Get your dragons ready to brawl because House of the Dragon Season 3 is confirmed – and this is what we know so far about it.
House of the Dragon Season 2 premiered as part of the 2024 TV premiere schedule and has been a huge hit online. From the sudden shift in the relationship between Alicent and Ser Criston Cole to Daemon being on an 'island on his own' over in Harrenhal and basically being in a real-life haunted house, Season 2 of this show was the build-up to the war that is to follow.
But what exactly can we expect from Season 3 of House of the Dragon? When is it going to come out? Who will we be seeing? For all those questions and more, here is what we know so far.
What Is The House Of The Dragon Season 3 Premiere Date?
As of August 2024, there is no set premiere date for House of the Dragon Season 3, which isn't that surprising. The Season 2 finale only aired a short time ago, so it would be pretty shocking if we had a premiere date already.
However, we can theorize about when it will come out. There was a two year wait for the Season 2, with the first season coming out in 2022 and the second arriving in 2024, so a safe guess would be to say we'll have to wait until 2026. I know that feels like ages away – but with all these Targareyens and their dragons, it's no wonder it takes so long. The amount of CGI needed must be intense.
The House Of The Dragon Season 3 Cast
Since Season 3 hasn't even begun filming yet, we don't have official confirmation, but we at least know that several cast members are expected to be back since they all have critical roles in the war to come. These include, but aren't limited to:
- Emma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Matt Smith as King Consort Daemon Targaryen
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower
- Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong
- 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
I'm sure that there will be even more stars returning, as well as new guest stars that we can expect to see, but we'll hear all about that in good time.
What Is House Of The Dragon Season 3 About?
The big question is, what is House of the Dragon Season 3 going to be about? The simple answer is that it will most likely be an all-out war. As we saw in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale (which had lower ratings because there was no major battle), several houses of Westeros came together for the fight between the two claimants to the throne.
While most fans weren't pleased that now we're going to have to wait two years to see this battle, the showrunner of the series, Ryan Condal, spoke in a press conference (via The Hollywood Reporter) in August 2024 and defended his decision, saying they were going to pull off a "hell of a win" with the upcoming battle:
We are building to that event that will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling, and it should be the biggest thing to date that we've pulled off. We just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans in the way it's deserved. We also wanted to build some anticipation toward it. So I apologize for the wait, but … with the team that we have together, we're going to pull off a hell of a win with The Battle of the Gullet.
There were a fair amount of fights during Season 2, like that gut-punch death between the Cargyll brothers, or, of course, Rook's Rest and its casualties, and the fall of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, but everyone was really expecting the main battle to begin by now.
But, they decided to go the more emotional route. Even the director of the episode, Geeta Vasant Patel, spoke to Elle in August 2024 and said she supported the decision and found it "beautiful" to end with that conversation between Alicent and Rhaenyra:
The thing that we all were focused on was how to make sure that this beautiful conversation between the two protagonists at the end of Episode 8 was as thrilling as some dragon fight. I have so much respect for Sara and Ryan for choosing to end the season finale with something that is about the words and the story and the dramaturgy. It speaks to how artful the show really is—they could have easily put a big action scene in the finale, and thought from the outside-in of what fans wanted, but instead they thought from the inside-out of what was in their heart.
With that in mind, however, that means that Season 3 is most likely going to be an all-out battle. Now, we're just waiting to see all the deaths happen that I know we're all expecting.
Season 3 Will Most Likely Introduce Daeron Targaryen
If you've been paying attention, you might notice that there's been a name thrown around a few times this season, and that's Daeron Targaryen – an heir who hasn't even appeared in the show yet and is currently in Oldtown. However, we have a feeling that he'll finally be showing up in Season 3.
We know that Daeron's dragon was in the show. It's a very quick blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but we can see that his dragon, Tessarion, is there. Condal confirmed in that same press conference (via The Wrap) that we would be seeing Daeron in Season 3.
Honestly, it's about dang time. I feel like I've been waiting on this man for years.
Aemond Targaryen Is Going To Be A Lot More "Desperate" And "Erratic"
Aemond Targaryen certainly had an intense story this season, with him nearly killing his brother and then taking on the role of ruler of Westeros, but now his power is threatened. According to an interview from Ewan Mitchell with Inverse in August 2024, Aemond will probably be even worse next season and more "desperate" and "erratic:"
I think you're going to see someone who's a lot more desperate and a lot more erratic. Targaryens were always considered closer to gods than men. And what Rhaenyra does at the end of Episode 7 very much challenges and questions the belief that you have to be a legitimate Targaryen to ride a dragon. Although their heritage from what we've heard sounds pretty legit, the rest of Westeros doesn't see that.
We're about to see him completely break loose.
Production Will Begin In 2025
Thankfully, we do have a set time for when Season 3 will go into production. You can expect to hear more news about House of the Dragon next year, as Variety reported in August 2024 that the show will begin production in 2025. What that means for a release date, is yet to be determined, but here's hoping we get some confirmation sooner rather than later.
What are you excited about when it comes to the next season? All I know is that I am ready to feel the pain all over again – and then some. In the meantime, I'm going to go check out the best fantasy shows to binge while I wait.
