House of the Dragon
HBO quickly confirmed House of the Dragon season 2 after its successful first installment, but what can fans anticipate from its newest chapter?
Season 1 concluded with Queen Alicent installing Aegon on the Iron Throne and usurping Rhaenyra’s birthright to become Queen. Season 2 will no doubt see more conflicts arise between Rhaenyra and Alicent.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Season 2 Confirmation | Confirmed shortly after the successful Season 1. |
| Storyline | Conflict between Queen Alicent and Rhaenyra continues. |
| Release Date | Summer 2024. |
| Showrunner | Ryan Condal returns as showrunner. |
| Executive Producers | Ron Schmidt, Jocelyn Diaz, and Sara Hess join Condal. |
| Composer | Ramin Djawadi will compose the score for the new episodes. |
| Filming Status | Filming began and should conclude in October/November. |
| Trailer | Season 2 announcement followed a successful Season 1 premiere. |
| Cast | Some actors may not return, but several key characters are expected to be back. |
| Plot | Set 200 years before Game of Thrones, focusing on Targaryen history and civil war events. |
| Number of Episodes | Season 2 will consist of eight episodes. |
| Showrunner Change | Ryan Condal took over as showrunner for Season 2. |
| Production Status | Season 2 production unaffected by strikes; completed scripts in advance. |
Are you an avid fan of HBO’s series House of Dragon? If so, season two may soon be on its way! Season 1 was an enormous hit, drawing 10 million viewers for its premiere. House of Dragon explored Targaryen’s history by chronicling events that occurred centuries before Game of Thrones world emerged.
The second season of Game of Thrones will bring new characters and old favorites alike; however, several key names such as Elliot Grihault’s Prince Lucerys met an untimely death in Season 1, while Paddy Considine as King Viserys has already given up fighting for the Iron Throne. Other key characters like Eve Best’s Princess Rhaenyra and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon should return for another adventure.
Ryan Condal, co-creator and writer of Game of Thrones will return as showrunner for its fifth season. Additionally, he created the USA series Colony as well as directed the 2014 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson film Hercules. Executive producers Ron Schmidt, Jocelyn Diaz and Sara Hess will join Condal as showrunners, while Ramin Djawadi – composer of Game of Thrones music – will compose score for new episodes.
According to HBO Max boss Casey Bloys, filming for season two has begun and should wrap in October/November to leave time for post-production VFX work. A release date of summer 2024 has also been set.
HBO announced House of the Dragon will return for a second season shortly after its debut earlier this month. The Game of Thrones spinoff launched with over 20 million viewers watching its premiere episode, becoming HBO’s highest viewership launch ever. Furthermore, it made the 2022 TV Show Awards list as well! No wonder HBO is keen on keeping this hit going for another season.
The series began as an exploration of the House of Dragon, featuring Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Lucerys Velaryon of their House. However, according to a blog post written by author George R.R. Martin who inspired this spinoff adaptation, scripts for each episode in season two have already been completed and thus, production won’t be affected by WGA strikes or similar restrictions on production.
Uncertain of their presence for season 2, however, it has been speculated that Paddy Considine and Elliot Grihault won’t return due to their deaths at the conclusion of season 1. However, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, and Rhys Ifans may all return.
House of Dragons’ initial season reached over 10 million viewers, prompting HBO to order a second chapter. This will delve deeper into House Targaryen history and chronicle events from centuries prior to Game of Thrones; also expected is coverage of their civil war known as Dance of the Dragons.
This season’s cast will include both familiar faces from its initial run as well as many newcomers. Returning cast members include Matthew Needham, Rhys Ifans and Fabien Frankel as well as Bethany Antonia (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen), Jeremy Smith (Haemon), Jefferson Hall (Jace Velaryon), and Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon).
Gayle Rankin was announced as Alys Rivers, who will play Harrenhal Witch Queen and Lord Larys Strong of the Greens’ faction in George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood books.
Filming of Game of Thrones has not been affected by the ongoing writers’ strike. Filming for its eighth season started on April 11 in London and Wales and all eight episodes had already been completed prior to any strikes happening; producer George R.R. Martin assured his fans in a blog post that production will go as scheduled.
HBO was quick to recognize House of the Dragon’s success after its inaugural season and quickly officially renewed it for another run. Set 200 years prior to Game of Thrones, this prequel series based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood won over audiences by detailing Targaryen war of succession tales through dark, fantasy storytelling.
Deadline reports that Season 2 will consist of eight episodes — two less than Season 1. However, this decision allows more focus to be placed on its characters and events that lead to their downfalls. Ryan Condal took over as showrunner after Miguel Sapochnik left and has promised that Season 2 will move faster with tragedies that viewers experience being earned rather than accidental.
House of Dragon was unaffected by the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike that took place last summer; filming had started back up again on April 11 and Martin noted in his blog post on May 8 that eight episodes had already gone through several revisions since August 2022, adding that production would resume once it ended and thanking staff members for their dedication to House of Dragon.