"House of the Dragon" creator Miguel Sapochnik has discussed the story of the "Game of Thrones" prequel and compared it to "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope."

The 48-year-old director explained that "House of the Dragon" follows the Targaryens, a noble family introduced in the "Game of Thrones" series. He said the people behind the new show have chosen a narrative that will allow them to go backward and forward in the timeline.

"I think that's one of the interesting things about the Targaryens. We've chosen a story that's almost like 'Star Wars: Episode IV. It's the New Hope,'" he told Entertainment Weekly in an interview that came out Thursday. "We can go backwards, we can go forwards."

"There's a lot of opportunities there," he added. "I hope we've been given the opportunity to set up something."

In the interview, Sapochnik also shared his thoughts about the show's pilot episode, noting that while "pilots tend to be a lot to setup," he was "really, really keen on the idea of doing a pilot that was actually a story and moved you forward and got you engaged."

"We worked really hard on trying to make it exciting and not just one of exposition," he said.

Set 300 years before the events that unfold in "Game of Thrones," the show will tell the story of the Targaryen amid a civil war. Its pilot episode is set to arrive on HBO Max on Aug. 21. A new episode will be released on the streaming platform every Sunday. The show will have a total of 10 episodes.

The official Twitter handle of "House of the Dragon" dropped the trailer of the series last week, and it featured key characters played by Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Milly Alcock, Olivia Cooke and Steve Toussaint.

Toussaint, who plays The Sea Snake (also known as Corlys Velaryon) in the series, earlier revealed that he faced massive backlash online following his casting announcement. "I didn't realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media," he said. "Yeah, that sh-t happened. I was just like, 'Oh wow,' and then I thought: 'OK, so this means a lot to some people, but I can’t allow that to bother me.'"

"House of the Dragon" is based on George R.R. Martin's 2018 book "Fire & Blood."

British actors Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith -- who play Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon respectively in the new HBO show "House of the Dragon" -- speak at a panel during Comic-Con in San Diego, California, July 23, 2022
British actors Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith -- who play Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon respectively in the new HBO show "House of the Dragon" -- speak at a panel during Comic-Con in San Diego, California, July 23, 2022 AFP / Chris Delmas
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