It's been about a month since House of the Dragon season 3 came to an end, and we’ve been waiting for any news on when season 4 could arrive. Thankfully, actress Olivia Cooke has shared an update on when filming could begin.
Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, said in an interview with ScreenRant that she hadn't begun preparation for her character and what she'll go through in season 4 just yet, but she knows that filming will start relatively soon:
“I haven't. I haven't. We start filming next spring, but I don't really know. I'm sure it'll take me ages. You know, I'm English. My emotions are far, far deep down. [...] you know a year later that I'll finally feel the grief from that show ending."
That means we’ll most likely get updates on filming in 2027—which feels like it’s ages away, but in reality it’s only a few months. Pre-production reportedly starts in October 2026, and Cooke's confirmation only further cements showrunner Ryan Condal's previous statement that filming will begin sometime in early 2027.
Even so, we still have a lot to talk about with Alicent specifically while we wait. In season 3, she felt more like a fixture rather than an active part of the story. Her children's influence was much bigger than hers.
However, season 4 might bring some stark changes for her very soon.
What might happen with Alicent in House of the Dragon season 4?
While Alicent wasn’t a big part of season 3 of the show, her children were a huge influence. Much of season 3 revolved around Helaena (Phia Saban) and how she and Alicent were trapped within the walls of the Red Keep after Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) took control of the castle. Helaena was also pregnant at the time and had stopped eating altogether because of her depression.
Alicent was forced to go to Harrenhal in a botched assassination attempt on her son, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). While she was traveling, Helaena threw herself from a window to her death. Alicent saw a slew of blue butterflies in the woods, and from her look, it felt like she just knew Helaena was gone.
However, we haven’t seen her pure, unfiltered reaction to Helaena’s death. I can imagine that when she returns to King’s Landing, grief will overcome her and she will butt heads with Rhaenyra. But after the path Rhaenyra has been going down, there’s a good chance that won’t end well for Alicent.
There’s also the fact that Aemond didn’t die from Alicent’s poison attempts. He survived thanks to Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), but now his brother, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has returned with his own dragon Sunfyre, and demanded Aemond's aid. Together, they planned to find Aemond’s dragon, Vhagar, get their brother Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Alicent's cousin Ormund Hightower in line in Tumbleton, and then take down Rhaenyra with their army. But that was before the first Battle of Tumbleton. Now Ormund is dead and Daeron's whereabouts are unknown, so who knows how much of that plan will actually come to fruition.
Aemond might also have his own agenda after his mother tried to kill him. I would not be surprised if that played a role in season 4. There’s still a legendary battle that happens in the book that might come — the Battle Above the God’s Eye — but because of the strange circumstance with Aemond and Aegon working together now rather than separately, it shakes things up a bit.
What happens in Fire & Blood?
In George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, Alicent lives alone in her apartments (which are essentially a prison cell, but a cushy one, where she is confined) when all of her children die, and then she ends up succumbing to something called the “Winter Fever.” It's a deadly plague that sweeps through Westeros after the war ends, and it gets Alicent. At this point, she has only one living grandchild left, whom she is no longer allowed to see, and she's haunted by all those she's lost.
But will this be what we see on screen?
There are a lot of changes made from the source material already. One is the true reason Helaena threw herself out of her window, which was left rather ambiguous in the books but portrayed differently in the show. Aegon and Aemond being together is a big shift too.
She and Rhaenyra also seemed to be relatively at peace before she took the throne. They were the central characters for most of the show until season 3. But things are testy right now. And with Helaena’s death, I fear that a lot of bad things are about to go down, and these two are going to come right back to the front.
Season 4 is moving in a different direction, and one can only imagine what will happen with Alicent when it eventually airs. I’m curious to see how Olivia Cooke handles it — and now I’m begging for more filming updates. Can 2027 get her sooner?
You can watch all three seasons of House of the Dragon on HBO Max.
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