When it debuted in the second half of 2022, the Game of Thrones prequel series “House of the Dragon” became one of the most talked-about TV events since, well, “Game of Thrones.” In fact, “House of the Dragon” was so popular that HBO decided to give it a second season after just one episode of the first season aired on August 21, 2022.
Despite the lengthy wait anticipated by fans for season two, HBO’s announcement on April 11 that filming had begun is wonderful news! “The return of ‘House of the Dragon’. In a press release, co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal remarked, “We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera.”
Soon, all of your favorite characters will be plotting at the council tables, leading their armies into combat, and riding their dragons. We are eager to discuss what we have planned.
It makes sense why “House of the Dragon”‘s producers and executives don’t want to rush greatness given how well the program did in its first season and how long it actually took to film it (10 months). Let’s start with some straightforward figures: according to HBO, the US premiere of “House of the Dragon” attracted close to 20 million people across all platforms. As a result, it was the most attended HBO original series debut ever. It airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK, and it did indeed set records.
Those numbers alone would have probably been enough to justify a second season, but then there’s the pop cultural power, as well. The “Game of Thrones” brand is big business: not just as a simple TV show but also as an opportunity for a huge network of tie-in products.
There’s plenty of material to mine from “Fire & Blood,” Martin’s book that inspired “House of the Dragon,” and it looks like we’ll get a chance to explore more of those stories very soon. “We are beyond proud of what the entire ‘House of the Dragon’ team has accomplished with season one,” Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO programming, said in an August 2022 statement. “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 ahead for everything else we know about “House of the Dragon” season two so far.
Related:
House of the Dragon Season 1 RecapEverything That Happened in Season 1 of “House of the Dragon”
“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 cast members include Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
On 24 April, the HBO show announced four exciting new cast 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 portray Ser Gwayne Hightower, the son of Otto Hightower, and Salim will take on the role of Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones campaign. HBO did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment on the casting news.
Exact plot details about season two are being kept under wraps for now but it’s likely that it’ll pick up after the explosive events of season one’s finale — which ended with the vengeful death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys, aka Luke, at the hands of Aemond. It’s unclear if his death will signal the start of a war but it seems “House of the Dragon” just may head in that direction.
Elsewhere, Condal previously revealed a tiny detail about what to expect from season two during a March HBO FYC event, Deadline reported. Apparently, George R.R. Martin, whose A Song of Ice and Fire books served as the basis for “Game of Thrones,” wasn’t exactly impressed with the dragons in that staple HBO series. “They were like all the same,” he said at the event. Instead, he preferred the dragons in the prequel, stating that they “had personality” and “came alive.” “It came as great satisfaction to me,” he added.
Well, good news for Martin and any other “House of the Dragon” fans who appreciated the evolved fire-breathers: season two will have five new dragons, according to Condal.
