Production on HBO's Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has been put on hold after a member of the crew tested positive for coronavirus.

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According to Deadline, filming will shut down for just two days – although the positive crew member and close contacts will continue to quarantine in line with restrictions.

It is one of several UK-based productions in a matter of days to have been impacted by rising coronavirus cases in the country, following similar delays to the second season of Bridgerton and Netflix's film adaptation of the musical Matilda.

House of the Dragon began production back in April of this year, with a planned release set for 2022 – and it's unlikely this short delay will have too much of a long term effect on the show's launch.

The series is based three centuries before the events of Game of Thrones and is based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, which details the story of House Targaryen.

An all-star cast for the series was announced last year, with Paddy Considine (The Third Day), Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Emma D’Arcy (Wanderlust) and newcomer Fabien Frankel among those in line for major roles.

Miguel Sapochnik, who directed several episodes of Game of Thrones, and Colony co-creator Ryan Condal serve as joint showrunners for the series, which the latter created alongside George R.R. Martin.

Fans were given a first glimpse of the 10-episode series back in May, with images showing Matt Smith’s transformation into Prince Daemon Targaryen.

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House of the Dragon premieres on HBO Max in 2022. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

Authors

Patrick Cremona, RadioTimes.com's senior film writer looking at the camera and smiling
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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