Game Of Thrones' Movie Now Needs To Bring Back 1 Key House Of The Dragon Character

Image via HBO Published Aug 17, 2026, 8:29 AM EDT James Hunt is a writer and editor based in Newcastle, UK. A Sports Journalism graduate from the University of Sunderland, he quickly realized that supporting his local football (or "soccer") team, Sunderland AFC, was painful enough without having to write about it, so decided to write a load of nonsense about movies and TV instead. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warner Bros' upcoming Game of Thrones movie can, and should, include a House of the Dragon character after a major reveal in season 3 of the prequel. The latest run of the show has wrapped up, but there's a lot more to come from the Westeros franchise. That includes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 in 2027, while House of the Dragon season 4 (which will be the show's last) is expected to hit HBO sometime in 2028. There are several more Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, but the franchise is also making its way to the big screen. This is something that's long seemed likely: when George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books were first eyed for adaptation, most discussions before HBO's involvement centered on potential movies. Later, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss pitched ending Game of Thrones with three movies, but that was rejected. Now it is becoming a reality, with Game of Thrones: Aegon's Conquest hitting theaters sometime after 2027, written by Beau Willimon (House of Cards, Andor). It will tell the story of how Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, conquered the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, forged the Iron Throne, and started a dynasty that would last for almost 300 years. The timeline of Aegon's Conquest puts it around 130 years before House of the Dragon season 3, but we now know one person is old enough to have been around. Game Of Thrones: Aegon's Conquest Can Bring Back House Of The Dragon's Alys Rivers Image via HBO The House of the Dragon season 3 finale was full of major moments and shocking twists, but it also dropped a fascinating lore reveal: Alys Rivers' backstory. She's someone who is very mysterious in the book, Fire & Blood, and that continued in the TV show, until now. In "The Treasons at Tumbleton," we learn that she had actually been at Harrenhal during Aegon's Conquest, and was the mother of at least one of King Harren Hoare's children. As she explains to Aemond Targaryen: "When the dragon Balerion burned this place, it was to end Lord Harren's line. But his line was not so easily ended. A child, a boy, lived on. Burned terribly, but alive. His mother would have given anything to save him. She summoned Maesters from across the Seven Kingdoms, but to no avail. So, she turned to older cures. She uncovered incantations more ancient than the land. She treated with things that lived in the forest. But none of it could unmake what dragonfire made. And when the boy was gone... she tr-- she tried to go with him. And that is when she learned the cost. ( sniffling ) She discovered then she was cursed. To live on, to remain within the bounds of the river kings of old, cursed for sharing in Harren's avarice. Stripped of her name, her title, her castle. And sentenced to serve every ha'penny lord who came here to rule it." Hoare, known as Harren the Black, was the King of the Isles and Rivers at the beginning of Aegon's Conquest, which was later split into the Iron Islands and the riverlands. He was one of the kings who opposed the Targaryen invasion, fighting battles against them before eventually retreating inside the walls of Harrenhal. Though Aegon tried to parley with him and arrange terms of peace, Harren refused, even against the threat of dragonfire, saying: "I built in stone. Stone does not burn." Harren was wrong. Aegon unleashed Balerion upon the castle, burning Harren and his children to death. This is one of the biggest sequences within the larger story, and so important (and so easy to imagine it being cinematic) that it absolutely must be in Aegon's Conquest. And if that's the case, then Alys should really be there as well. The implication, given she mentions name and title, is that she was Harren's wife, someone we previously knew nothing about. Given House of the Dragon's reveal, it'd now be odd if Alys didn't at least briefly appear in the story. The Citadel · Maester’s Examination How Well Do You Know Westeros? “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” 🐺StarkWinter is Coming 🦁LannisterHear Me Roar 🐉TargaryenFire and Blood 🦌BaratheonOurs is the Fury 🐙GreyjoyWe Do Not Sow ENTER WESTEROS → 01 The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in Westeros, ruling from their ancestral seat. What is the name of their castle? AHighgarden BStorm’s End CCasterly Rock DThe Eyrie ✓ Correct! Casterly Rock sits atop gold mines in the Westerlands and has been the seat of House Lannister for centuries. The gold beneath it is the source of the family’s legendary wealth — though as Tywin once noted, the mines ran dry years ago. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Casterly Rock. Highgarden belongs to the Tyrells, Storm’s End to the Baratheons, and The Eyrie to the Arryns. Casterly Rock has been the Lannister stronghold since Lann the Clever swindled it from House Casterly. NEXT → 02 Jon Snow rises through the ranks of the Night’s Watch to eventually hold what title — the highest position in the order? AFirst Ranger BLord Commander CMaster of Arms DWarden of the North ✓ Correct! Jon Snow was elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch by his sworn brothers. He was one of the youngest men to ever hold the title, following in the footsteps of legends like Jeor Mormont. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Lord Commander. While Jon started as a steward, he was elected Lord Commander after the death of Jeor Mormont. Warden of the North is a different title entirely — one held by the Stark family. NEXT → 03 Daenerys Targaryen hatches three dragons from petrified eggs. Which of the following is NOT one of her dragons? ABalerion BDrogon CRhaegal DViserion ✓ Correct! Balerion “the Black Dread” was Aegon the Conqueror’s dragon, who died of old age over a century before the events of the show. Daenerys’ three dragons are Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion — named after Khal Drogo, Rhaegar, and Viserys. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Balerion. Daenerys’ three dragons are Drogon (black and red), Rhaegal (green and bronze), and Viserion (cream and gold). Balerion the Black Dread was Aegon the Conqueror’s mount, dead long before Daenerys was born. NEXT → 04 The Red Wedding is one of the most shocking moments in TV history. At whose castle does this massacre take place? AHarrenhal BRiverrun CCasterly Rock DThe Twins ✓ Correct! The Red Wedding took place at The Twins, the castle of House Frey. Lord Walder Frey violated the sacred guest right by slaughtering Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and their bannermen during the wedding feast of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is The Twins. Walder Frey’s castle — two towers spanning the Green Fork — was where he broke sacred guest right to massacre the Starks. “The Lannisters send their regards” remains one of the show’s most chilling lines. NEXT → 05 Jon Snow wields a Valyrian steel bastard sword given to him by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. What is the sword’s name? AIce BLongclaw CHeartsbane DOathkeeper ✓ Correct! Longclaw is a Valyrian steel bastard sword that was the ancestral weapon of House Mormont. Jeor gave it to Jon after he saved the Lord Commander from a wight, replacing the bear pommel with a white wolf for House Stark. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Longclaw. Ice was the Stark greatsword (melted down by Tywin Lannister), Heartsbane belonged to House Tarly, and Oathkeeper was one of the two swords forged from Ice. Longclaw is the Mormont blade Jon carries throughout the series. NEXT → 06 Tyrion Lannister serves as Hand of the King to which ruler, expertly managing the defense of King’s Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater? ARobert Baratheon BTommen Baratheon CJoffrey Baratheon DDaenerys Targaryen ✓ Correct! Tywin sent Tyrion to serve as Hand in his place during Joffrey’s reign. Tyrion brilliantly orchestrated the defense against Stannis Baratheon’s fleet using wildfire, though he received no credit and was nearly killed in the battle. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Joffrey Baratheon. Tyrion served as Joffrey’s Hand of the King in Season 2, appointed by his father Tywin. He later served as Hand to Daenerys, but it was under Joffrey that the Battle of the Blackwater took place. NEXT → 07 Jon Snow’s true parentage is one of the show’s biggest reveals. What is his real Targaryen name, given by his mother Lyanna Stark? AAegon Targaryen BAemon Targaryen CRhaegar Targaryen DJaehaerys Targaryen ✓ Correct! Lyanna Stark named her son Aegon Targaryen. He is the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna, who were secretly married. This made Jon the true heir to the Iron Throne — a fact that changed the course of the final season. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Aegon Targaryen. Lyanna whispered the name to Ned Stark in the Tower of Joy. Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen (not named after him), making him Aegon — a name carried by many Targaryen kings, including the Conqueror himself. NEXT → 08 In the series finale, who is chosen by the lords and ladies of Westeros to rule the Six Kingdoms as king? AJon Snow BSansa Stark CTyrion Lannister DBran Stark ✓ Correct! Bran Stark — now Bran the Broken — was chosen as king of the Six Kingdoms at the Dragonpit council. Tyrion argued that Bran’s story was the most compelling reason to rule. Sansa became Queen in the North, and Jon was sent back to the Wall. ✗ Dracarys! The answer is Bran Stark. Tyrion nominated Bran at the great council, arguing “who has a better story than Bran the Broken?” Sansa was crowned Queen in the independent North, Jon returned to the Wall, and Tyrion served as Bran’s Hand of the King. REVEAL MY SCORE → The Citadel · Results Sealed Your Westeros Record ⚔ / 8 Did you claim the Iron Throne — or lose your head? ↻ PLAY THE GAME AGAIN Of course, it is possible that the movie will purely stick to book canon, with the Alys reveal an invention for House of the Dragon only. But it does give an easy opportunity for connective tissue, as a moment that'd be a nice nod to fans of the show, but without needing that understanding for people just coming into the movie, since she wouldn't be a crucial character in this story. Aegon's Conquest Will Definitely Feature One House Of The Dragon Character Whether Alys Rivers returns in Aegon's Conquest remains to be seen, but there'll definitely be one familiar face from the show who appears in the movie: Aemond's dragon, Vhagar. She is the oldest dragon living in Westeros at the time of House of the Dragon, and the last remaining dragon from the Conquest, with the other two being Meraxes (flown by Rhaenys; she died 10 years after the Conquest) and Balerion (the largest dragon Westeros has ever seen; he was flown by Aegon himself, and died 94 years after the Conquest). Vhagar, ridden by Visenya, was actually the youngest of the three dragons flown during the invasion, which will add a fun twist to House of the Dragon. We're used to her being the biggest, most ferocious beast alive, but she's going to be smaller in the movie than both Balerion and Meraxes. While including Alys isn't essential, Vhagar absolutely is. The she-dragon is one of the main weapons at the disposal of the Targaryens, and, alongside the other two, is instrumental in Aegon's Conquest being a success. House Of The Dragon Has Changed Aegon's Conquest's Story Image via HBO Aside from the potential inclusion of Alys Rivers, it'll be interesting to see if Aegon's Conquest follows the canon of House of the Dragon for an even bigger reason: the TV show's reveal of Aegon's Song of Ice and Fire dream. His prophecy, which also mentions the Prince That Was Promised, foretold of a coming darkness sweeping over the world out of the far North, and that only a Targaryen could unite the realm to defeat it. In other words, Aegon saw the White Walkers, which recontextualizes the entire Conquest. This is not just an invasion born out of ambition and power, but from a belief that this is the only way to save the world. That doesn't make it entirely good or altruistic, since many people will die in its name, but it does change the story and Aegon as a person in a rather fundamental way. It's also something that came from Martin, which means there's a good chance it'll end up in the movie as well. In fact, it's quite easy to imagine the movie actually depicting Aegon's dream on screen in some way. This could be at the very beginning of the movie, or perhaps something that is used as a narrative device later on - for instance, when he treats with Torrhen Stark, the King in the North, who is convinced to bend the knee to Aegon (which could be because he learns of the prophecy). It feels too big to ignore, and means House of the Dragon should have a major impact on Game of Thrones: Aegon's Conquest. Game of Thrones $45 $85 Save $40 TV Show(s) Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms Cast Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Iain Glen, John Bradley, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Liam Cunningham, Gwendoline Christie, Aidan Gillen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Rory McCann, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jerome Flynn, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Graham McTavish, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Emma D'Arcy, Matthew Needham, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey Created by George R.R. Martin First TV Show Game Of Thrones Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.