House of the Dragon Season 2 : Are there any hopes for September?

byMeghma Lahiri
September 14, 2023
11 minute read
House of Dragons Season 2: What we know so far?
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“From fire comes power”

We are on the cusp of an impending civil war. Who will ascend the Iron Throne?

Will our beloved characters make it out alive? We have to wait for the arrival of Season 2 for that!

A hot off-the-plate series for all ardent fire-breather lovers indeed! The infamous Game Of Thrones spinoff has its audience in a chokehold, given its subtle references to the titular original series and its characters. Since House of the Dragon premiered on HBO in the summer of 2022, fans have been glued to their screens, pumped with adrenaline, guessing the fate of the magical ghastly land of dragons and castles. One reason for its Herculean fan base at the premiere of its first episode of the first season can be owed to the fan base created by the mother series, Game of Thrones! Akin to the Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon Season 1 broke television records moments after arrival.

The premiere of episode 1 of Season 1 of House of the Dragon engrossed a whopping 20 million views between its Sunday premiere and the following Friday, a negligible window of time to capture such a Herculean viewership if you ask me. It climbed to the category of the Best Television Series of 2022 following its viewership that cleped it as having the largest audience for any original series in HBO history! We will have to wait and see if Season 2 lives up to its predecessing Season. Oh yes, we are getting a Season 2. It was confirmed by the network a mere five days after the premiere of its first episode!

So, what does the future look like for the House of Targaryen? We have some intel on the arrival of Season 2, and they are sure to answer all the queries floating around your head. So continue reading!

House of the Dragon Season 2 Renewal: Has It Been Announced?

Yes, and fans have been ecstatic ever since the news dropped of the arrival of Season 2 of House of the Dragon! After a record-breaking premiere that shook the Game of Thrones fans to their cores and got them hooked on the new series, HBO decided to hastily renew it for another season, amping up the excitement radar of its viewers. Check out the official renewal announcement on their Twitter account below:

Of its success, HBO’s executive vice president of programming, Francesca Orsi, told The Hollywood Reporter:

“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 a must-see TV. A huge thank you to [co-creator and executive producer George RR Martin and co-creator and showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik] for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”

So now we are plagued with the intricate questions of its arrival date ever since the finale of Season 1 premiered last year. Ardent viewers are also inquisitive to understand if the predominant and ongoing strikes will have any influence over its arrival date. As for the strike queries, we can confirm that House of the Dragon is in the clear, and neither its production process nor its release ordeal will be affected by the strike. This is because its cast is predominantly UK-based and is set in the UK, while the SAG AFTRA and WGA are only tied to the actors and writers of the U.S.A. So, if Season 2 of House of the Dragon does not need to face the regular repercussions that are being faced by other prominent and highly-anticipated series, what is the current production status of Season 2, and when is it expected to arrive?

House of the Dragon Season 2: Are There Any Hopes For September?

house of dragons
Credits: HBO

Ever since the finale premiere and the follow-up strike scare, viewers have been clacking their keyboards over the past few months trying to figure out when the new Season is scheduled to arrive. Well, as of writing this, we can confirm that a formal arrival of Season 2 is yet to be announced. So, it will not be premiering in September of 2023. The Season 2 premiere will skip the entirety of 2023 and is likely to turn up in 2024 instead. We have a solid confirmation from an insider conferring this.

HBO chief Casey Bloys said in an interview with Vulture,

“Don’t expect it in ’23, but I think sometime in ’24,” he said, declining to get into specifics. “We’re just starting to put the plan together, and just like last time, there are so many unknowns. It’s not to be coy or secretive, but you don’t want to say it’s going to be ready on this date, and then you have to move it.”

Speaking of the current production status of Season 2, we are delighted to inform you that Season 2 is currently in production, and it has been since April 2023! Check out the post indicating this below:

At the moment of writing this, it is almost impossible to connote the exact date of its arrival, but given the processing statistics and earlier trends, it takes about 10 months to film alone, and the post-production for such a high VFX-infused series takes a lot longer than normal series. Invariably, we can expect the new Season to knock on our doors by 2024 fall. Bear in mind that this assumption is not set in stone and is susceptible to change!

House of the Dragon Season 2 Cast: Who Will Return, New Introductions, And Who Won’t?

house of dragons 5
Credits: HBO

One string of features that is iridescently common between the mother series and the spinoff is their innate way of burning through their cast each Season by killing them off. Anytime the viewers get attached to a character, they die! Season 2 will be no less, given that it is based on the second book Fire and Blood, where death is as normal as breathing. Nevertheless, our best-placed guess for the new Season will include:

  • Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
  • Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower
  • Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
  • Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
  • Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
  • Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
  • Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
  • Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
  • Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong
  • Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Ser Tyland Lannister
  • Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
  • Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen
  • Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen
  • Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen
  • Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen
  • Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen

The following are some recurring characters that we can expect to appear in Season 2:

  • Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle
  • Paul Kennedy as Lord Jasper Wylde
  • Phil Daniels as Grand Master Gerardys
  • Luke Tittensor as Ser Arryk Cargyll
  • Elliott Tittensor as Ser Erryk Cargyll
  • Roger Evans as Lord Borros Baratheon.

Given that Ser Harrold Westerlin(played by Graham McTavish was seen to resign from the Kingsguard in the ninth episode of Season 1, and given that he might not have a role to play in the brewing civil war, we might not see him at all.

It is unlikely that we will see Paddy Considine reprise his role as the late King Viserys I Targaryen, who was in an awful state when we bid him farewell, unless he appears in flashbacks.

The same can also be said for young Elliot Grihault as Prince Lucerys Velaryon, who met a bloody death in the finale.

The same is also true for Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as the younger versions of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, respectively.

Matthew Needham’s Larys Strong is bound to come back for more manipulation games (and his royal foot fetish). And the cast continues to grow, with Variety announcing several actors who’ll play characters new and old: 

  • “Gayle Rankin will play Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal. In author George RR Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, on which House of the Dragon is based, Alys is a witch who has mystical visions and becomes a powerful figure within the Targaryen’s Green faction.”
  • “Simon Russell Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, the Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham in season one.”
  • “Freddie Fox will play Ser Gwayne Hightower, the son of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), brother to Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke), and uncle to her children King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) and Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).”
  • “Abubakar Salim will play Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones campaign.”
  • Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell and Lady Jeyne Arryn of the Eyrie, both of whom are mentioned in the season 1 finale and who would be strong potential allies to Rhaenrya.
  •  Alicent and Viserys’ third son, Prince Daeron Targaryen, who was absent from the first season, will probably also appear. Condal said to Variety: “He does exist. No worries, everybody. He’s the youngest son. He’s warded off at Oldtown to Hobert Hightower and soon to Ormond Hightower, who is Hobert’s nephew, who becomes Lord of Oldtown. Honestly, this stuff happens all the time in this world. It’s not our modern day where if you had a 6-year-old, you would FaceTime them every day and see how they’re doing and write letters. He’s there. That’s the fact.”

Apart from the wide range of introductions of new members and recurring old ones, an insider has revealed that Season 2 will be introducing five new fire-breathers! With five new dragons, the stakes are as high as ever for the throne!

House of the Dragon Season 2 Plot: What Can We Expect In The New Season?

Top 5 House of the Dragon Season 2 theories!

For ardent bookworms that have read all the books the series is based on, we hate to burst your bubble because it has been reported by insider sources that Season 2 is a class apart from what the book Fire and Blood is all about! This means that making a confirmed prediction of the story for the new season is miscalculated and misguided. Instead, let’s focus on where we left off and what the network has revealed about the new season.

In all possible instances, House of the Dragon’s next chapter will dive headfirst into the Dance of the Dragons or the Targaryen civil war.  The conflict will see the citizens and nobles of Westeros side with who they want to see take the Iron Throne, with their options being Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen and the young King Aegon II Targaryen. Prince Lucerys Velaryon, in the season 1 finale, will instigate a bloody revenge plot for Rhaenyra, but will she be successful, or will she meet the same fate?

If the series follows the book, expect a particularly brutal response to what happened. Expect more gory violence to ensue as well as quieter, more emotional scenes as the human cost of the war is explored, which will take a particularly heavy toll on former friends Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower.

House of the Dragon writer and executive producer Sara Hess has also told The Hollywood Reporter that season 2 will examine the uncomfortable dynamic between Rhaenyra and her husband/uncle Daemon.

“Right now, we’re writing season two and figuring out, what is the nature of his relationship with Rhaenyra. There are many interpretations [in Fire & Blood] to that,” she said.

The second season will also dramatically open up the focus to the entire ensemble cast instead of the few central characters in the first run, but still stay grounded in the story of Rhaenyra and Alicent. Showrunner Ryan Condal notes to Entertainment Weekly that the second run “does fall into that ensemble piece where you’re following multiple characters. They’re not all in the same place, but this is still very much a story of Alicent and Rhaenyra and their families pitted against each other. We’re not gonna suddenly pull away from telling their stories. It’s just the nature of this thing, in season 2, it opens up the world in a big way and the sprawl grows quite a bit.”

The upcoming season has also been compared to the third and sixth installments of the Game of Thrones, so for more reference, check those out. For a more detailed assessment of what is to come in Season 2, take a look at the episode run-down of Season 1 of House Of The Dragon:

S1.E1 ∙ The Heirs of the Dragon
Mon, Aug 22, 2022
Viserys hosts a tournament to celebrate the birth of his second child. Rhaenyra welcomes her uncle Daemon back to the Red Keep.

S1.E2 ∙ The Rogue Prince
Mon, Aug 29, 2022
Rhaenyra oversteps at the Small Council. Viserys is urged to secure the succession through marriage. Daemon announces his intentions.

S1.E3 ∙ Second of His Name
Mon, Sep 5, 2022
Daemon and the Sea Snake battle the Crabfeeder. The realm celebrates Aegon’s second name. Rhaenyra faces the prospect of marriage.

S1.E4 ∙ King of the Narrow Sea
Mon, Sep 12, 2022
Rhaenyra continues her search for a suitable match, Daemon returns to Kings Landing and stirs more trouble for the King. Rhaenyra learns a valuable lesson.

House of the dragon release, Game of thrones prequel release date cast plot teaser
HBO

S1.E5 ∙ We Light the Way
Mon, Sep 19, 2022
Daemon visits his wife in the Vale. Viserys and Rhaenyra broker agreements with the Velaryons. Alicent seeks the truth about the princess.

S1.E6 ∙ The Princess and the Queen
Mon, Sep 26, 2022
Ten years later. Rhaenyra navigates Alicent’s continued speculation about her children, while Daemon and Laena weigh an offer in Pentos.

S1.E7 ∙ Driftmark
Mon, Oct 3, 2022
As the families gather on Driftmark for a funeral, Viserys calls for an end to infighting and Alicent demands justice.

S1.E8 ∙ The Lord of the Tides
Mon, Oct 10, 2022
Six years later. With the Driftmark succession suddenly critical, Rhaenyra attempts to strike a bargain with Rhaenys.

S1.E9 ∙ The Green Council
Mon, Oct 17, 2022
While Alicent enlists Cole and Aemond to track down Aegon, Otto gathers the great houses of Westeros to affirm their allegiance.

S1.E10 ∙ The Black Queen
Mon, Oct 24, 2022
While mourning a tragic loss, Rhaenyra tries to hold the realm together, and Daemon prepares for war.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episodes: How Many Episodes?

House of the dragon release, Game of thrones prequel release date cast plot teaser
HBO

It is confirmed! Season 2 of House Of The Dragon will be back with a total of eight episodes! That is two fewer episodes than the ten episodes featured in Season 1. The news was reported by Deadline, with the publication confirming that season 2 will feature eight episodes, with an HBO spokesperson saying the shortening is “story-driven”. George R. R. Martin wrote on his blog previously that he was still “thrilled” that the show gets to have “10 hours every season to tell our tale”. He added that “it is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish.” 

Discussing the reasoning behind the shorter second season, Clare Kilner recently told The Hollywood Reporter.
Season 2 has “eight wonderful episodes with so much happening in every episode, and we have trouble, at times, bringing them down to one hour,” Kilner said. She added that showrunner Ryan Condal made a choice “to give it a good opening and a good ending,” and teased that the episodes are “jam-packed with emotional and visually exciting events”.

Seems like we have a few more renewals up our sleeves to cover large premises of the books! So stay tuned.

House of the Dragon Season 2: Where To Watch?

House of the Dragon season one is available to stream now on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are also available on DVD and Blu-ray. This might be the best time to catch up on the earlier Season of House Of The Dragon as well as the eight seasons of the mother series, Game of Thrones!

House of the Dragon Season 2 Official Trailer: Is It Out Yet?

As of writing this, since there has not been any formal announcement regarding the arrival of the new season, we do not possess the official trailer for the same. As the premiere date inches closer, we will get new updates on when the trailer for the same will arrive. Meanwhile, check out the trailer for Season 1:

House of the Dragon | Official Trailer | Max

For more updates, stay tuned to Web News Observer and turn on your post notifications. 

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Meghma Lahiri
I am an ardent writer, and currently in pursuit of engraving myself as an entertainment and lifestyle writer. When I don’t write , I lift weights, travel, and shoot hoops. Currently I am all about achieving a balanced zen lifestyle, with excess of nothing and moderation in everything!