There is finally an update on when fans can expect the second upcoming season of HBO’s smash-hit, House of the Dragon, the prequel spinoff to the mega-popular Game of Thrones franchise. According to a report by Variety, Season 2 of the hit dark fantasy series is expected to debut in early Summer 2024.
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HBO chief Casey Bloys announced the news on Thursday (Nov. 9) during a press event in New York City. The presentation featured the first trailer for the show’s second season which was screened exclusively for reporters. Details regarding the footage are reportedly being kept under a strict embargo.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON SEASON 2 ANNOUNCED FOR AN EARLY SUMMER 2024 DEBUT
Bloys had previously indicated earlier in February that the second season would be eligible for an Emmy 2024 award season. That period of eligibility is slated to end on May 31, 2024. During the Q&A portion of Thursday’s presentation, Bloys said the other upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff, based on the book A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, will start shooting next spring.
That was pending the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which ended on Thursday after the actors guild (SAG-AFTRA) reached a new tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So, it would appear the spinoff, which will follow the tales of the knight Dunk and his squire Egg, will be able to start shooting in the spring.
House of the Dragon is based on original author George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood. It’s set nearly 200 years before the events depicted in the Game of Thrones series and about 100 years after the Targaryen family united the Seven Kingdoms.
The first season debuted in August 2022 and became a smash hit. The show was quickly renewed for a second season before the second episode even aired as it drew record-breaking numbers for HBO. Season 2 of the show started filming earlier this year in April at Warner Bros.’ Leavesden Studios in the UK.
The show managed to avoid any issues due to the recent Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that started in May and ended in September and the SAG-AFTRA strike, which started in July since the scripts were already finished before filming began. While no writing work was done on the show during the strike, showrunner Ryan Condal reportedly did work onset in a producing-only capacity. Also, the production’s actors were working under contract through the UK actors guild Equity and not SAG-AFTRA. Due to UK labor laws, UK unions are not able to strike in solidarity.
The second season will star Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Other returning cast members from the first season include Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
Joining the cast for Season 2 will be Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull. Fans can check out the first season of the series, which is available to stream now on Max.
What do you think of the news? Are you excited about House of the Dragon debuting this upcoming summer? Did you enjoy the first season? What do you think should be the next Game of Thrones spinoff after the Dunk and Egg series? Let us know your thoughts about the news on The Illuminerdi’s social media.
SOURCE: Variety
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