Another House of the Dragon producer exits ahead of season 2

There’s change afoot once more on House of the Dragon. It’s only been a few weeks since we learned that co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik would not be returning for season 2. Now, Deadline reports that executive producer Jocelyn Diaz will also not be coming back.

According to Deadline’s sources, Diaz only had a contract to executive produce the first season of House of the Dragon, with an option to stay on for season 2. That option is reportedly not being exercised, though we don’t know why.

House of the Dragon production team will be different in season 2

Normally when you’d get these kinds of announcements about producers leaving shows, it’s reasonable to be concerned. However, House of the Dragon is a bit of a special case in this regard. Showrunner Ryan Condal, who handles the lore and manages the writing team, was aware that Sapochnik might leave after just this one season, owing to him being burnt out from spending so much time in Westeros during the production of Game of Thrones.

It was originally reported that Diaz would be remaining on for season 2. Deadline likens the role she played on the series to the one Carolyn Strauss played on Game of Thrones: a veteran HBO executive who took an active hand in the series but wasn’t involved in the actual writing of the show. Diaz has similarly logged some years at the studio, having served as VP of Series and Development from 2009-2011 before moving on to act as an EVP for Original Programming at Epix. House of the Dragon marked Diaz’s return to HBO, where she served as executive producer.

Only time will tell what this all means for House of the Dragon season 2. As of now, the only new addition to the production staff that has been publicly announced is Alan Taylor, who will be serving as a executive producer and director next season. Taylor helmed iconic Game of Thrones episodes like “Baelor” and “Fire & Blood,” so his addition will hopefully help lessen the sting of these departures.

House of the Dragon airs new episodes Sundays at 9:00 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max.

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