A new 3D billboard promoting House of the Dragon sees a fire-breathing dragon terrorize passersby in New York City. Based on George R. R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, the upcoming HBO series focuses on the beginning of the end for the reigning House Targaryen. Set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the prequel show introduces a host of new characters into what showrunner Ryan Condal has described as a Succession-inspired battle for the Iron Throne.

Presenting a more internal and familial struggle for power than its predecessor, House of the Dragon begins during an era when the Targaryen family was plentiful in number. Though by the time of Game of Thrones, their house has been greatly decimated, and their dragons left all but extinct. A major selling point of the upcoming prequel was the promise of more screen time for the giant fire-breathing reptiles. While Paddy Considine (the star behind the reigning King Viserys I Targaryen) recently admitted that the potential for dragons initially deterred him from a part in the original show; a whopping 17 of them are set to appear in the new HBO prequel.

Now, House of the Dragon has posted a video of a 3D billboard in New York City, giving passersby a closer look at the fire-breathing beasts. Emerging from the burning ruins of a building in Times Square, the billboard shows one of the show’s new dragons looming over the street and roaring. Rearing back to breathe fire, the video gives some idea of the kind of destruction that could be wrought by the flying reptiles when the new series debuts later this month. Check out the post below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1558197940459450368

Though Daenerys Targaryen ultimately hatched three dragons in the season 1 finale of Game of Thrones, rescuing the creatures from apparent extinction, their numbers were once again eviscerated by the end of season 8, leaving only Drogon alive. While their mighty origins were referenced throughout the show, Tywin Lannister notably revealed to his tyrant grandson, Joffrey, that the last of the Targaryen dragons had grown to the size of an apple. Giving some insight into how far the Targaryen dynasty is set to fall in just a 200-year span, official images and trailers promise some suitably monstrous dragons in House of the Dragon.

While dragons are certainly not the only selling point for a show as beautiful and complex as Game of Thrones, their addition undoubtedly helped. A difficult but impressive creature to portray on the small screen, fans are set to be spoiled for choice in the prequel with 17 fire-breathing reptiles to pick from and admire. After witnessing how they captured the imaginations of fans in the original show, HBO likely has its fingers crossed for a similar audience response to the creatures in House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21