A couple months back, we heard that HBO would film the third season of its Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon between the months of March and October of 2025, meaning the cameras will be rolling for seven months. That's a long time, but House of the Dragon isn't just any series; it's HBO's follow-up to the most successful show in its history, and a lot is riding on its success.
We don't know the exact date when House of the Dragon will start filming, but the signs that they're gearing up are everywhere. We've heard about them casting extras, we've heard about new cast members coming on board, we've heard about returning actors getting scripts and we've seen sets rise in Endland, where the show does a lot of its studio filming. Any minute now, the cameras will start rolling, if they haven't already.
We'll be keeping an eye out for anything interesting. One thing we'll definitely be looking for is work on the Battle of the Gullet, a major action scene one cast member has described as "beastly." Remember how the second season ended with Corlys Velaryon setting sail with his fleet and Tyland Lannister convincing the pirate Sharako Lohar to lend his fleet to the aid of King Aegon II Targaryen? Well, those two fleets are destined to engage each other in the Battle of the Gullet. Dragons will also be present.
The Battle of the Gullet was originally supposed to serve as the climax to House of the Dragon season 2, but was pushed back for a variety of reasons. Now, it's almost guaranteed to open season 3. It will need to be impressive, since without the end of the second season felt lacking. HBO executive Francesca Orsi has promised that it will be "worth the wait."
Beware SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 3 ahead
We expect a lot of scenes to be set between characters in rooms, and we don't expect to get any advance looks at those. However, there are some other big set pieces laid out in the pages of Fire & Blood that will require a lot more production, and those may be too big to hide. For instance, there are armies in the move in the Riverlands; at the end of season 2, Daemon Targaryen had an army at Harrenhal, Criston Cole was leading an army out to meet him, and Jason Lannister was leading an army from the Westerlands. We could see bodies on the move.
Also, at some point in the next season, assuming the show follows the plot as laid out in Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra Targaryen will take over King's Landing. There isn't a huge battle, but it should be a big set piece involving crowds and dragons.
Beyond that, it's hard to predict what the show will get to, or whether it will stick to the text after making so many changes in season 2. There is a scene involving a massive riot in King's Landing that we could well get to watch play out in the open. There's the Battle by the Lakeshore, the bloodiest battle in the Dance of the Dragons. And there's a scene involving Daemon and his nephew Aemond fighting on dragonback that I imagine the show will save for its fourth and final season, but you never know.
We'll keep a close eye on all of it as filming ramps up. And the episodes themselves will start airing on HBO and Max sometime in 2026.
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