House of the Dragon season 2: Release date, plot, book spoilers, cast and trailers

3 October 2022, 17:14

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By Katie Louise Smith

Will there be a House of the Dragon season 2? What happens in the books? Here's everything you need to know about what's next for the Targaryens.

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House of the Dragon season 2? It might be a long way off but it's already been confirmed, details are already being teased and excitement is already ramping up for what's ahead in the series' future.

In case you're not as well-versed in the Game of Thrones universe as much as some of the other viewers and fans, here's the basics: House of the Dragon season 1 is based on the book Fire & Blood, and is set around 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

House of the Dragon portrays the beginning of the end of the Targaryen era, and will likely follow through to the war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons.

With all of that in mind, along with the record breaking viewership numbers for the first episode, it was pretty much a given that House of the Dragon would get renewed for season 2 – and probably even beyond - because there's so much story to tell.

Here's everything we know so far about House of the Dragon season 2, including what the showrunners have already teased.

Will there be a House of the Dragon season 2?

Will House of the Dragon get a second season? Has it been renewed?

After just one episode, HBO confirmed that House of the Dragon would be back for season 2.

HBO content chief Casey Bloys previously told The Hollywood Reporter: "Typically speaking, I like to take an approach where we will talk about what a second season might look like and talk about scripts. But we tend to like to see how a show performs," Bloys said. "That said, if I were betting, I’d say there’s a pretty good shot that House of the Dragon will get a season two. But we tend to like things to air and give it some time."

THR also reported that HBO is "prepared to greenlight a second season of Dragon very quickly after the show’s debut if the ratings are high enough." House of the Dragon episode 1 drew in almost 10 million viewers, making it the biggest premiere in HBO history.

House of the Dragon season 2 release date: When is it expected to be released?

There's no way to know for sure when House of the Dragon season 2 will arrive. We'll get a clearer idea once it's been confirmed, and when production officially starts. We'll update this article when we know more.

The latest reports say House of the Dragon season 2 will begin filming in Spring 2023, which means fans will likely not see the next season until 2024.

In terms of filming schedules, House of the Dragon season 1 began shooting in April 2021 and wrapped in February 2022. It then aired 6 months later, in August 2022.

Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 1. Picture: HBO

What will happen in House of the Dragon season 2? What happens in the books?

We'll have more of an idea what season 2 will focus on once we know how season 1 ends. Season 1 will have 10 episodes, and will span several years of the storyline as Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke will take over from Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as the older versions of Princess Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower half way through the season.

Season 2's storyline will still follow the story from Fire & Blood, but don't be surprised if some book details change or are expanded on within the show. After 7 episodes, fans have already seen some major departures from the book.

Check back here as the episodes go on for more detailed (and potentially spoiler-y!) information on season 2's probable storylines.

What have the cast and showrunners said about House of the Dragon season 2?

Speaking to Collider, Ryan J. Condal teased the plans for season 2, and what the future of the series might look like: "I think we have a fairly good plan laid out. Plans like that always have to be fairly broad, yet you have an idea of landmarks, and places that you want to go, and a sense of an end point, which I think is really important, particularly with this story.

"There’s 170 years of history in front of us, so you have to figure out, at what point do you do lower the curtain on this particular story? We’ve always had a good sense of that."

Sounds like we might be in for a quite a ride if all goes to plan for House of the Dragon!

Will Milly Alcock and Emily Carey be in House of the Dragon season 2?

Thanks to their incredible 5-episode appearance as the younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent, fans are desperate to see Milly Alcock and Emily Carey back in action as the two characters – perhaps appearing in flashbacks as the main storyline and narrative continues. While Emily Carey has teased that "conversations have happened," it doesn't look like they'll be back for season 2 as it stands.

In an interview with Variety, show-runner Ryan Condal said the younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent “are not a part of the story that we’re telling, yet. That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now.”

However, there may be space to bring them back in the future, with Condal teasing that this show can get “a little bit more fancy” with its narrative approach than Game of Thrones.

"There are things that we haven’t fully sorted out,” he said. “I’m not closing the door on anything. So there, how’s that for an answer?”