Game of Thrones was famous for mounting big battle scenes: the Battle of the Bastards was fought between two armies, Stannis besieged the city of King's Landing in the Battle of the Blackwater, Daenerys Targaryen rode in on her dragon for the Loot Train Attack, and so on. One kind of battle we didn't get to see was a ship-vs-ship naval battle, give or take a scene from season 7 where Euron Greyjoy boarded a boat and kidnapped his niece. Prequel series House of the Dragon will change that with the Battle of the Gullet, a major action set piece drawn from the pages of George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood.
At the end of House of the Dragon season 2, Tyland Lannister was successful in recruiting the pirate captain Sharako Lohar to lead their fleet into battle on behalf of King Aegon II Targaryen, who's currently fighting his half-sister Rhaenyra for the Iron Throne. We also saw Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenyra's Hand of the King, set sail on his own ship. I won't spoil exactly what happens during the Battle of the Gullet, but suffice it to say that ships, dragons and death are all involved.
The Battle of the Gullet was originally going to serve as the climax for House of the Dragon season 2, but HBO (stupidly, if you ask me) opted to cut the second season down by a couple episodes, so instead we ended with a montage showing a bunch of important things that are about to happen. One of those things is the Battle of the Gullet, which will take place early in season 3.
As we speak, the cast and crew are making ready. UnboxPHD, who specializes in bringing us behind-the-scenes photos and videos, has given everyone a look at a massive ship set which will undoubtedtly be involved in the Battle of the Gullet:
They also have a photo of a new set they say will stand in for Driftmark, the home base for Corlys and House Velaryon. Again, I won't spoil anything, but Driftmark plays a key role in the battle to come:
Driftmark Set, being built for House Of The Dragon Season 3. pic.twitter.com/bcRp4dqz3H
— UnBoxPHD (@UnBoxPHD) March 22, 2025
Filming on House of the Dragon season 2 is due to start up any minute, if it hasn't already. But we won't be seeing any new episodes until sometime next year. Showrunner Ryan Condal has teased that the third season will adapt four major events from the book. The Battle of the Gullet is definitely one of them. As for the others, we have our guesses:
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