“Game of Thrones” prequel sequence “House of the Dragon” turned one of the buzziest TV occasions since, effectively, “Game of Thrones” when it aired in the second half of 2022. “House of the Dragon” was so profitable, actually, that HBO formally renewed the sequence for a second season after only one episode of the first installment aired on Aug. 21, 2022.
Though followers expect a protracted look ahead to season two, the excellent news is HBO introduced on April 11 that manufacturing has formally begun! “‘House of the Dragon’ has returned. We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera,” cocreator and showrunner Ryan Condal beforehand mentioned in a press assertion. “All your favorite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle. We can’t wait to share what we have in store.”
Considering how effectively “House of the Dragon” carried out in its first season, and the way lengthy it took to truly movie it (10 months), it is smart why the present’s creators and executives do not need to rush greatness. Let’s begin with the easy numbers: in response to HBO, the “House of the Dragon” premiere was watched by practically 20 million viewers throughout all platforms in the US. That makes it the single greatest premiere for any new unique sequence in HBO’s historical past. It additionally introduced in the largest single-night viewers for any HBO episode since the 2019 sequence finale of “Game of Thrones,” which had 19.3 million viewers throughout all platforms, in response to The Hollywood Reporter.
Those numbers alone would have most likely been sufficient to justify a second season, however then there’s the pop cultural energy as effectively. The “Game of Thrones” model is large enterprise for HBO, not simply as a easy TV present but additionally as a chance for an enormous community of tie-in merchandise.
There’s a lot of materials to mine from “Fire & Blood,” Martin’s e book that impressed “House of the Dragon,” and it seems to be like we’ll get an opportunity to discover extra of these tales very quickly. “We are beyond proud of what the entire ‘House of the Dragon’ team has accomplished with season one,” Francesca Orsi, govt vp of HBO programming, mentioned in an August 2022 assertion. “Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV. A huge thank you to [Martin, Condal, and director and co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik] for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”
Read forward for every thing else we find out about “House of the Dragon” season two thus far.
“House of the Dragon” Season 2 Cast
Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans will all reprise their roles in season two. Additional returning solid members embrace Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
On April 24, the HBO present introduced 4 thrilling new solid additions. “Send a raven. Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin, and Abubakar Salim have joined the cast of House of the Dragon Season 2,” the series tweeted. According to Variety, Rankin will play Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal, and Beale will star as Ser Simon Strong, the Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys Strong. Meanwhile, Fox will painting Ser Gwayne Hightower, the son of Otto Hightower, and Salim will tackle the position of Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones marketing campaign. HBO didn’t instantly reply to POPSUGAR’s request for touch upon the casting information.
“House of the Dragon” Season 2 Plot
Exact plot particulars about season two are being stored below wraps for now, but it surely’s doubtless it will choose up after the explosive occasions of season one’s finale — which ended with the vengeful dying of Queen Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys, aka Luke, at the fingers of Aemond. It’s unclear if his dying will sign the begin of a battle, but it surely appears “House of the Dragon” simply could head in that course.
Elsewhere, Condal beforehand revealed a tiny element about what to anticipate from season two throughout a March HBO FYC occasion, Deadline reported. Apparently, George R.R. Martin, whose A Song of Ice and Fire books served as the foundation for “Game of Thrones,” wasn’t precisely impressed with the dragons in that staple HBO sequence. “They were like all the same,” he mentioned at the occasion. Instead, he most popular the dragons in the prequel, stating that they “had personality” and “came alive.” “It came as great satisfaction to me,” he added.
Well, excellent news for Martin and every other “House of the Dragon” followers who appreciated the advanced fire-breathers: season two may have 5 new dragons, in response to Condal.
Will “House of the Dragon” Season 2 Start With a Time Jump?
Season one of “HotD” had no scarcity of time jumps. The greatest one befell between episodes 4 and 5, leaping ahead a decade to point out Princess Rhaenyra all grown up and already the mom of a number of youngsters. So, will season two’s premiere comply with swimsuit and bounce ahead into the thick of the Dance of the Dragons civil battle?
The reply appears to be no. Showrunner Ryan Condal advised Deadline at their Contenders TV occasion on April 16 that he is “excited to pick up where we left off.”
While it is doable the second season will nonetheless embrace a time bounce in some unspecified time in the future, Condal appeared to counsel the sophomore outing’s timeline will move a bit extra steadily than its predecessor’s. “Now we get to fall into the more traditional rhythms of storytelling and ‘Game of Thrones,'” he mentioned. “We’ve always talked about this particular tale, George [R.R. Martin] has too, of being a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. This series is very much about a house tearing itself apart from within. Now that all those pieces have been set on the board, I’m really excited to tell the next chapter, to see what happens now that Viserys is gone and no longer keeping a lid on things.”
“House of the Dragon” Season 2 Premiere Date
Back in February, HBO Max CEO of Content Casey Bloys advised Variety that someday in 2024 “is a good guess” for when “House of the Dragon” will return for its second season, although he did not reveal an actual premiere date. “My philosophy is a good script is number one priority,” he advised the publication. “I am not doing it based on wanting to have one a year, two a year. I want to do it based on the scripts that we’re excited about.”
HBO reps didn’t reply to POPSUGAR’s request for affirmation about season two’s premiere date, however Deadline beforehand reported that it will doubtless launch in summer season 2024.
How Many Episodes Will “House of the Dragon” Season 2 Have?
While a confirmed second season is music to “House of the Dragon” followers’ ears, they will not be too blissful to be taught its reported size. According to Deadline’s March 28 report, the sophomore outing of “House of the Dragon” will solely be eight episodes lengthy — two episodes shorter than the first season. There’s a brilliant facet, although: the determination to shorten the episode rely is story-driven, as HBO is reportedly nonetheless eyeing a third-season order.
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