We now have a release date for HBO's House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones spin-off based on the Targaryens.

House of the Dragon release date

The House of the Dragon Twitter account put out a tweet Wednesday morning featuring a graphic of a dragon egg and an Aug. 21 release date:

House of the Dragon will focus on the Targaryen civil war that took place roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood serves as the basis for the story.

Like Game of Thrones, this new show will feature an ensemble cast with a number of familiar actors. Most notably, Paddy Considine will play King Viserys Targaryen:

Olivia Cooke will be Alicent Hightower, Emma D'Arcy will play Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith is Prince Daemon Targaryen. Rhys Ifans will portray Otto Hightower, a Hand of the King for multiple Targaryens. Steve Toussaint is Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka the Sea Snake, while Eve Best is Princess Rhaenys Velaryon.

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The Targaryens ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros for nearly 300 years after Aegon's Conquest, which established King's Landing as the capital city and became the home of the Iron Throne in the Red Keep. The Targaryen Dynasty featured plenty of sinister plots and treachery, which will be on display in House of the Dragon. The civil war is known as the Dance of the Dragons.

The Targaryens ultimately fell out of power during Robert's Rebellion, with the Sack of King's Landing effectively ending their rule. Jaime Lannister murdered the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, while Robert Baratheon killed Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen in the Battle of the Trident. These events resulted in Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys going into hiding in Essos across the Narrow Sea, leading into the events of Game of Thrones as they look to reclaim their throne.

While House of the Dragon will surely feature many of the same shocking twists and turns as Game of Thrones, plus plenty of dragons wreaking havoc, the creators are out to create something that stands apart from the hit show. While many people criticized the ending of Game of Thrones, this will still be one of the most anticipated shows of 2022.