Green or black? And one dragon — or two?
Ahead of the June 16 premiere of “House of the Dragon” Season 2, HBO is inviting fans to pledge their allegiance to either Rhaenyra’s Black or Alicent’s Green faction with an AI-enabled digital poster depicting themselves as a Westeros character on one side of the looming House of Targaryen civil war, dubbed the Dance of the Dragons.
HBO’s “Raise Your Banners” digital character poster generator for “House of the Dragon” (at raiseyourbanners.com) will be available worldwide starting June 10 through the Season 2 finale Aug. 4.
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On the site, users can take a selfie and pick their side, Green or Black. The system then generates a poster of them as a Westeros character along with the banner of their chosen side in various settings. Users can add a dragon or two, or tap the “alter yourself” button to generate more character posters. They can then save their preferred image and share it on social media or elsewhere.
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In addition, you’re able to switch sides as Season 2 of “House of the Dragon” unfolds. The site will feature a weekly leaderboard showing which of the Green or Black councils is currently reigning.
The hope, of course, is that the posters created by “HOTD” fans will boost drive tune-in for Season 2 of the “Game of Thrones” prequel. The new season of “House of the Dragon” officially marks the start of the Targaryen civil war as the political factions vie for control of the Iron Throne. On one side is Team Black: Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) and their forces on Dragonstone. Team Green in King’s Landing is led by Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), with her father Otto (Rhys Ifans) and her children King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Young King Aegon is doubling down on his claim to the Iron Throne — which his half-sister Rhaenyra views as her birthright.
The “House of the Dragon” Raise Your Banners fan experience was developed by HBO’s Digital Innovation group and created in partnership with digital marketing firm Media.Monks. The poster generator debuted at the world premiere of Season 2 in New York on June 3.
“We’re excited to combine our love of Westeros and the latest tech to give fans new ways to immerse themselves, or, in the case of our poster generator, a few different versions of themselves,” said Michael Hagos, senior director of creative marketing for HBO and Max. “By giving fans the chance to see themselves (possibly) riding a dragon if they’re willing to pick a side in the Green vs. Black conflict, we are taking the ‘battle’ to social media, sparking some healthy debate, and reigniting our uniquely passionate fanbase globally as we enter the ‘House of the Dragon’ summer.”
“House of the Dragon” takes place 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and is based on author George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” which details the history of House Targaryen. Season 1 followed Rhaenyra in her fight to be named the chosen heir of King Viserys I (Patty Considine) and the lead-up to the war of succession between the Targaryens.
Returning cast for Season 2 of the fantasy drama series includes Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, Eve Best as Rhaena Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole and Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen.