Game of Thrones fans unhappy about House of the Dragon 'shining a light on sexual violence'

Many Game of Thrones fans are waiting with baited breath for new prequel series House of the Dragon, but some are already deciding to switch off.

It comes after comments from showrunner Miguel Sapochnik on the nature of the upcoming HBO series, which recently set the internet alight with its first trailer.

While he stated that the series “pulls back” on the amount of sex in the upcoming episodes, he did make clear that sexual violence will still be a part of the show.

Sapochnik said he and co-showrunner Ryan Condall were addressing such scenes “carefully [and] thoughtfully” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The new show is set to arrive next monthHBO

“[We] don’t shy away from it,” he stated. “If anything, we’re going to shine a light on that aspect. You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified.”

Some of the most controversial moments in Game Of Thrones focused around sexual violence, with the rape of Sansa Stark by Ramsay Bolton in season five proving divisive.

The latest comments sparked a debate on social media, with fans hitting out at the inclusion of sexual violence in the series.

One wrote: “idk about anyone else, but the amount of assault and rape is specifically why i have not, cannot, and will not watch game of thrones. i dont care how good everything else in it is, i dont care how cool or interesting, its not worth me sitting through any amount of assault & rape.”

The Black Wedding episode proved the most controversial in Game of ThronesHBO

Another said: “Funny how series like Vikings and The Last Kingdom, which are based on historical events, didn't feel the need to continuously use sexual assault as a storytelling device. But [the] fantasy show just can't seem to get away from it. Laziness.”

One more added: “Yall don't need to show rape. We get it just by insinuating it. Nobody enjoyed watching that in Game of Thrones either. We just want Dragons and fights, coherent storylines.”

The upcoming prequel series tells the story of Rhaenyra and Aegon Targaryen, and is set 200 years before the events of the hugely popular fantasy series.

The new trailer focused on the power struggle at the heart of Westeros, as figures aspire to take control of the Iron Throne.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.