House of the Dragon season 2 release, cast plans, and what we know so far

Much like with Game of Thrones, the end of House of the Dragon season 1 has been met with a common refrain: When is season 2? Thankfully, HBO has been a bit more transparent with plans for House of the Dragon season 2 — starting with that there will definitely be one. This is not quite a “You know nothing, Jon Snow” situation.

Here’s the latest news, release info, and plot details on House of the Dragon season 2. Expect updates, cast shake-ups, and boasting about dragons. And maybe George R.R. Martin with a few words of hype (but if you’re looking for The Winds of Winter updates, godspeed).

When will House of the Dragon season 2 premiere on HBO?

House of the Dragon received a second season greenlight way back in August after its first episode. Twenty million viewers of the premiere across all platforms was enough to prove that Game of Thrones fever hadn’t diminished since the 2019 finale of the flagship series.

HBO is notorious for premiering first seasons of major series, then going dormant for a full two years — see Westworld — and the time-jump between House of the Dragon season 1 and 2 could be substantial. A recent report by Spanish newspaper Hoy suggested that HBO would return to the King’s Landing stand-in city of Cáceres next spring, with filming on the new season commencing around April or May 2023. Based on what it takes to put a season’s worth of dragon war together, one assumes House of the Dragon season 2 is likely arriving in 2024.

Who’s back in the House of the Dragon season 2 cast?

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

While HBO has yet to confirm the actor lineup for season 2, George R.R. Martin’s source material suggests that future seasons won’t be taking the kind of leaps in time that defined season 1. So expect Matt Smith as Daemon, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, and Eve Best as Rhaenys, Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II, and Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen.

As for new characters, Martin has already confirmed one: Daeron Targaryen, Viserys and Alicent’s fourth child, who was apparently down in Oldtown throughout season 1 and “we just did not have the time to work him in this season,” Martin said in a blog from early October.

Who isn’t back?

Besides the cast members who aged out or died over the course of season 1, the major absences going into House of the Dragon season 2 is actually behind the camera: Miguel Sapochnik, the Thrones mainstay director who stepped up to co-run House of the Dragon with writer Ryan Condal, announced in late August that he would not return for season 2. Instead, another Thrones veteran, Alan Taylor, has stepped in to take on the role of producer-director of season 2.

What will happen in House of the Dragon season 2?

Readers of Martin’s Fire & Blood know where things are going, but let’s just say we expect lots of green, lots of black, and lots of dragon war. As for specifics of season 2, the final episodes suggest the action will expand beyond the walls of King’s Landing back to familiar territory around Westeros.

How many seasons will House of the Dragon run?

The key thing Martin has revealed in anticipation of the season 1 finale was just how long he, Condal, and HBO intended to keep the Targaryen history churning. In a blog, Martin specified that the current plan is four seasons total, with three more depicting the epic war that will shape the Westeros fans know from Game of Thrones (although it may also be an entirely different one). Martin confirmed that each season would receive 10 one-hour episodes.