Collider: How did this pairing between you two come about?
MIGUEL SAPOCHNIK: We were introduced to each other.
And then, we met and got on.
And then, we ended up working together onConan, as a television show.
RYAN CONDAL: That actually came together, yeah.
Ryan, I heard that you had reached out to George R.R.
Image via HBO
Martin in 2013, to buy him dinner when you were in Santa Fe.
What was going through your head, at that point, and what does that meeting feel like now?
CONDAL: No, it was very innocent.
Image via HBO
I was very much just a fan.
That was now nearly 10 years ago.
It didnt feel like George needed anything at all from me.
Image via HBO
I just wanted to get to know him.
Obviously, it led to things later on, but I never expected anything out of it.
How do you think the you from then would react to what is happening now, with this show?
CONDAL: I think he would think its pretty crazy.
That was before I was married.
It was before children.
Life changes so fast.
But I made a whole TV show after that, with three seasons ofColony.
My career really changed a lot after that experience in Santa Fe.
At that point, I was really much more focused on just trying to find work.
Any Ryan of the last 20 years wouldve been pretty blown away by this experience.
Thats why we got along on those other projects that we discussed.
But I think we also both had an individual sense of what madeGame of Throneswork.
Lets not just make a prequel because theres a desire to make more money off ofGame of Thrones.
Lets make it prequel because theres a story to tell here.
Ryan has read the books and is an encyclopaedia of knowledge of that world.
I havent, and probably purposefully.
It creates a different perspective thats valuable for both of us, objective and subjective.
How far ahead have you planned, overall?
CONDAL: I think we have a fairly good plan laid out.
Weve always had a good sense of that.
Theres the story of the conquest, the story before the conquest, the Targaryens leaving Old Valyria.
You have a tale like this, where the Targaryens have dragons and are in power.
What changes there, and how is that different?
Its a very rich tapestry.
Its a rich landscape.
I think the fan base is willing and eager.
Theres a lot of storytelling left in this world, if people want it.
House of the Dragonairs on Sunday nights on HBO and is available to stream at HBO Max.
