Sound the drums, let the dragons fly free because HBO has officially renewed the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon for season two. A second season of House of the Dragon seemed to be all but a given, but Game of Thrones fans will no doubt still feel excited to hear the news confirmed.
House of the Dragon has barely started to air, but its premiere broke HBO records. According to a release, “House of the Dragon debuted Sunday, August 21, to the largest audience for any new original series in HBO history. The first episode has now been seen by over 20 million viewers across linear, On Demand and HBO Max platforms in the U.S., based on a combination of Nielsen data and first-party data.” Those are big numbers, and no doubt made HBO hungry for more fire and blood… and dragons.
We know there is plenty of story still to tell when it comes to this Game of Thrones spinoff. House of the Dragon season one has only ten episodes, but the Targaryens have centuries of history to tell. We guess that’s where House of the Dragon season two comes in. Those excited to know where the story of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen, and others might go should check out the book House of the Dragon is based on, Fire & Blood by G.R.R. Martin. Obviously, that means spoilers, but at least the wait for more episodes will fly by.
Of course, we don’t have any indication of when House of the Dragon season two will release or even go into production. Nor do we yet know about any new casting or story information.
However, we do know we’ll see a different co-showrunner. Via TVLine, House of the Dragon season one co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik is moving on. He said, “It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally.”
Ryan Condal will remain and serve as the sole showrunner for season two. However, Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor will return as exectuve producer and director for the next season. Taylor said in a statement:
It’s a pleasure and an honor to be back at HBO, immersing myself in the world of the Targaryens. I look forward to working closely with Ryan as House of the Dragon grows into its second season. Ryan, Miguel and George [R.R. Martin] have launched an extraordinary story, in a rich and fascinating world. Returning to Westeros will be a huge undertaking, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Really, it boils down to this, House of the Dragon‘s creators promised us seventeen total dragons in the show. But we know we only get to meet nine of them in season one. That means we still need to encounter eight more dragons. We can’t leave that many dragons on the table. House of the Dragon season two it is!
Originally published August 26, 2022.
