on record saying that I find a history book on a dynasty who failed and will eventually die out pretty pointless. Why bother with fleshing out failures some more?

But while we can still expect great (and perhaps terrible) things from Aegon, Jon Snow, and Daenerys in the remaining volumes of ASoIaF we didn't get anything of that sort in GoT. There Daenerys was a cruel madwoman and Jon Snow a lovesick, stupid fool.

Are people really looking forward to a show focusing mainly on the ancestors of those morons? If I only knew the show I'd honestly not bother with HoD.

[Corvinus85]

The revamped Iron Throne looks intimidating, but not really more impressive. They threw a bunch more swords on the dais and the floor, which I suppose sends the message of approach at your own peril, but not sure how it is an uncomfortable seat for the king.

It's funny to see all the criticism about the black Velaryons after the Dragon Demands has defended this choice to exhaustion on his youtube channel. I think the only way it works is if they say Corlys's mother was a Summer Islander. But his children are now starting to lean towards the classic Targaryen genes thanks to their mother.

I liked the armor of the Targaryen knight. But if that's supposed to be Cristone Cole, it's a weird choice of armor, unless it predates his nomination to the Kingsguard.

[The Dragon Demands]

53 minutes ago, The hairy bear said:

Except for the black Velaryons, everything looks great. Rhaenyra dressed in black, Blackfyre, adding more swords to the Iron Throne, etc. But of course, not looking good has never been a problem with GOT.

The two knights at the tourney are some Tarly knight and Criston Cole. The tourney seems to take place at Horn Hill, since the Tarly huntsman is featured on the castle walls. It's weird, and probably a mistake, that there are some Stark and Bolton banners in the tourney grounds. Although it's a very minor issue, I'd had hoped that there were someone in the production paying more attention to detail.

I also wonder if they plan to make some Tarly a recurring character in the show. The Tarly family is an interesting one to follow through the Dance, because while the green leader Ormund Hightower (nephew to Otto) is married to lady Sam Tarly, the lord Alan Tarly supports the blacks.

 

My running theory for some time is that IF they do the subplot that the Reach is divided on who sides with Rhaenyra or Aegon II during the war, that the pro-Rhaenyra northern lords of Rowan, Caswell, and Tarly will be condensed into just Tarly...or rather, that they'll mention the other two, but the "front man" with speaking lines who represents them on screen is a Tarly.

[The Dragon Demands]

2 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

The revamped Iron Throne looks intimidating, but not really more impressive. They threw a bunch more swords on the dais and the floor, which I suppose sends the message of approach at your own peril, but not sure how it is an uncomfortable seat for the king.

It's funny to see all the criticism about the black Velaryons after the Dragon Demands has defended this choice to exhaustion on his youtube channel. I think the only way it works is if they say Corlys's mother was a Summer Islander. But his children are now starting to lean towards the classic Targaryen genes thanks to their mother.

I liked the armor of the Targaryen knight. But if that's supposed to be Cristone Cole, it's a weird choice of armor, unless it predates his nomination to the Kingsguard.

Running theory is they're going to say that the lower-ranking Valyrian families below the dragonlords were like this. We also saw Celtigar heraldry in spy photos. What if Celtigars are gingers?

[Lady Fevre Dream]

1 hour ago, Corvinus85 said:

I doubt they've done much post production. These are just filmed shots.

It was mostly a joke on my part, but still, all that dragon talk in the promo is what made me notice the lack of any dragons.  I get that dragons show up in post production, though.  

[The Wondering Wolf]

The Targaryen knight is Daemon, his opponent Criston (you can see the morning star). 

Since we see a lot of black guys behind the main Velaryon family, we can assume it's not only the current generation that is black. Additional casting info: Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon - Younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy. 

The woman with the Asian looks is Mysaria.

People assumed that the scene around 41/42 takes place after Viserys's death. This could mean Westerling is kept alive during the whole reign of Viserys and may be the kingsguard who switches sides to Rhaenyra instaed of Steffon Darklyn.

Around 43 you see Laenor (?) fight someone within a Velaryon estate (you can see the ship at the wall in the background).

 

[Ran]

7 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

People assumed that the scene around 41/42 takes place after Viserys's death. This could mean Westerling is kept alive during the whole reign of Viserys and may be the kingsguard who switches sides to Rhaenyra instaed of Steffon Darklyn.

Pretty sure that scene is supposed to be Alicent angrily insisting that Luke's eye be taken out in 120 AC. Still, it does mean they're keeping Westerling alive for longer. If they keep him alive up to Viserys's death... well, I suspect Criston Cole will kill him and be appointed Lord Commander immediately after.

I'm guessing that's supposed to be Qarl Correy. Can't see who else Laenor would be fighting. Guess we won't be seeing Spicetown...

ETA: As to black Velaryons, the guy to the left of Corlys is the Vaemond actor. The rest could be a combination of Vaemond's daughter(s) and sisters to Corlys and Vaemond, I guess? But honestly, with the fact that Vaemond and Corlys are definitely not half-black individuals, yeah, it would have to run at least to a grandparent... Whatever, there's really no way to make sense of it. It is what it is.

[Lord Varys]

13 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

It's funny to see all the criticism about the black Velaryons after the Dragon Demands has defended this choice to exhaustion on his youtube channel. I think the only way it works is if they say Corlys's mother was a Summer Islander. But his children are now starting to lean towards the classic Targaryen genes thanks to their mother.

I don't think that's the road they want to take. Corlys doesn't look like his mixed race, and we get a literal army of black Velaryons in that confrontation scene in the teaser. Laenor and Laena might be among them, but they are not all we are seeing.

In that sense, the only thing that makes sense is that the Velaryons are imagined as a black family/clan, possibly by claiming that there were/are black Valyrians. Honestly, this is the only way to explain that weirdo hair.

5 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

Since we see a lot of black guys behind the main Velaryon family, we can assume it's not only the current generation that is black. Additional casting info: Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon - Younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy. 

Oh, come on - why can't he be Corlys' nephew? Is it that hard to keep the family tree straight?

5 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

People assumed that the scene around 41/42 takes place after Viserys's death. This could mean Westerling is kept alive during the whole reign of Viserys and may be the kingsguard who switches sides to Rhaenyra instaed of Steffon Darklyn.

The scene with Alicent and the dagger? I thought that might be the aftermath of Aemond losing his eye, with Alicent running to Viserys to complain.

5 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

Around 43 you see Laenor (?) fight someone within a Velaryon estate (you can see the ship at the wall in the background).

I thought that was Luke vs. Aemond. The blond guy didn't look like Laenor from the spy fotos to me.

[The Wondering Wolf]

2 minutes ago, Ran said:

Pretty sure that scene is supposed to be Alicent angrily insisting that Luke's eye be taken out in 120 AC. Still, it does mean they're keeping Westerling alive for longer. If they keep him alive up to Viserys's death... well, I suspect Criston Cole will kill him and be appointed Lord Commander immediately after.

You could be right about that. But since they've already casted Beesbury, I'm not sure they will kill two guys in the same manner. And replacing Darklyn's role with Westerling would make sense to me.

3 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

I thought that was Luke vs. Aemond. The blond guy didn't look like Laenor from the spy fotos to me.

I think you can see these Velaryon dreadlocks there.

[Lord Varys]

7 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

You could be right about that. But since they've already casted Beesbury, I'm not sure they will kill two guys in the same manner. And replacing Darklyn's role with Westerling would make sense to me.

This feels weird. Westerling would be very old if he still lived during the Dance. And Criston Cole being the Lord Commander in 129 AC is kind of a crucial plot point.

7 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

I think you can see these Velaryon dreadlocks there.

I can't make them out. But they really look all the same time. Stupid blond pricks.

The whole diversity angle could have been covered if they had actually looked for albino actors and actresses to play the Valyrians. No need for silly wigs and some would have even come with natural blue and purple eyes.

[The Wondering Wolf]

13 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

I thought that was Luke vs. Aemond. The blond guy didn't look like Laenor from the spy fotos to me.

I think there are two actors for Laenor, Theo Nate and John Macmillan.

[Ran]

2 minutes ago, The Wondering Wolf said:

I think there are two actors for Laenor, Theo Nate and John Macmillan.

Right. I think the feast scene is Theo Nate -- he has the terrible wig -- and the fight scene is John Macmillan -- with what looks like a substantially better looking wig, to my eye.