Everything to Know About ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2: Release Date, Cast and More

Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

When Does 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Premiere?

No release date for House of the Dragon season 2 has been announced, but it likely won't premiere until 2024 at the earliest.

Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Which 'HOTD' Cast Members Are Returning for Season 2?

HBO confirmed that Cooke and D'Arcy will return alongside Matt Smith as Daemon, Eve Best as Rhaenys, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Mitchell as Aemond, Glynn-Carney as Aegon II, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, Bethany Antonia as Baela, Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena, Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen and Matthew Needham as Larys Strong. It's possible that John Macmillan could come back as Laenor Velaryon, who faked his own death in season 1, but fans may also have to wait until season 3 or later for him to return.

In April 2023, HBO revealed that four new cast members will join the show in season 2. Gayle Rankin, who played Sheila "The She Wolf" on GLOW, will star as Alys Rivers, a healer who lives at Harrenhal. Simon Russell Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, who is the great uncle of Larys and the castellan at Harrenhal. Freddie Fox will appear as Ser Gwayne Hightower, the brother of Alicent and son of Otto, while Abubakar Salim will play Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet.   

Credit: Courtesy of HBO

What Is 'HOTD' Season 2 About?

Season 1 set up the civil war between the Black and Green parties, led by Rhaenrya and Alicent, respectively. After Viserys' death, Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II are at odds about who should sit on the Iron Throne, and that conflict is only going to escalate.

Glynn-Carney, who plays Aegon II, has hinted that more action is on the way. "I'm looking forward to having Aegon have a lot more meat to get his teeth stuck into and to cause more havoc, really, and to throw a spanner in the works, which he does so well," he said during a panel discussion in December 2022. "All I can tell you is that we're training very hard and we are making sure our bodies are in good enough condition for how strenuous season 2 is gonna be."

For her part, D'Arcy hinted that Rhaenyra will be far less reserved after the death of her son. "For so many very legitimate reasons, she has her hands tied practically throughout season 1. I have a feeling that the rein might be off for season 2," she told EW in October 2022.

Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

How Does 'House of the Dragon' Connect to 'Game of Thrones'?

House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before the beginning of the events of Game of Thrones. Because of the huge time gap, there are no character overlaps, but many of the characters are distant ancestors of the ones from the original series.  

Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Has Production Started on 'HOTD' Season 2?

HBO confirmed in April 2023 that production on HOTD had started. “It's time to return to King's Landing,” the show's official account tweeted at the time.

The show was able to continue filming amid the dual actors and writers strikes. The scripts were done before the Writer's Guild of America hit the picket lines and since filming happens in the U.K., the production is outside of SAG-AFTRA as well. The British actors' union, Equity, prohibits members from going on strike due to U.K. laws that could lead to a lawsuit.

Credit: HBO Max

How Many Episodes are in 'House of the Dragon' Season 2?

According to a March 2023 report from Deadline, the reason for the cut is “story-driven” rather than budgetary.

"There are eight wonderful episodes with so much happening in every episode, and we have trouble, at times, bringing them down to one hour," director Clare Kilner told The Hollywood Reporter in August 2023. "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."