House of the Dragon is set to premiere tomorrow! And as fans of the series gear up to pick a side in the Dance of the Dragons civil war, HBO has decided to play up the conflict between the factions of House Targaryen by draping iconic landmarks all over the world with computer-generated banners for the Greens and Blacks.
The viral move began with a video of the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, seemingly flying a banner for #TeamBlack, supporting Rhaenyra Targaryen as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Simultaneously, other landmarks around the world flew their banners as well, such as the Empire State Building in New York and Sugarloaf Mountain in Brazil flying green banners in support of Alicent Hightower, and the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe in Spain flying black banners.
Photos of the National Gallery in Singapore, and Monas and Bundaran HI in Indonesia from HBO Asia
Through a clever use of graphics and taking advantage of larger-than-life monuments, HBO took social media by storm with the marketing stunt, revealing two new locations per region every day. Aside from the Marina Bay Sands, the other monuments in Southeast Asia that displayed banners for House Targaryen are the National Gallery in Singapore, the world’s largest public display of modern Southeast Asian art; the Monas in Indonesia, which commemorates the struggle for independence with a flame covered in gold leaf; Bundaran HI in Indonesia, a welcome monument built for the 1962 Asian Games; the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, which are the tallest twin towers in the world; Merdeka Square in Malaysia, the venue where the Malaysian flag was hoisted for the first time to signal the country’s independence; Manila City Hall in the Philippines, a historic neoclassical style building which serves as the office of the Mayor of Manila; and Intramuros in the Philippines, a centuries-old walled area in Manila which served as the seat of government during the Spanish colonial rule.
Photos of the Petronas Twin Towers and Merdeka Square in Malaysa, and Manila City Hall and Intramuros in the Philippines, from HBO Asia
The images and videos from HBO resulted in people wondering if the banners are real and becoming curious about the upcoming season 2 premiere of House of the Dragon. And if fans were interested in joining in on the fun, they could create their own digital character poster at www.raiseyourbanners.com.
As the banners have teased, season 2 of House of the Dragon will follow the Targaryen civil war as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) of the Blacks and Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) of the Greens vie for the Iron Throne. Don’t miss the action and catch the premiere of House of the Dragon Season 2 on HBO and Max this June 16.
Which side are you on and why? Let us know in the comments!