Peter Dinklage Shares His Thoughts On Game Of Thrones Prequel House Of The Dragon

Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, has shared his thoughts on HBO's prequel show, House of the Dragon, which releases this year. Speaking to The Independent, Dinklage said he is excited to watch House of the Dragon as a fan who doesn't know what will happen.

Dinklage also talked about the pitfalls that some spinoffs run into. To avoid being seen as a "money grab," a show like House of the Dragon needs to stand on its own, Dinklage said. "I think the trick is not to try to recreate Thrones," he said. "If you try to recreate it, that feels like a money grab. With a lot of sequels, the reason for them is that the first one made a lot of money, which is why they aren't as strong. But I am excited to watch the House of the Dragon, purely as a viewer, not knowing what will happen next."

Dinklage also briefly discussed the ending to Game of Thrones, which was criticized by some portion of the audience. Dinklage observed that Daenerys' murderous turn wasn't actually out of left-field.

"People were just mad because nobody wanted it to be over," Dinklage said. "I know a lot of people were supposedly surprised by the ending, but if you paid attention, the clues were there. We told you not to name your dog Khaleesi."

House of the Dragon is scheduled to premiere on HBO this year, though a specific release date hasn't been announced yet. Before this, George R.R. Martin commented on House of the Dragon, saying he saw a rough cut of the first episode and came away very impressed. "It's dark, it's powerful, it's visceral… just the way I like my epic fantasy," he said.

Set hundreds of years before Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon follows the drama involving the House Targaryen. "As King Viserys (Paddy Considine) reaches the end of his reign, a brutal battle for succession kicks off between his beloved daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and his second wife Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who wants the throne for her sons," reads a line from the show's description.

Doctor Who's Matt Smith and Harry Potter actor Rhys Ifans also star in the series.