Game of Thrones prequel sees production halted by COVID case

House of the Dragon, a prequel to HBO drama Game of Thrones, has paused filming due to a positive COVID test on set in the UK.

Although close contacts will quarantine, others involved are expected to resume this Wednesday.

The show will recount the days when the Targaryen family ruled the fictional world of Westeros - set 300 years before the events of the HBO cultural phenomenon.

The straight-to-series fantasy drama from George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik started production in April with plans for a 2022 launch.

House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Fabien Frankel. Also featured are Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best and Sonoya Mizuno.

Based on Martin’s Fire & Blood, Considine plays King Viserys Targaryen, Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower, D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, known as the Sea Snake, who becomes Hand to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen during the Dance of the Dragons.

Despite fans negatively receiving the last and final episode of the hugely popular show, it was still a massive hit worldwide, with House of The Dragon marking one of three spin-offs or prequels in the works.

The news comes a few days after 'Freedom Day', when nearly all restrictions to prevent COVID-19 were lifted in the United Kingdom, including meeting inside and wearing face masks. The UK saw 39,000 new cases yesterday and 19 deaths from the virus, with case numbers expected to rise to 50,000 per day in the coming weeks following the Euros.

Deadline revealed that Bridgeton’s second season was shut down for the second time in a week due to a positive case of Covid and Netflix shuttered its feature adaptation of Matilda due to the virus.