House Of The Dragon Season 2 is coming – and this is what we know so far about it.
House of the Dragon was one of the major shows that people talked about in 2022. The series, which made history and broke records, has become one of the best fantasy shows and has brought on a different era for A Song of Ice and Fire universe fans.
But now, after the eventful finale of House of the Dragon Season 1, we need to talk about the next steps in the world of the Targaryens. House of the Dragon Season 2 is happening, as was reported not that long after the first season aired, but what exactly do we know about the upcoming season?
When Is The House Of The Dragon Season 2 Premiere Date?
At the time of updating this in May 2024, House of the Dragon Season 2 will premiere on June 16, 2024. So get ready for a hectic father’s day that is bound to be eventful.
Watch The House of the Dragon Season 2 Trailer
Ya’ll, it has finally dropped. After years of waiting, a month before the premiere, House of the Dragon Season 2’s trailer has officially dropped, and we get our first look at all the dragons, all the battles, and the amount of betrayal we are about to get ourselves into. Gosh, I can feel it from miles away.
Several Of The Main Stars Are Confirmed To Return
From HBO themselves, House of the Dragon will have several stars returning. These include:
Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
Emma D’Arcy is confirmed to return as Rhaenyra Targaryen. The actor has appeared in shows such as Truth Seekers and Wanderlust prior to House of the Dragon.
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
Matt Smith is confirmed to return as Daemon Targaryen. The actor is primarily known for his time in the Doctor Who series, but also appeared in films such as Morbius, Last Night in Soho, and more, and also had a main role in The Crown for the first season.
Olivia Cooke As Alicent Hightower
Olivia Cooke will return as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 2. The actress has appeared in shows such as Bates Motel, Vanity Fair, and more.
Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
Rhys Ifans will return as Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 2. The actor has appeared around for many years and appeared in movies like Notting Hill, Enduring Love, The Amazing Spider-Man, The King’s Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home, among others.
Steve Toussiant as Corlys Velaryon
Steve Toussaint will return as Corlys Velaryon. The actor held a prominent role in The Knock, and appeared in films like Shooting Dogs, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Point Break and more.
Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen
Eve Best will return as Rhaenys Targaryen in House of the Dragon Season 2. She’s appeared in big TV shows like Nurse Jackie, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, and Fate: The Winx Saga.
Additional Cast Members Confirmed To Return
Additional cast members that were confirmed by HBO who are coming back include:
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen
- Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemon Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen
- Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen.
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
- Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen
- Jefferson Hall as Ser Tyland Lannister and Lord Jason Lannister.
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
There have also been several new characters confirmed. One that I do want to highlight is Cregan Stark. In December 2023, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Tom Taylor would play the famous Stark relative. For those who don’t know who Cregan Stark is, prepare to have your minds blown, because he is essential to the story of House of the Dragon. The actor is known for roles in movies like The Dark Tower and Close to Me, and appeared in the shows Us, Doctor Foster, Legends and more.
Aside from that, here are the new characters and actors you can expect to see in House of the Dragon Season 2:
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower
- Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome
- Kieran Bew as Hugh
- Tom Bennett as Ulf
- Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.
Can June 16 get here any quicker?
Season 2 Will Feature Westeros On The Brink Of Civil War
HBO gave us an official synopsis of what Season 2 will be about, and boy are we ready. In Season 2, Westeros is on "the brink" of an emerging Civil War between the Greens and the Blacks, otherwise known as the two opposing Targaryen clans and their claims to the throne. Now, audience members are going to have to choose which side they will support.
Can June get here any sooner?
Season 2 Will Be Like The “Middle Run” Of Game Of Thrones
If you were missing the action and spectacle that was Game of Thrones after the War of the Five Kings broke out, be prepared for Season 2 of House of the Dragon. According to The Sunday Times, via IGN, Condal was quick to say in October 2022 that the upcoming episodes of the new fantasy show is going to be much like the “middle run” of Game of Thrones, where everything will be taken to the next level:
We will get to the spectacle. But you have to understand these people’s complexities before they’re thrown into war. Series two will hit the rhythms people came to expect from the middle run of Game of Thrones, but it will have been earned, and viewers will feel the tragedies because we put the work in.
Considering it was confirmed by Deadline in April 2023 that the show will pick up right where it left off, I have a feeling we are going to enter into a lot of war.
Emma D’Arcy Says Rhaenyra Will Be “Somewhat Unleashed” In Season 2
Emma D’Arcy gave us a preview of what we can expect from the Rhaenyra Targaryen in Season 2 of the show in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May 2024 – that Rhaenyra will be “somewhat unleashed” thanks to her rage:
One of chosen moderation and one of fire and volatility. I certainly think that Rhaenyra is somewhat unleashed this season and is able to have more fluidity between those poles. In season 1, for reasons of her position, she was constantly moderating her desire. This season really investigates rage and maybe in particular a woman's rage.
They also say that grief will play an important role with Rhaenyra in Season 2, and that the Queen will have to find a way to deal with it while also dealing with the war:
Grief can be a really dislocating force. It can separate us from our family, from our friends, from our allies, almost as if the bereft person remains with the dead. And, of course, she's going to have to find some way of traveling back to the world of the living in order to fight for her inheritance.
God, this just makes me want to see Season 2 that much quicker.
The Scope Of The Show Will Expand In Season 2, According To Ryan Condal
The first season of House of the Dragon was very particular with where it kept most of its story. Game of Thrones felt as if it was all over the place, jumping from the North to the South all the way to the East in Essos, showing different characters' stories everywhere. House of the Dragon’s first season was focused on three locations – Kings Landing, Dragonstone, and Driftmark. We only saw one other major place for a small time – Storm's End – but other than that, really nowhere else.
However, the scope is going to expand greatly, according to the showrunner's interview with Variety after the finale. Condal says that Season 2 is really going to open up the world of Westeros more to the viewers, as a war is coming, and allies are going to be needed:
The show definitely has to expand its scope in the second season. Just as the original 'Game of Thrones' grew in scope and expanse as it went, so, too, will ours. We’ve lived a good bit in three different worlds through this show: King’s Landing, Dragonstone and Driftmark. I think those will continue to be the home bases for the show. But a war is coming that requires allegiances from different kingdoms and armies all over the map of Westeros. I don’t think we’re going to get quite as vast as the original 'Game of Thrones' did in its final analysis. But there are definitely many more new worlds to come, and new worlds that you haven’t necessarily seen in the original show, either. Rest assured, plenty of scope to come.
As someone who is a huge fan of the world of Westeros in general, sign me up for seeing even more of it. I can’t wait.
There Will Be More Dragons In Season 2
Did you want more dragons? Because House of the Dragon Season 2 is looking to deliver. I know that there were so many dragons that people needed to follow and learn their names, but get ready for part two, because Season 2 is looking to increase that number.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Condol confirmed at an FYC screening in March 2023 that Season 2 of the show was going to introduce “five new dragons,” and also hinted that production on the show was going to begin “very shortly.”
It wouldn’t quite be a “dance of dragons” if there weren’t more dragons, so I am here for all of this dragon-goodness.
There Will Be No More Time Jumps In Season 2
Praise God, there aren’t going to be any more time jumps in House of the Dragon Season 2. While I did feel it was needed to tell the full scope of the story of these people prior to the war breaking out, sometimes it felt jarring to suddenly see characters we had grown to like change and age so quickly into different actors – and then have to catch up with how much time had passed.
However, Ryan Condal was quick to confirm that Season 2 is going to be like a “reward” to the audience for sticking with the time jumps and recasts, according to his interview with Deadline in October 2022:
I will say, as a reward to our wonderful audience for following us through all the time jumps and recasts, they are done. We tell the story in real time from here forward.
Did anyone else just breathe a sigh of relief, or was that just me?
There Will Be Eight Episodes – And The First Episode Of Season 2 Will Reportedly Be Titled “A Son For A Son”
Something that was talked about in September 2023 was that we might know what the name of the first episode will be called. According to Redanian Intelligence, they reported that the first episode of Season 2 will be called “A Son for a Son,” which is a reference to a letter that Daemon sends to Harrenhal in the novel.
This could lead to one of the more brutal events of the Dance of Dragons – Blood and Cheese, a moment from Fire & Blood that is quite hard to forget. For those who do know, you understand how crazy this just might be, to start off the Season with this. And for those who don’t – well, I’ll leave that unspoiled for now. That’s a surprise everyone should get to experience at least once.
In fact, there are only going to be eight episodes for Season 2 – two episodes down from the first season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a shame, but a director for Season 2, Clare Kilner, explained the reasoning behind it – simply because there is just so much that goes on in those eight episodes:
There are eight wonderful episodes with so much happening in every episode, and we have trouble, at times, bringing them down to one hour. Ryan’s decision was to give it a good opening and a good ending, and they’re jam-packed with emotional and visually exciting events.
What are you looking forward to with House of the Dragon Season 2? The dragons are most certainly about to dance – are you prepared for the heartbreak to come? Someone grab my tissues.
