House of the Dragon was one of the major shows that people talked about in 2022. The series, which made history and broke records as each episode premiered on HBO, has become one of the best fantasy shows and has brought on a different era for A Song of Ice and Fire universe fans.
But now, after the eventful finale of House of the Dragon Season 1, we need to talk about the next steps in the world of the Targaryens. House of the Dragon Season 2 is happening, as was reported not that long after the first season aired, but what exactly do we know about the upcoming season? Here is what we know so far about House of the Dragon Season 2.
When Is The House Of The Dragon Season 2 Release Date?
At the time of updating this in November 2023, House of the Dragon Season 2 is set to premiere in Summer 2024, according to a Variety report, specifically in the "early summer," so that could mean June 2024.
An exact date has not been confirmed yet. The HBO network chief, Casey Bloys, announced the news at a press event, and screened the first trailer to the attendees, but what the trailer contained is being kept under an embargo.
With this in mind, we have even more to look forward to in the new year.
Milly Alcock Will Not Be Returning
Milly Alcock ended up exploding onto the scene when she first portrayed young Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon during the first half of the season, and once she ended up having her final episode, fans were wondering if she might come back for any more flashbacks.
However, when speaking to Deadline in March 2023 about her new role in The Crucible for her London stage debut, she confirmed that her time on the show was over, saying “No. It’s done.”
While it does sadden me that we won’t get to see her as the younger Rhaenyra ever again, I wish her a lot of luck in the future for any upcoming roles.
Who Will Play Cregan Stark?
For those who don’t know who Cregan Stark is, prepare to have your minds blown, because he is essential to the story of House of the Dragon. Without giving too much away from the novel, as the current Lord of Winterfell, Cregan has a lot of power and he knows how to use it, and ends up being a huge part of the story.
In an interview with Variety in October 2022, the showrunner, Ryan Condal, talked about Cregan and the possibility of him showing up in Season 2, confirming that he has not been cast yet:
Uh, we will cast Cregan Stark at some point, but no comment otherwise.
Variety also asked if we should expect to see Cregan in Season 2, and Condal was very ambiguous with his answer:
I don’t know, will we? I can’t answer that.
While he is withholding details, the last episode of House of the Dragon showed that Jacaerys Velaryon is currently flying to Winterfell to literally meet with Cregan, so it would be pretty surprising if he didn’t show up in Season 2.
There have also been plenty of rumors that have gone around in regards to who might play Cregan Stark. Most recently, Winter Is Coming reported that Tom Taylor was reportedly cast as the major character in September 2023. They said that the news came from House the Dragons, a Brazilian fan account on X (formerly Twitter), in a post that was in another language that said Taylor would play the role. However, nothing has been confirmed just yet.
Fingers crossed that we do end up seeing Cregan in the show. I’d give anything to see a Stark again – at least before the Jon Snow spinoff show.
Gayle Rankin, Simon Russell Beale And More Have Been Cast
Casting news for House of the Dragon has been few and far between for Season 2, but what we do know is that there were several actors cast in April 2023. Variety announced that Gayle Rankin will play Alys Rivers, Simon Russell Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, Freddie Fox will play Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Abubakar Salim will play Alyn of Hull.
All of these characters have essential storylines and roles in the novel that House of the Dragon is based on, Fire & Blood, so seeing their names for Season 2 is awesome. I can’t wait for the drama that’s going to ensue.
Season 2 Will Be Like The “Middle Run” Of Game Of Thrones
If you were missing the action and spectacle that was Game of Thrones after the War of the Five Kings broke out, be prepared for Season 2 of House of the Dragon. According to The Sunday Times, via IGN, Condal was quick to say in October 2022 that the upcoming episodes of the new fantasy show is going to be much like the “middle run” of Game of Thrones, where everything will be taken to the next level:
We will get to the spectacle. But you have to understand these people’s complexities before they’re thrown into war. Series two will hit the rhythms people came to expect from the middle run of Game of Thrones, but it will have been earned, and viewers will feel the tragedies because we put the work in.
That just makes me think I’m going to cry a heck of a lot more for who dies next – and no, I am not ready.
The Scope Of The Show Will Expand In Season 2, According To Ryan Condal
The first season of House of the Dragon was very particular with where it kept most of its story. Game of Thrones felt as if it was all over the place, jumping from the North to the South all the way to the East in Essos, showing different characters' stories everywhere. House of the Dragon during its first season was focused on three locations – Kings Landing, Dragonstone, and Driftmark. We only saw one other major place for a small time – Storm's End – but other than that, really nowhere else.
However, the scope is going to expand greatly, according to the showrunner's interview with Variety after the finale. Condal says that Season 2 is really going to open up the world of Westeros more to the viewers, as a war is coming, and allies are going to be needed:
The show definitely has to expand its scope in the second season. Just as the original 'Game of Thrones' grew in scope and expanse as it went, so, too, will ours. We’ve lived a good bit in three different worlds through this show: King’s Landing, Dragonstone and Driftmark. I think those will continue to be the home bases for the show. But a war is coming that requires allegiances from different kingdoms and armies all over the map of Westeros. I don’t think we’re going to get quite as vast as the original 'Game of Thrones' did in its final analysis. But there are definitely many more new worlds to come, and new worlds that you haven’t necessarily seen in the original show, either. Rest assured, plenty of scope to come.
As someone who is a huge fan of the world of Westeros in general, sign me up for seeing even more of it. I can’t wait.
There Will Be More Dragons In Season 2
Did you want more dragons? Because House of the Dragon Season 2 is looking to deliver. I know that there were so many dragons that people needed to follow and learn their names, but get ready for part two, because Season 2 is looking to increase that number.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Condol confirmed at an FYC screening in March 2023 that Season 2 of the show was going to introduce “five new dragons,” and also hinted that production on the show was going to begin “very shortly.”
It wouldn’t quite be a “dance of dragons” if there weren’t more dragons, so I am here for all of this dragon-goodness.
There Will Be No More Time Jumps In Season 2
Praise God, there aren’t going to be any more time jumps in House of the Dragon Season 2. While I did feel it was needed to tell the full scope of the story of these people prior to the war breaking out, sometimes it felt jarring to suddenly see characters we had grown to like change and age so quickly into different actors – and then have to catch up with how much time had passed.
However, Condal was quick to confirm that Season 2 is going to be like a “reward” to the audience for sticking with the time jumps and recasts, according to his interview with Deadline in October 2022:
I will say, as a reward to our wonderful audience for following us through all the time jumps and recasts, they are done. We tell the story in real time from here forward.
Did anyone else just breathe a sigh of relief, or was that just me?
The First Episode Of Season 2 Will Reportedly Be Titled “A Son For A Son”
Something else that was talked about in September 2023 was that we might know what the name of the first episode will be called. According to Redanian Intelligence, they reported that the first episode of Season 2 will be called “A Son for a Son,” which is a reference to a letter that Daemon sends to Harrenhal in the novel.
This could lead to one of the more brutal events of the Dance of Dragons – Blood and Cheese, a moment from Fire & Blood that is quite hard to forget. For those who do know, you understand how crazy this just might be, to start off the Season with this. And for those who don’t – well, I’ll leave that unspoiled for now. That’s a surprise everyone should get to experience at least once.
Filming Is Done
For a huge fantasy show like House of the Dragon, preparing for filming is such a meticulous process because it takes so much time to make sure every single shot and detail is perfect for fans to enjoy. And now, we know for sure that filming for Season 2 has come to an end.
Condal originally told Variety in that same finale article interview from before that filming for Season 2 would begin in early 2023, and then in April 2023 according to Deadline, filming had begun.
It was also confirmed by Variety in May 2023 that production on the show would continue amid the writer's strike since it’s a U.K. based production, so with that in mind, it was confirmed by Variety in September 2023 that filming had come to an end.
It was an article that detailed HBO’s plan to work on pushing out new seasons for their hit shows instead of coming up with new content as the 2023 WGA Strike had finally come to an end. In that article, they stated that House of the Dragon Season 2 had finished filming in September 2023.
What are you looking forward to with House of the Dragon Season 2? The dragons are most certainly about to dance – are you prepared for the heartbreak to come? Someone grab my tissues. Summer 2024 needs to come quicker.
