George R.R. Martin’s Huge ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Update—Plus, Brand-New Info on the Release Date

HBO has finally revealed when the second season of House of the Dragon is expected to premiere on Max and (spoiler alert) it's sooner than we expected.

Following the development of the writers’ strike (which has now been resolved) and the actors' strike, author George R.R. Martin addressed the elephant in the room and gave a major update on House of the Dragon season two. Even better, the author hinted that the saga of House Targaryen will continue beyond season two, thanks to a massively successful first season.

But the most exciting news of all is that HBO head Casey Bloys recently confirmed the second installment is now “done shooting and in post,” which means we’ll be able to see the aftermath of the Targaryen civil war sooner rather than later. In fact, the House of the Dragon season two release date will be in early summer 2024.

Keep reading for more details on the cast, plot, premiere date, spoilers and what Martin and Bloys had to say about House of the Dragon season two.

In August 2022, HBO confirmed on Instagram that the series was renewed for a second season. The caption read, "Fire reigns. #HouseoftheDragon has been renewed for Season 2."

The renewal news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to GoT fans. (FYI, House of the Dragon broke the record for the largest audience of a premiere in HBO history.)

In a statement, Francesca Orsi (executive vice president of HBO programming), said, “We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one. 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.”

In April 2023, the network announced that production had begun on the show’s second season. New episodes were being filmed at Leavesden Studios in the U.K.

“House of the Dragon has returned. We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera,” said series co-creator Ryan Condal. “All your favorite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies and riding their dragons into battle. We can't wait to share what we have in store.”

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Since HBO’s House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s published book, Fire & Blood, it’s more than likely the narrative will continue where the first season left off. In the shocking season one finale, Aemond and Vhagar murder Rhaenyra’s son, Luke, which marks the first major death of the civil war. While the House of Dragon season two plot is being kept hush-hush, we can assume that fans will see more violent acts of war play out in the future installment, following along with Martin’s book.

So, you may be wondering: What happens next in Fire & Blood? Since the novel details the full history of the Targaryen family, we are confident the series will detail the events following the death of Lucerys (Elliot Grihault). In addition, according to Screen Rant, “There are several tragic deaths and injuries on the horizon in the story, a clash between twins, and the ‘Blood and Cheese’ event which could be the event behind [how] Rhaenyra Targaryen earned the nickname Rhaenyra the Cruel.”

What we do know for sure is that the main cast for House of the Dragon is set to return for the second season, including Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen), Emma D’Arcy (Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen), Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen), Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Lady Alicent Hightower), Rhys Ifans (Ser Otto Hightower), Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen), Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen), Phia Saban (Helaena Targaryen), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), Harry Collet (Jacaerys Velaryon), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Targaryen), Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole) and Graham McTavish (Ser Harrold Westerling).

The younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent, who were played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carney, respectively, are not going to return for the second installment.

Deadline confirmed that House of the Dragon is adding four new cast members: Simon Russell Beale (Simon Strong), Freddie Fox (Gwayne Hightower), Gayle Rankin (Alys Rivers) and Abubakar Salim (Alyn of Hull). While little is known about their involvement, the newcomers are all connected to the story line through various season one characters.

It’s reported that House of the Dragon season two will have a total of eight episodes, which is shorter than the 10-episode lineup for season one. According to Deadline, a spokesman from HBO shared the reason behind the decision is purely “story-driven.”

House of the Dragon fans speculated the second season will premiere sometime in the summer of 2024. And by the looks of it, their prediction wasn’t that far off.

On Thursday, November 2, HBO CEO Casey Bloys attended an event held at Warner Bros. Discovery headquarters in New York City. While there, he shared an exciting new update about the second season. Though the HBO head kept additional details about House of the Dragon season two under wraps, he did share when fans should expect the return of the series.

“They are done shooting and in post. We hope to have that early summer,” Bloys said, according to Entertainment Weekly.