More battle, death and maybe Matt Smith on the House of the Dragon set

For over two weeks now, we’ve been covering the cast and crew of House of the Dragon as they film an elaborate battle sequence in southern England, in and around Bourne Woods. The Battle at Rook’s Rest will (probably) take place in the fourth episode of season 2, and based on how much time they’re spending shooting it, it should be a banger.

In summary, the Battle of Rook’s Rest is joined when Criston Cole — Lord Commander of the Kingsguard to King Aegon II Targaryen — marches an army to Rook’s Rest, a castle occupied by people loyal to Aegon’s half-sister Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is contesting her half-brother for control of the Iron Throne. To make a long story short, s*it gets crazy: soldiers fighting for Aegon and Rhaenyra clash on the ground while dragonriders battle in the sky.

Images and videos from the set keep coming out. Carnage is coming. Here’s the latest:

And my personal favorite: a video of what looks like soldiers advancing towards enemy lines, with several of them getting picked off along the way by what I’m guessing is a rain of arrows, although it’s hard to be sure. Either way, that’s some good stuntwork as actors throw themselves onto the ground after getting hit by absolutely nothing:

Winter is coming to Bourne Woods in England for House of the Dragon season 2

Meanwhile, in the same area, the crew is spraying the forest with fake snow, indicating that they’ll be shooting some scenes in the North:

We don’t think the snow set has anything to do with the Battle at Rook’s Rest, which happens relatively close to King’s Landing. More likely, these scenes will be part of Jacaerys Velaryon’s trip to Winterfell; remember that his mother Rhaenyra sent him on a trip north in the season 1 finale. He’s supposed to win the lords and ladies of the Vale and the North to his mother’s side for the war effort.

Matt Smith reportedly filming a solo scene in Bourne Woods for House of the Dragon season 2

Finally, reliable fansite Redanian Intelligence reports that Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen) is filming a solo scene somewhere in Bourne Woods. There’s no photographic proof of this as yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

That said, if Smith is on set, we don’t think his presence has anything to do with the Battle at Rook’s Rest or Jace’s trip to the North. In George R.R. Martin book Fire & Blood, Daemon Targaryen isn’t involved in either of those incidents. Most likely he’s filming yet another separate scene. Daemon is set to head to Harrenhal in season 2, so maybe it’s somewhere around there.

Geez, they are getting a ton of use out of Bourne Woods. House of the Dragon season 2 is set to premiere on HBO and Max sometime in 2024.

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