8 TV Series & Movies About Fight for Power to Watch After 'House of the Dragon' Season 3
From classic historical flicks to modern dramas.
The third season of House of the Dragon has once again proven that the battle for the Iron Throne is the most gripping story of all. With intrigues, betrayals, treacherous alliances, and dragons incinerating everything in their path, this potent mix keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
We've rounded up eight movies and TV series that share House of the Dragon's love for political maneuvering, complex characters, and moral ambiguity.
1. 'Queen Margot', 1994
IMDb Score: 7.4/10
The Catholic Margaret of Valois is married to the Protestant Henry of Navarre. Their union is intended to reconcile France, heal the nation's rifts, and end the religious war.
Catherine de Medici views her children with apprehension and dread, King Charles IX lives in constant fear of losing power, and Henry wonders if he will live to see the next morning.
Then, as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre begins, all of Paris turns into a slaughterhouse – the fury of court intrigue spills onto the streets. The massacre is not merely the result of a mob gone wild but rather the direct consequence of betrayals and behind-the-scenes struggles for the throne.
2. 'Succession', 2018-2023
IMDb Score: 8.8/10
Like any medieval monarch, Logan Roy rules his world. He controls information, and his media empire is as valuable as a royal treasury. His children – Kendall, Roman, and Shiv – constantly war with one another, hoping their father will eventually say, "You are worthy."
Each of Logan Roy's children strives to become the person they hate because, in their world, only such a person resembles a real human being.
The closer they get to the throne, however, the more obvious it becomes that there was never an empire to inherit – only a tyrant who knew better than anyone how to play the king.
3. 'Macbeth', 1948
IMDb Score: 7.4/10
Orson Welles adapted the story almost as a horror film, depicting human ambition as laughable to the gods. Three witches play with clay, shaping a small, crowned figure – a pitiful, soggy, nearly childlike doll.
This doll encapsulates Welles' message about the nature of the struggle for power. He created his Shakespeare adaptation quickly and on a limited budget.
This lack of resources does not hinder the movie, however, it defines its entire atmosphere. Here, Scotland is a wild, primordial realm suspended between the past and the future – a place where people know of Jesus Christ, yet still have greater faith in dark pagan forces.
4. 'Ran', 1985
IMDb Score: 8.2/10
On the surface, Ran is a variation on King Lear, transposed to feudal Japan. The aging ruler, Hidetora, decides to divide his domain among his three sons.
The youngest warns him that this decision will lead to chaos. For telling the truth, he is immediately exiled. The others accept their inheritance and quickly prove the youngest son right.
However, for Akira Kurosawa, this is not merely a tragedy about ungrateful children. Hidetora built his power through bloodshed. He ravaged other clans, slaughtered entire families, and burned cities. In the end, he realizes that such deeds come at a price.
5. 'The Hollow Crown', 2012-2016
IMDb Score: 8.2/10
The Hollow Crown is a screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's history plays. However, it avoids theatrical heaviness and over-the-top expression. Instead, it opts for a sweeping, visually evocative narrative about the English monarchy losing its luster and the country descending into bloody warfare.
The crown is truly hollow – ostensibly a symbol of power and law, it is, in reality, a heavy metal object that passes from hand to hand, one whose possession demands the price of one's life and soul.
6. 'Ivan the Terrible', 1945
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible is the story of a monarch's rise. Though he ascended the throne by right, he is compelled to constantly prove his right to himself and others. He expands and consolidates his power at every turn, forging his absolute rule amidst wars, intrigues, and the fires of cruelty and violence.
The film depicts the stages of a journey in which the royal throne is threatened by external enemies while the tsar learns to be stern, fearsome, and just.
Today, Ivan the Terrible stands as the perfect analysis of the genuine and harrowing struggle for the throne, the soul, and power.
7. 'Rome', 2005-2007
IMDb Score: 8.7/10
An incredibly expensive project for its time, it brought together the BBC and HBO teams, as well as high political poetry and gritty, everyday prose.
Through the eyes of two ordinary Roman legionnaires, we witness the story of the Republic's collapse and the rise of the Empire, as well as Caesar's personal relationships with his kin and co-rulers.
Although the protagonists do not vie for power themselves, they constantly find themselves on the sidelines of major events, witnessing the assassination of Caesar – a man who believed he answered to no one.
8. 'The Lion in Winter', 1968
IMDb Score: 7.8/10
At first, it may seem that not much happens in this movie – just a family gathered around a holiday table. Set in 1183 during Christmas, the aging Henry II hosts his wife, sons, and young mistress.
The tension is so high that no dragons are needed. Henry's wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who had been imprisoned for conspiring against her husband, is plotting to regain her influence. As for the sons – the future Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland – each has long dreamed of wearing the crown.
Henry himself wants to retain power and choose an heir. This mix of desires, dreams, fears, and hopes creates a unique atmosphere of constant suspense.
