The first season of House of the Dragon came to a close in October 2022. The Game of Thrones prequel has been a hit for HBO, and the network greenlit a second season pretty much immediately after the first began. But what will the second season be about, and when can we expect to see it?
House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which is a “fake history” book that details the exploits of several generations of the Targaryen family. The back third or so of the book is about a brutal internecine conflict known as the Dance of the Dragons, when Rhaenyra Targaryen fought her younger half-brother Aegon Targaryen for control of the Iron Throne.
Here’s everything we know so far about House of the Dragon season 2, including filming updates, major plot points, the episode count, and more. We updated this story on Thursday, June 22, 2023. This post also contains update and potential spoilers about the upcoming season.
What will happen in House of the Dragon season 2?
The first season of House of the Dragon took us roughly to the start of the conflict, with the first serious volleys flung. We can’t predict exactly how much the writers will fit into season 2, but we know of several big events coming. Without getting into too much detail, there will be conspiracy within the Red Keep, Rhaenys Targaryen will mount Meleys again, and there will be a search for more dragonriders. We’re also expecting a major scene from the book, known as Blood and Cheese, to go down in season 2.
In an interview with Variety, writer Sara Hess teased the big Blood and Cheese moment in season 2, confirming it will be included and saying that she doesn’t think viewers will be disappointed. Prepare to be shocked is all we’ll say!
Remember, the first season of House of the Dragon ends with Aemond killing poor Lucerys during a dragon fight in a big storm, and the final shot of the finale sees Rhaenyra being told the bad news. Since the divide between the greens and the blacks started, Rhaenyra had been trying to keep the peace. But now that she knows Alicent’s son killed hers, she’s not going to play nice any longer. So we can expect a more brutal Rhaenrya in season 2, which fans are no doubt excited to see. During an interview with The Guardian, actor Emma D’Arcy said of their character in the season 1 finale:
"She has been trying to work out how best to mitigate that very volatile fire in her blood. But when Luke dies, the control required to dampen that inner fire suddenly runs out."
There’s quite a lot of incidence to get through, so the show should have no trouble entertaining us in season 2!
House of the Dragon season 2 filming updates
Though we know the second season will not premiere this year, the good news is that filming begins soon. During an appearance at the Middle East Film and Comic Con in March, Matt Smith confirmed he had recently gotten the scripts for season 2, and according to Midgard Times, filming is set to begin on April 17 in Cáceres, Spain.
We’ve already seen cast members like Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower) and Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole) filming scenes for the second season in the Spanish city of Cáceres, which will stand in for King’s Landing. The latest development came in June with news that several cast members had gathered in Wales to film more scenes.
— Harry Collett (@HarryCollett04) June 18, 2023
It’s been reported that filming will then move to Warner Bros. Studios in England, and production will wrap up in December 2023.
House of the Dragon season 2 cast
We can expect most of the main cast to return in House of the Dragon season 2, which includes:
- Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
- Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen
- Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
- Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole
Unfortunately, because Viserys Targaryen dies in the first season, we do not expect Paddy Considine to reprise his role in season 2. He gave one hell of a performance and we’re still mad about his award snubs! Additionally, Milly Alcock, who portrayed young Rhaenyra in season 1, has confirmed she will not return for flashbacks. Showrunner Ryan Condal had previously suggested Alcock and Emily Carey, who played a young Alicent, would not reprise their roles.
The show will also introduce viewers to a handful of new characters in season 2 with several actors being added to the cast for season 2! More cast additions are expected to be announced in the lead-up to season 2, but here is a breakdown of the new actors who have already been confirmed or are rumored to be joining the cast of House of the Dragon season 2:
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers (Confirmed)
- Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong (Confirmed)
- Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower (Confirmed)
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull (Confirmed)
- Sam C. Wilson as Blood (Rumored)
House of the Dragon season 2 episode count
Despite the first season of House of the Dragon having 10 episodes, that apparently won’t be the case for season 2. Deadline says the second season will only have eight episodes, news that has really angered fans. According to the report, the initial plan was for the second season to have 10 episodes again, leading to script rewrites when the decision was changed. An HBO spokesperson told the publication that the episode count is not because of cost-cutting, but rather a story-driven decision.
Fans have expressed their skepticism over the episode count decision on social media, but we’re just keeping our fingers crossed it won’t negatively impact the season.
When will House of the Dragon season 2 premiere on HBO?
While we wish we could see a new season this year, 2023 is out of the question. Considering the second season hasn’t begun filming yet and they have multiple locations to travel to, there’s just no way HBO could release anything by the end of the year. Remember, reports say they won’t even be done filming until December 2023.
A show like House of the Dragon also needs a lot of time in post-production; those dragons don’t animate themselves. And there are a lot more dragons going forward, so I’d expect post-production on season 2 to take longer than it did on season 1.
Fortunately, HBO and HBO Max content CEO Casey Bloys gave us a good idea of when to expect season 2 while chatting with Variety earlier this year. According to Bloys, a premiere sometime in 2024 “is a good guess,” also confirming the second season will not be eligible for the 2024 Emmy Awards season. Because the Emmy eligibility period next year ends on May 31, that means season 2 will likely come out in the second half of 2024.
Considering the first season came out in August 2022, fans are hopeful we could see the second season in August 2024. It’s certainly possible as the latest updates from HBO hinted that season 2 is going to be coming during Summer 2024.
How many seasons of House of the Dragon will there be?
At the time of this writing, only the second season has been officially greenlit. That said, the same Deadline article that reported the episode count for season 2 also discussed potential plans for additional seasons. Apparently, HBO is considering a third-season renewal, with Condal and Martin going back and forth on whether or not there will be a fourth season as well.
As we know, Martin is likely in the camp of wanting four seasons, as he previously mentioned in a blog post. “It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish,” he wrote in October 2022. Well, it looks like we won’t have 10 episodes per season, so we’ll be curious to see just how long the show will run.
House of the Dragon season 2 filming won’t take as long as season 1 filming
While it took HBO roughly 10 months to film the first season of House of the Dragon, the second season of the hit series is slated to be much more condensed which is going to help HBO turn around the new season faster than it was able to turn around season 1. While there is a chance production could be expanded, filming for season 2 is only expected to take eight months which might not seem like a big difference but with filming not taking as long the show will be able to enter post-production sooner.
Is House of the Dragon season 2 affected by the writers’ strike?
In May 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike after the studios failed to meet their contract requests. The WGA strike has forced many shows to pause production; however, House of the Dragon has not been affected by the strike and has continued filming amid the strike.
Since scripts for the season had been completed before the WGA strike began, House of the Dragon proceeded with filming and production has been underway for several months now. While the show is filming amid the strike, George R.R. Martin has made it clear that the decision does come with some restrictions warning that “those scripts must be shot EXACTLY as they were as of midnight on May 1. Not a word can be changed, cut, added, not a scene can be altered. All that requires writing… and from now until the strike ends, the writers will be on picket lines, not on sets.”
Still, he’s made it clear he believes season 2 will not suffer in quality and noted that the scripts went through multiple drafts before being finalized.
"“The scripts for the eight s2 episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began. Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions. The writers have done their jobs; the rest is in the hands of the directors, cast and crew… and of course the dragons).”"
House of the Dragon season 2 will feel more like Game of Thrones
If you by chance thought House of the Dragon‘s first season didn’t quite match the energy of its predecessor, the show’s upcoming season is reported to feel more like Game of Thrones.
During an appearance on Deadline’s Contender’s TV, actor Paddy Considine revealed the upcoming second season will fall more in line with the “traditional rhythms of storytelling” fans have come to expect from Game of Thrones.
"“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.”"
Rhaenyra Targaryen will be “released” in House of the Dragon season 2
Fans appear to be in store to see a different side of Rhaenyra Targaryen in the upcoming second season of House of the Dragon.
During an interview with Vogue, actor Emma D’Arcy hints that fans will get to see a “released” version of the character in season 2 as the character becomes free from the endless navigation of people:
"“In the first season, she did a lot of mediating the Targaryen fire. I’m excited for her to be released from the endless navigation of people, of personalities – I think the energy for that has run out somewhat.”"
House of the Dragon season 2 to feature battle at sea
In the upcoming second season of House of the Dragon, the creative team is about to do something never before seen in the franchise by featuring a battle at sea — one which fans of the books have been anticipating.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, House of the Dragon stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam confirmed the upcoming second season will adapt The Battle of of the Gullet which will allow the show to take on a task it’s previously never faced.
"“It’s not a secret that in this story there’s a battle at sea [Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, which describes the massive Battle of the Gullet]. I think that’s where we’re headed,” Irlam revealed, adding, “The desire is to expand our repertoire to a large sea battle. You can do a sea battle in a car park, but it won’t necessarily feel the same. But there are water tanks, and there’s a tank here in Leavesden. If you’re going to do it, I think you need to do it in a tank. But let’s see what happens.”"
Stay tuned for more news on House of the Dragon season 2.
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