HOUSE OF THE DRAGON to hit the airwaves on 21 August

HBO have confirmed that their Game of Thrones prequel/spin-off series House of the Dragon will arrive on screens on 21 August this year.

They also released a number of publicity photographs for the upcoming show.

Olivia Cooke as Lady Alicent Hightower. The daughter of the King's Hand, Lord Otto Hightower of Oldtown, and an ambitious would-be player in the game of thrones.

Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon of Driftmark and Eve Best as his wife, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. Rhaenys was once a potential heir to the Iron Throne but was passed over in favour of her cousin Viserys, something that still irks her. Lord Corlys, famed as the "Sea Snake," is the most accomplished sailor in the history of Westeros, having sailed to distant, enigmatic Asshai-by-the-Shadow, into the far north of Westeros and across the top of Essos. A proud and rich man whose wealth rivals or exceeds that of the Lannisters. Princess Rhaenys rides the mighty dragon known as Meleys, the Red Queen.

Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole. A skilled swordsman from Blackhaven in the Dornish Marches, his rude birth precludes high status. His formidable talent for battle sees him set his sights on a lofty goal.

Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen. The younger brother of King Viserys, he is everything his brother is not: short-tempered, passionate, fiery and often uncaring of the consequences. He chafes at his brother's limitations and yearns to prove himself in battle. He rides the formidable dragon Caraxes.

Rhys Ifans as Lord Otto Hightower of Oldtown. The ruler of the continent's second-largest city and a rich, influential ruler in his own right, Lord Otto has risen to the rank of the King's Hand, ruling the Seven Kingdoms in the king's name. A proud and ambitious man who sees the potential for dispute in the succession, and wishes to take advantage of the situation for his own ends.

Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Once called "the Realm's delight," the only child of King Viserys expects to inherit the Iron Throne, despite vehement opposition by those who believe that only a man can rule Westeros. Rhaenyra's iron will and ambition is not used to opposition. Her dragon is called Syrax.

Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen. The fifth king of the Targaryen dynasty, who inherited the throne from his grandfather. Like his grandfather, he is amiable and dedicated to peace. Unlike his grandfather, he is not used to making hard decisions to ensure peace and prosperity into the future, and his gentle nature is arguably building up greater trouble for later on. A good man but, perhaps, not a good king. He once rode Balerion the Black Dread, the steed of Aegon the Conqueror, but after Balerion died he never took another mount.

Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as the young Rhaenyra and Alicent, childhood friends whose paths in adulthood take them in a very different direction.

Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, a dancer from Essos who rises from obscurity to become a trusted ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen.

House of the Dragon begins almost 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. House Targaryen rules the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Peace and prosperity fill the realm, the result of the rule of the wise Old King Jaehaerys the Conciliator. His grandson and successor, Viserys I, is an amiable and pleasant king, but lacks his gift for hard politicking that kept the peace. The lack of a male heir encourages competition for the role of successor between the king's younger brother, the daring and dangerous Prince Daemon, and his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra. However, both their ambitions are endangered when the king takes a new, younger wife who soon gifts him with more children. Decades later, as the end of the king's reign approaches, the stage is set for a bloody conflict...one in which all sides command the power of dragons.

In addition to the above, the series also stars Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling, Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin Strong, Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and his twin brother Tyland, David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury, Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong, Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon, John Macmillan (and Theo Nate as a child) as Ser Laenor Velaryon, Savannah Steyn as Lady Laena Velaryon, Ray Strachan as Arthur Velaryon, Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen and Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen.

The show is executive produced and showrun by Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, with George R.R. Martin executive producing and advising. The series is based on Martin's 2018 book Fire and Blood. Game of Thrones showrunner-writers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff were not involved in this project.

The release date has an interesting twist: it puts the 10-episode show on at the same time as Amazon Prime's Lord of the Rings prequel series, The Rings of Power, which launches on 2 September.