House of the Dragon season 2 will premiere in “early summer”

HBO has shown off the first trailer for House of the Dragon season 2…to members of the press who aren’t allowed to describe it. This comes from Variety, which attended a press event with HBO CEO Casey Bloys (who is currently in some weird hot water, FYI) the other day.

The season 1 finale of House of the Dragon aired in October of 2022. It ended with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) learning that her son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) had been killed by her half-brother Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). She turns to the camera in a moment that still gives me chills. This. Means. War.

Those who have read George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood (or paid attention to the plentiful behind-the-scenes leaks this season) have an idea of what’s coming next, but I’m still jealous that press members got to see it onscreen. Maybe HBO will release the trailer publicly!

In any case, Variety reports that House of the Dragon season 2 will premiere in “early summer.” We’ve known for a while that summer 2024 was the target, but this is the first we’re hearing of “early summer.” Next year, summer begins on June 20. Bring it on.

Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to shoot in spring 2024

House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones spinoff to make it to air. It’s set nearly 200 years before the original series, and tells the story of a brutal civil war fought between rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty.

But HBO has been planning other spinoffs. Earlier this year, we learned that they had officially ordered a new one tentatively titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, which is a very long title I hope they amend. This series will be based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, about a knight and his squire wandering Westeros helping people. It’s set around 100 years before Game of Thrones, decades after the story of House of the Dragon has wrapped up.

The Dunk and Egg novellas are a little lighter and smaller in scale than Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which could be a nice change of pace for a series known for its high drama. During a Q&A portion of the press event, Bloys says he expects A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight to begin shooting in spring of 2024, assuming the Hollywood actors strike is over by then.

This lines up with what we’ve heard about HBO casting the lead roles: Ser Duncan the Tall, a noble-hearted knight of prodigious size; and his squire Egg, a precocious young boy whose full name is Aegon Targaryen. Twist!

This is sooner than I expected A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to go into production. Honestly, I worry a bit that HBO is rushing things, but at this point I think they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt, so I’ll reserve judgment until I see more. It would be nice to live in a reality where a new season of House of the Dragon airs one year and a new season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdom the next, and they switch back and forth.

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