When the blockbuster fantasy drama Game of Thrones First airing more than a decade ago, it became known almost immediately for its violent bloodlust and frequent, free nudity.
From the very first episodes of George RR Martin’s eight-season epic, there were graphic sex scenes, stories of rape and incest, and even gory depictions of infanticide.
But 11 years later, times have changed – even in the fantasy land of Westeros. For House Of The Dragon, The Long-Awaited Prequel To The Original Series, Is Completely Gone woke upaccording to Hollywood insiders.
For prequel House of Dragon, 200 years before Game of Thrones, expect non-binary actors, a new dynasty of powerful black characters and roles that are “sexually fluid” and “androgynous”
Gone are the daring scenes of frontal nudity and violence that shocked and delighted audiences in equal measure. In their place are non-binary actors, a new dynasty of powerful black characters and roles that are “sexually fluid” and “androgynous.”
Set in this new era, set 200 years before Game Of Thrones, it is two women who compete for the show’s Iron Throne – the seat of power that governs the disparate regions of Westeros.
And instead of subjecting female actresses to sexual assault, new post-MeToo storylines are designed to showcase the “power” of women by showing gory scenes of childbirth.
A Hollywood executive associated with the new series told The Mail on Sunday: “The original show was made before the MeToo era. Graphic sex and nudity had never been seen like this on television. But this new series had to take into account that we live in different times. The sex is handled very differently and there is much less of it. There is much more diversity. Game Of Thrones had only a few black characters, and one of them was murdered in chains.”
House Of The Dragon, which airs on Sky Atlantic from August 22, is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood and tells the story of the House of Targaryen and the bitter and brutal civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
One of those vying for the throne is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by British actor Emma D’Arcy, who classifies as non-binary in real life and uses the pronouns she/them. D’Arcy has described how the character is “terrified of getting locked into motherhood.”
“Rhaenyra has an ongoing battle with what it means to be a woman and is a fundamental outsider,” D’Arcy said. “She is terrified of getting locked into motherhood and is aware how her position would be different if she were a man.
Actress Emilia Clarke, who played the iconic character Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen of Dragons, in Game Of Thrones, has previously spoken about her fear of nude scenes, which left her in tears.
‘I am a non-binary person. I’ve always found myself drawn and repelled by both male and female identities and I think that’s true here.”
Former Doctor Who Matt Smith plays her uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen, a character described as sexually “fluid” and “weirdly androgynous.” In fact, one of the main themes of House Of The Dragon, according to the Hollywood source, is “men bad, women good.”
British star Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower, Princess Rhaenyra’s stepmother, explains: “There are times when Emma is on one stage and I am on the other and we’re both surrounded by idiotic male characters. And we know that if all these men just got along, and we were alone, the realm would be all right.’
It means there’s a lot less nudity and sexual assault than in the original series – though it hasn’t been cut out entirely. Director Miguel Sapochnik explained the decision, saying that while the new show is “pulling back” on the number of sex scenes, you “can’t ignore” the violence perpetrated by men against women throughout history. However, he adds, “It should not be glorified.”
Instead, there are some graphic scenes of childbirth – which can still make the audience shiver. “The cot is our battleground,” the source said.
And referring to the infamous ‘Red Wedding’ massacre in the original series, where several key characters were killed in a legendary massacre, the source added: ‘This does to childbirth what Game Of Thrones did to weddings.’
But in today’s movie industry, there’s a bigger problem for production teams that didn’t exist in 2011, when the original drama first aired — that actresses no longer want to perform in nude scenes that could be considered free. The Hollywood source said: “Since MeToo, actresses are much less willing to do graphic sex scenes. There was a sex scene coordinator on this series to make sure everyone was comfortable. But there’s a lot less sex.’
Cooke has admitted she “wouldn’t feel comfortable” being part of a series that used “extreme graphic violence” against women to “excite viewers.”
“I was lucky enough to read the script before, and it’s changed a lot since the first few seasons,” she said. “I don’t think they’d be in their right mind to say anything more about that.”
Actress Emilia Clarke, who played the iconic character Daenerys Targaryen, the dragon queen, in Game Of Thrones, has previously spoken about her fear of nude scenes, which left her in tears.
Former Doctor Who Matt Smith plays Prince Daemon Targaryen, a character described as sexually ‘fluid’ and ‘weirdly androgynous’
“I just got out of drama school,” she said, “I’d never been on a movie set…and now I’m on a movie set completely naked with all these people.” But Clarke said her co-star Jason Momoa, whose character Khal Drogo Daenerys “virtually raped” on their wedding night, was “so kind and thoughtful.”
“He always said, ‘Can we get her off-*****g robe?” she recalls.
Carice Van Houten, who appeared in numerous nude scenes in the original show as the Red Priestess Melisandre, now also looks back on those days differently.
“Afterwards I thought, ‘Why did that scene have to be naked? Why was that normal?” I questioned things [after MeToo] and it wasn’t so much that I blamed anyone, but that’s just how we’ve evolved, and how the movement affected me.’
Other notable changes that the public can expect to see include the introduction of a new influential black family, the House of Velaryon, led by Lord Corlys Velaryon.
Known as the Sea Snake, he is played by veteran British Hollywood star Steve Toussaint.
There is also Asian representation in the form of Japanese-born British actress Sonoya Mizuno, who plays the wily Mysaria.
According to the show’s official website, “Mysaria came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can remember and could have withered, but instead grew up to become Prince Daemon Targaryen’s most trusted and unlikely ally, the heir to the throne.’
It also features Notting Hill actor Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King.
So far, only creator Martin has seen all ten episodes of the new series.
While Game Of Thrones ended in controversy—the eighth and final season was panned by critics and fans alike—Martin says the prequel is “powerful, visceral, dark…like a Shakespearean tragedy.”
And while it airs just two weeks before Amazon launches its £400 million Lord Of The Rings series The Rings Of Power – the most expensive TV show ever made – Martin is philosophical that life will not imitate his art.
“It’s not a deathmatch,” he says. “I wish them luck.”