HBO didn’t wait long to renew House of the Dragon. Soon after the first episode dropped—with the largest audience for any new original series in HBO history—the company announced the Game of Thrones prequel would be returning for a second season.
“We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one. Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV,” Francesca Orsi, the Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.” Season one of House of the Dragon garnered eight Emmy nominations, including the biggest category of the evening: Best Drama Series.
Season two picks up right where season one left off, as a new teaser for the season depicts. “There is no war so hateful to the Gods as a war between kin,” Rhaenys (Eve Best) says. “And no war so bloody as a war between dragons.”:
In March 2024, the first full-length trailer dropped:
Here’s everything we know so far about House of the Dragon season two.
It will still be based on Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin.
House of the Dragon is set two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones, and follows House Targaryen as they descend into a civil war over who should inherit the throne after King Viserys I (Paddy Considine). We can expect season two to pick off right where the plot left off in season one.
“Season 1 was setting the table for a very bloody feast to come,” co-creator Ryan Condal explained. “The reason that I wanted to really spend our time doing this is because I wanted everybody to understand who all of these characters were and the long history they had behind them — behind their fathers and their grandfathers — that led us to this point where they end up fighting a civil war against each other. I’m really interested in picking up with all of those characters that we spent all of this time introducing, particularly Rhaenyra and Alicent’s families, and seeing what happens now that we’ve flipped the chessboard over and spilled the pieces on the ground. How do all those react? That’s the story that we tell in season 2 and beyond.” Season two, Condal adds, will still “very much” be the story of Alicent and Rhaenyra.
In April 2023, Condal shared, “I’m excited to pick up where we left off. Now we get to fall into the more traditional rhythms of storytelling and Game of Thrones. We’ve always talked about this particular tale, George [R.R. Martin] has too, of being a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. This series is very much about a house tearing itself apart from within. Now that all those pieces have been set on the board, I’m really excited to tell the next chapter, to see what happens now that Viserys is gone and no longer keeping a lid on things.”
The key cast is returning.
Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Emma D’Arcy (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen) and Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) will all reprise their roles, as are Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole), Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen), Steve Toussain (Corlys Velaryon), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), and Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria).
Frankel and Mitchell in season two.
The next generation of Targaryens will all return as well: Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen), Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen), and Phia Saban (Helena Targaryen), Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen), Phoebe Campbell (Rhanea Targaryen), and Harry Collet (Jacaerys Velaryon).
The younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent, played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carney, respectively, are not expected to return. However, creator Ryan Condal didn’t entirely rule out future appearances. “I mean, look, I don’t know,” he explained. Younger Rhaenyra and Alicent “are not a part of the story that we’re telling, yet.” The key here is “yet”—Condal leaves the door open for the future.
New cast members will also join, including:
Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys
Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Alicent’s brother
Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal
Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, a Velaryon sailor
Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome
Kieran Bew as Hugh
Tom Bennett as Ulf
Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark
Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne
In April 2024, Rankin told Town & Country of playing Alys, “I’m obsessed with her. I’ve always given the opportunity to play people who are pretty prophetic, which is cool, but it’s a lot of pressure!” She added, “My particular storyline is quite, for the moment, contained. Contained, let’s say—very wild, but contained.”
Co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik will not return for season two.
Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal at the premiere of House of the Dragon.
House of Dragon’s co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik is stepping down. According to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, “Sources say Sapochnik is exiting the show after pouring an exhausting three years of effort into the Game of Thrones prequel.” Ryan Condal will now be House of Dragon’s sole showrunner and will work closely with co-creator George R.R. Martin.
“Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honor and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon,” Sapochnik said in a statement. “I am so proud of what we accomplished with season one and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers. It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally. As I do so, though, I am deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series. He’s someone I’ve known and respected for a long time, and I believe this precious series could not be in safer hands. I am so glad to remain a part of the HBO and House of the Dragon family and, of course, I wish Ryan and his team success and all the best with season two and beyond.”
In January 2023, Puck reported that Sapochnik left over “a protracted standoff over his wife and her involvement in the show.” Reportedly, Sapochnik wanted his wife, Alexis Raben, to join the producing team, but HBO pushed back, saying she did not have enough experience. Apparently HBO brought in a mediator, but they could not solve the disagreement and Sapochnik exited. In a statement at the time, HBO said “While we would have loved to have Miguel continue in the same role, we are thrilled to have his ongoing collaboration in this new creative capacity.”
Star Olivia Cooke commented on his departure on The Wrap’s UnWrapped podcast, saying,”We all love Miguel, he’s a brilliant director and an incredible collaborator. He had just really radical ideas when it came to making this show. And I guess there’s been a collective effort to fill his shoes with other amazing directors. We’ve got some really cool directors that we’re working with this year and Geeta Patel and Clare Kilner are back, I mean his shoes won’t be replaced entirely because he is his own entity, but there’s still that proportion to make this season as good, if not, better.
The Starks could be in season two.
Season one tightly focus on just three houses: the Targaryens, the Velaryons, and the Hightowers. But as war breaks out, more Westerosi families get pulled into the conflict—which includes the Starks, the family at the heart of Game of Thrones. In Fire & Blood, the book the show is based on, Cregan Stark, the current Lord of Winterfell, plays a major role. According to Condal, “We will cast Cregan Stark at some point, but no comment otherwise.” He did not comment on whether or not he will appear in season two.
House of Dragon’s co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik is stepping down. According to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, “Sources say Sapochnik is exiting the show after pouring an exhausting three years of effort into the Game of Thrones prequel.” Ryan Condal will now be House of Dragon’s sole showrunner and will work closely with co-creator George R.R. Martin.
“Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honor and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon,” Sapochnik said in a statement. “I am so proud of what we accomplished with season one and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers. It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally. As I do so, though, I am deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series. He’s someone I’ve known and respected for a long time, and I believe this precious series could not be in safer hands. I am so glad to remain a part of the HBO and House of the Dragon family and, of course, I wish Ryan and his team success and all the best with season two and beyond.”
In January 2023, Puck reported that Sapochnik left over “a protracted standoff over his wife and her involvement in the show.” Reportedly, Sapochnik wanted his wife, Alexis Raben, to join the producing team, but HBO pushed back, saying she did not have enough experience. Apparently HBO brought in a mediator, but they could not solve the disagreement and Sapochnik exited. In a statement at the time, HBO said “While we would have loved to have Miguel continue in the same role, we are thrilled to have his ongoing collaboration in this new creative capacity.”
Star Olivia Cooke commented on his departure on The Wrap’s UnWrapped podcast, saying,”We all love Miguel, he’s a brilliant director and an incredible collaborator. He had just really radical ideas when it came to making this show. And I guess there’s been a collective effort to fill his shoes with other amazing directors. We’ve got some really cool directors that we’re working with this year and Geeta Patel and Clare Kilner are back, I mean his shoes won’t be replaced entirely because he is his own entity, but there’s still that proportion to make this season as good, if not, better.
The Starks could be in season two.
Season one tightly focus on just three houses: the Targaryens, the Velaryons, and the Hightowers. But as war breaks out, more Westerosi families get pulled into the conflict—which includes the Starks, the family at the heart of Game of Thrones. In Fire & Blood, the book the show is based on, Cregan Stark, the current Lord of Winterfell, plays a major role. According to Condal, “We will cast Cregan Stark at some point, but no comment otherwise.” He did not comment on whether or not he will appear in season two.
Season two will be shorter than season one.
The second season of House of the Dragon will just have eight episodes, versus the ten episode season one.
Deadline reported, “It has been reported that House of the Dragon’s creative team had envisioned the series running for three or four seasons. I hear executive producer-showrunner Ryan Condal, working with author/executive producer George R.R. Martin, took a step back as Season 2 was being put together to take a big-picture view of the series, which follows Martin’s Fire & Blood, and figure out the overall narrative flow, including how to break up the stories season-to-season and what battles to include and when.” HBO, they added, “is trying to think long-term instead of season-to-season,” so a major plot and battle intended for season two will move to season three.
Filming began in spring 2023, and continued during the SAG strike.
Filming began in spring 2023 in the Warner Bros studios in Hertfordshire, and then moved to Céceras, Spain. In a profile of actor Ewan Mitchell in the Face, the author notes “most of his year will be taken up with filming HotD.”
Matt Smith said in March 2023 that he just got all the scripts. He said at ComicCon in Abu Dhabi, “They’re really late. It’s always the way, isn’t it? They always come in so late.” Amid the WGA writer’s strike, production will continue on House of the Dragon, Variety reports, as the scripts were reportedly finished.
In July 2023, the SAG-AFTRA union went on strike, however since House of the Dragon is a UK production, it can continue filming, Variety reports. Author George R.R. Martin explained on his blog, “HOTD is shot mostly in London (and a little bit in Wales, Spain, and various other locations), which is why filming has continued. The actors are members of the British union, Equity, not SAG-AFTRA, and though Equity strongly supports their American cousins (they have a big rally planned to show that support), British law forbids them from staging a sympathy strike. If they walk, they have no protection against being fired for breach of contract, or even sued.”
Season two will premiere this summer.
It’s official: House of the Dragon season two will premiere on June 16, 2024.
Another Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, is set to premiere in late 2025.
We’ll update this story as soon as we learn more.
