'House of the Dragon' featurette: George RR Martin reveals new contenders for the Iron Throne. Watch

A new featurette from the upcoming HBO fantasy drama series 'House of the Dragon' is here. The five-and-a-half-minute clip has the co-creator of the show and the originator of this entire world George RR Martin explaining the show's extensive cast of characters. 'House of the Dragon' is a spinoff and a prequel to 'Game of Thrones' and takes 200 years before the events of 'GoT'. The story is based on a seminal event in the history of the Targaryens in Westeros called Dance of the Dragons that arose over competing claims on the Iron Throne.

While in 'Game of Thrones', the struggle for the Iron Throne was between different houses, here the conflict is among the Targaryens themselves, who have not yet been reduced to what they become in 'GoT' (just two members -- Viserys and Daenerys).

In the video, Martin says, "The best fiction, the best drama, is about characters. The story of House of the Dragon is a story about very flawed human beings, capable of doing good things, capable of doing monstrous things, capable of courage, capable of cowardice. These are the kinds of characters that I love the most."

He also explains the Hightowers, a house rarely seen in 'Game of Thrones' but has been one of the most important houses in Westeros for centuries. The house plays an important role in 'House of the Dragon'.

"In terms of the history of Westeros, the Hightowers are the oldest. They’ve been there for thousands of years. Their seat of power is Old Town, which was for many thousands of years the biggest city in Westeros. They are a very rich house, Old Town is wealthy from trade mostly. And in the center of it is the High Tower, from which Hightowers take their name," says Martin.

Also Read: 'House of the Dragon' trailer: HBO series promises fiery dragon battles in an older struggle for Iron Throne

In 'House of the Dragon', Paddy Considine plays the role of the reigning monarch King Viserys I Targaryen. His eldest child is a daughter called Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), an ambitious individual who does not hold with the norm that only men can rule the realm. The king's younger brother  Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) also has designs on the throne. Also involved are Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), and his wife Princess Rhaenys Velaryon (Eve Best), among others.

'House of the Dragon' releases on August 21.