Highlighting the formidable strength of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” franchise, the network has renewed “House of the Dragon” for a third season, ahead of its Season 2 premiere on June 16.
The “Game of Thrones” spinoff series, co-created by Ryan Condal and “Thrones” author George R.R. Martin, has become a fire-breathing success for the network.
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Triumph and Expansion: “House of the Dragon” Season 2 Overview
The show had the largest premiere audience ever for an original series on both HBO and HBO Max (now Max), with the first season averaging 29 million viewers per episode across linear and streaming platforms. It was renewed for a second season just one week after its series premiere.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” book “Fire & Blood,” “House of the Dragon” follows the Targaryen dynasty on the fictional continent of Westeros. The story takes place nearly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and about 100 years after the Targaryens united the Seven Kingdoms.
“George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season,” said HBO’s programming and drama series chief Francesca Orsi in a statement. “We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”
The returning cast for “House of the Dragon” Season 2 includes Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
Previously announced newcomers for Season 2 are Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.
Along with Condal, who served as the showrunner for Season 2, and Martin, the show’s executive producers include Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, and Vince Gerardis.
Future Prospects for “House of the Dragon”
“House of the Dragon” has received nine Emmy nominations, including outstanding drama series, and two Golden Globe nominations, winning the Globe for best drama TV series for its first season.
HBO is currently developing its second “Game of Thrones” prequel series, “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” based on the characters Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, from Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” books. Additionally, Martin announced this week that a new pilot for the “Thrones” spinoff series “Ten Thousand Ships” is being written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth, although HBO declined to comment on whether the project is in active development.
The first season of “House of the Dragon,” HBO’s prequel to “Game of Thrones” and its first spinoff, was widely considered a success. However, it essentially served as 10 hours of setup, rapidly covering decades of context to bring audiences to the verge of the Westerosi civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Despite its strengths, the show started as a structural paradox: too rushed to deliver the patient plotting and character development that made its predecessor so strong, yet too slow to delve into the core of its story until the final episodes, which featured the death of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and the formation of factions around his two potential heirs.
