Report: House of the Dragon showrunner quit because HBO didn’t let his wife be a producer

Miguel Sapochnik was one of the best directors on Game of Thrones, helming episodes like “Hardhome,” “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter.” After that, he joined Ryan Condal as one of two showrunners on House of the Dragon, HBO’s follow-up show. He directed a few episodes in the first season, including the pilot.

House of the Dragon was a big success, so it came as a surprise when, partway through the season, he announced that he was leaving as showrunner. “I am so proud of what we accomplished with season 1 and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers,” he wrote in a statement. “It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally.”

Sapochnik will remain attached to House of the Dragon as an executive producer. He also has a deal with HBO to develop more content, so there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood. As for why he left, he’d talked a bit about his reluctance to return to Westeros after spending so long on Game of Thrones, so it was easy to believe that maybe he just needed a break from the world of ice and fire. “It was definitely in Miguel’s mind,” said his co-showrunner Ryan Condal. “He’s definitely lived in Westeros for a really long time.

And I’m sure that’s a part of it…but we’re now getting some other details, and they are of a much juicier, more gossipy nature.

Miguel Sapochnik reportedly left House of the Dragon because HBO wouldn’t let his wife be a producer

This new report comes from Puck, a media startup founded by former members of outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, CNN and The Atlantic. According to their report, part of the reason Sapochnik left House of the Dragon was because HBO refused to let his wife serve as a producer.

Sapochnik’s wife is actor Alexis Raban, who played the part of Alicent Hightower’s lady in waiting Talya for four episodes of House of the Dragon. Her last screen acting gig before was in an episode of Game of Thrones directed by her husband.

Raban also served as a producer on House of the Dragon. According to Puck, Sapochnik wanted her to continue as a producer in season 2, but HBO refused, citing her lack of experience (House of the Dragon is her only producing credit). Reportedly, things got heated, with HBO bringing in a mediator to resolve the situation. That didn’t take, and Sapochnik left. He fired his agents at WME and went to CAA with Raban.

There are some unanswered questions here. For instance, HBO reportedly refused to let Raban continue as a producer on House of the Dragon season 2 because she wasn’t experienced enough, which is fair; but why did the network hire as a producer on the first season? She was even less experienced then. Maybe it was only an honorary title in the first season to make Sapochnik happy, but he wanted her to have more responsibility on the second?

Whatever the exact details, this is nice and messy. House of the Dragon season 2 is due out sometime in 2024.

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h/t IndieWire