House of the Dragon season 2: What is the HBO series release date? What events in Fire and Blood will it cover? All you need to know

Any fears that House of the Dragon couldn’t live up to the high expectations of a Game of Thrones spin-off series were quickly erased with record viewing figures for the HBO fantasy series.

Available to watch on Sky Atlantic with NOW in the UK, the series has been thrilling millions of fans every week with the twists and turns of the Targaryen dynasty.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood novel, set before the events of Game of Thrones, there is still a huge amount of the story to tell.

Season 1 has introduced us to the Greens and Blacks, explained the rivalry between King Viserys' second wife Alicent Hightower and daughter Rhaenrya and set up various subplots with the many grandchildren and cousins intertwined in the Targaryen dynasty.

HBO has confirmed season 2 is in production and here is everything you need to know about the epic drama’s return…

What is the House of the Dragon season 2 release date?

House of the Dragon season 2 has been confirmed by HBO and will return in the UK on Sky and NOW.

The new season has started production, but filming isn’t expected to end until summer 2023.

That means fans can probably expect to see House of the Dragon season 2 in 2024.

Zai Bennett, managing director of content at Sky said: "House of the Dragon is already proving to be a ratings hit, and we predict it will go from strength to strength due to the captivating storytelling and incredible production values.

“We look forward to sharing a second series with our customers on Sky and NOW.”

Stream every episode of House of the Dragon season 1 on Sky Atlantic with NOW.

What happened at the end of House of the Dragon season 1?

Full review and recap - House of the Dragon season 1

In House of the Dragon's season 1 finale, The Black Queen, the most significant moment came at Storm's End.

After being denied the backing of House Baratheon, young Lucerys Velaryon was chased by his cousin Aemond - looking for revenge for his lost eye earlier in the series.

Aemond said he only wanted to have his revenge and take an eye from Lucerys, but he couldn't control his dragon Vhargar, who gobbled up Lucerys.

The death of Rhaenrya's second son, went against Alicent Hightower's proposal for peace - with King Aegon ruling King's Landing and Rhaenyra living on Dragonstone.

Therefore, Aemond's actions have started a war between the Blacks (Rhaenyra and Daemon) and the Greens (Alicent, Otto and Aegon) that will be the focus of season 2 and beyond.

Who is on Team Black and Team Green at the start of season 2?

The Blacks - Queen Rhaenyra

• Rhaenyra Targaryen – Played by Emma D’Arcy
• Daemon Targaryen – Played by Matt Smith
• Corlys Velaryon, The Sea Snake – Played by Steve Toussaint
• Rhaenys Velaryon – Played by Eve Best
• Jacaerys Velaryon – Played by Harry Collett
• Baela Targaryen – Played by Bethany Antonia
• Rhaena Targaryen – Played by Phoebe Campbell
• Maester Gerardys - Played by Phil Daniels
• Erryk Cargyll - Played by Elliot Tittensor
• Lorent Marbrand - Played by Max Wrottesley
• Bartimos Celtigar - Played by Nicholas Jones
• Steffon Darklyn – Played by Anthony Flanagan 

The Greens - King Aegon II

• Aegon II Targaryen – Played by Tom Glynn-Carney
• Aemond Targaryen – Played by Ewan Mitchell
• Helaena Targaryen – Played by Phia Saban
• Alicent Hightower – Played by Olivia Cooke
• Otto Hightower – Played by Rhys Ifans
• Ser Criston Cole – Played by Fabien Frankel
• Tyland Lannister – Played by Jefferson Hall
• Jason Lannister – Played by Jefferson Hall
• Larys Strong – Played by Matthew Needham
• Maester Orwyle - Played by Kurt Egyiawan
• Lord Jasper ‘Ironrod’ Wylde - Played by Paul Kennedy
• Arryk Cargyll - Played by Luke Tittensor
• Lord Borros Baratheon - Played by Roger Evans

House of the Dragon season 2 cast

House of the Dragon: Full cast list

A significant chunk of the main cast will return in season 2.

It means we should hopefully see lots more of Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy as rivals Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen, alongside Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as the Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon, and Eve Best as the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen.

Aegon II Targaryen and Aemond Targaryen, who will be played in the final episodes of season 1 by Tom Glynn-Carney and Ewan Mitchell, will also have an increased role in season 2.

We may also get to see lots more of Rhys Ifans as the devious Otto Hightower, Matthew Needham as Larys Strong and Fabien Frankel as Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Criston Cole.

New cast and characters will also be required for season 2 and we’ll update you when any casting news is confirmed.

Talking about the possibility of returns for Emily Carey and Milly Alcock as young Rhaenyra and young Alicent, Emily Carey told The Hollywood Reporter that there had been discussions about involving the popular pair in flashback sequences.

“It’s been spoken about, conversations have happened, but, in all honesty, I know absolutely nothing and I have no idea,” said Carey.

“Of course, I would love to come back. It depends on how it’s received and where they want to take the show next. I’m just going with the flow!” 

What is the House of the Dragon season 2 timeline?

*Warning – spoilers ahead*

The second season of House of the Dragon is expected to kick off with the Dance of Dragons.

The Dance of Dragons is the epic Targaryen civil war which follows the death of King Viserys (Paddy Considine).

The civil war is fought between the Greens, who believe Alicent Hightower’s (Olivia Cooke) son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) should be King, and the Blacks, who believe Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) should be Queen.

The Dance of Dragons is filled with massive battles, major twists and shocks galore, so if you think House of the Dragon has been exciting so far, you haven’t seen anything yet.

House of the Dragon’s creative team have said that moving forward the show is likely to follow a more traditional pace of storytelling and may not have the time-jumps that have been central to building up the backstory to Dance of Dragons in season 1.

Showrunner Ryan Condal told The Times: "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."

What new characters can we expect in House of the Dragon season 2?

One key House of the Dragon character missing from season 1 was Daeron Targaryen. George R. R. Martin has confirmed that the fourth child of Viserys and Alicent hasn't been cut from the show entirely, they just decided not to introduce him in season 1. In a blog post, Martin confirmed Daeron is alive and living in Oldtown.

Other major characters we may potentially see cast ahead of season 2 include Cregan Stark, Jeyne Arryn, Hugh Hammer, Nettles and Unwine Peake. You may recognise the family names Stark and Arryn, but all these characters are going to have big roles to play in the Targaryen story - either in season 2 or beyond.

Where is House of the Dragon season 2 filmed?

A lot of the locations used in season 1, ranging from Cornwall and Derbyshire in England, to Cáceres in Spain and Monsanto in Portugal, will be revisited in season 2.

Spanish fan site Los Siete Reinos has confirmed that House of the Dragon will return to shoot scenes in Cáceres in 2023, between March and June.

Cáceres is where King’s Landing scenes are filmed, so it’s no surprise that a big chunk of time will be spent filming there.

Are there any more Game of Thrones spinoff series coming soon?

There are plenty more Game of Thrones series in the early stages of development.

The most hyped and talked about is a new series based on the adventures of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), set after Game of Thrones ends.

There are also plans for a series on seafarer Corlys Velaryon, titled The Sea Snake, a show following warrior queen Nymeria and an adaptation of The Dunk and Egg, another series of novels from George R.R Martin set before Game of Thrones.

And if that wasn’t enough, there are also three animated series currently in development.

Stream House of the Dragon season 1 weekly on Sky Atlantic with NOW

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