If you’re a ‘Game Of Thrones’ fan still enjoying George R.R. Martin’s magical realm in the form of spin off ‘House Of The Dragon’, it’s your lucky day.
Despite delays due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys has announced the release date of ‘House Of The Dragon’, season two. ‘House Of The Dragon’ was able to make progress despite strikes, due to the fact that it is based in the UK, rather than the US, and that the scripts were largely signed off prior to the strikes.
Now confirmed to be coming in the summer of 2024, showrunners also debuted a sneak peek of what the season will hold. They’ve released an official trailer, which has fans that much more excited about the series even though it’s still a year away from airing.
“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 a 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 George, Ryan, and Miguel 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.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming season.
Watch The ‘House Of The Dragon’ S2 Official Trailer Here
What Happened At The End Of ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season One?
While season one gave us a lot of insight into the realm when Targaryens ruled, season two will explore the coming civil war known as the ‘Dance of Dragons’, as written in Martin’s Fire & Blood. We know how the story will end based on these novels, so it’s worth avoiding the material if you’re not looking for spoilers (consider this your warning).
In the last half of season one we see Princess Rhaenyra unite with her uncle Daemon in marriage, and the death of her father King Viserys I.
On his death bed he tells his wife Queen Alicent Hightower the story of the Song Of Ice And Fire, thinking it is Rhaenyra he is speaking to. Having no context, Hightower hears the story of Aegon’s conquest and thinks he is saying that their son Aegon should be king (despite being the black sheep of the family).
Hightower installs Aegon as king. The news reaches Rhaenyra and Daemon on Driftmark, but Rhaenyra hesitates to go to war. Yet, when she sends her sons to curry favour with the Vale, Winterfell and Storm’s End, her child Lucerys (Luke) runs into Aemond Targaryen, the second son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent Hightower.
Given that Aemond is riding Vhagar, a much larger and more experienced dragon than Luke’s Arrax, it’s an unmatched battle and Vhagar eats Luke and his dragon. When the news of her child’s death reaches Rhaenyra in Driftmark, we see a final shot of her face, resolved to bring war on the kingdom.
What Will The Plot Of ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season Two Be?
With two would-be rulers in the same continent, we can expect season two to cover the civil war between the crowned King Aegon II and his half-sister Princess Rhaenyra.
As we hear Rhaenys Targaryen say in the trailer, “There is no war so hateful to the gods, as a war between kin. And no war so bloody as a war between dragons.”
Together with her husband Daemon, Rhaenyra is in command of one of the largest armies in Westeros and many dragons. They’re known as the ‘Blacks’ due to their house’s colours.
Meanwhile the ‘Green’s, known due to Alicent Hightower’s colours, have their heir crowned in King’s Landing with a series of high lords in support including Otto Hightower, Ser Criston Cole, Aemond and the large dragon he rides, Vhagar.
Given Luke’s death, we can assume that Rhaenyra has new resolve to break Aegon’s rule and to change the way the country is run.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actress who plays Princess Rhaenyra, Emma D’Arcy said she is excited to see what happens now that her character’s chance to mediate has ‘crumbled’.
“I don’t think there is any longer the bandwidth to suppress and repress her nature… I am excited to discover what happens when Rhaenyra does less navigating and more acting on her instincts and desires.
“For so many very legitimate reasons, she has her hands tied practically throughout season one. I have a feeling that the rain might be off for season two.”
The actor playing King Aegon II, Tom Glynn-Carney, also talked of his wish to play the vicious character with more nuance.
“He was always gonna be a tricky one because, on paper, he can very easily come across as an out-and-out villain, and someone who’s dark and cold,” Glynn-Carney continued. “I think he is all those things, but I think there’s way more layers to him, as well. He’s not an out-and-out psychopath. There are complexities and intricacies within him that make him an absolute gift to play.”
Who Will Be Cast In ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season Two?
We can expect to see much of last season’s cast, including:
- Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower
- Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
- Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
How Many Episodes Are In Season Two?
While George R.R. Martin has said he hopes to deliver 10 hours of television for ‘House Of The Dragon’ each season, season two may all occur in less than 10 episodes.
Deadline reports that it will take place within eight episodes, two fewer than last year. However, Martin originally blogged, “It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish.”
Is Season Two Filming Yet?
Despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that started in May 2023, ‘House Of The Dragon’ was far enough along in production that it wasn’t badly delayed.
Martin shared on his blog, “Across the ocean, the second season of House Of The Dragon started filming April 11 and will continue in London and Wales. The scripts for the eight s2 episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began. Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions. The writers have done their jobs; the rest is in the hands of the directors, cast and crew… and of course the dragons.”
When Will ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season Two Be Released?
Season two of ‘House Of The Dragon’ will premiere in summer 2024, as confirmed by HBO’s chief content officer, Casey Bloys.
It’s been a long time coming getting this release timeframe in the calendar, with Bloys previously telling Vulture that they were not trying to be ‘coy’ or ‘secretive’ but were aware that fantasy adaptations like this take their time to make and that they didn’t want to give a date, only to move it.
Where Can You Watch ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season Two?
House of the Dragon season one is available to stream now on Foxtel Now, live and on-demand with a 10-day free trial. Start your free trial here.
It’s likely season two will also be released on the platform.
