Just days after the much-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series made its premiere, HBO Max is already moving ahead with a second season of House of the Dragon. After GoT‘s infamous eighth and final run, many were suspicious if the spinoff would be able to coax back the franchise’s many fans who were burned by how the original show ended. But, going by the hugely successful first episode and the streaming platform’s speedy renewal, it looks like it has well and truly succeeded.
This Friday, HBO Max officially dropped the good news that season two has been greenlit, with the House of the Dragon Twitter account sharing a simple promo of the number two surrounded by dragon fire. “Fire reigns,” reads the caption. “[House of the Dragon] has been renewed for Season 2.”
The series, set around 200 years before the events of the previous show, focuses on the “Dance of the Dragons,” a civil war fought between the House of Targaryen and one of the most tumultuous times in Westeros’ history, which ultimately led to the Targaryen’s downfall. House of the Dragon is inspired by material from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
The ensemble cast of mostly British talent includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra, Steve Toussaint as Lord Velaryon, and Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower. Even after just one episode, fans have already developed strong feelings for these new group of characters, ranging from instant shipping to unexpected lust.
House of the Dragon‘s ongoing first season consists of 10 episodes, as per most of GoT‘s seasons before it, so we can likely expect its sophomore run to clock in at the same length. A release somewhere in 2023 seems plausible. For the meantime, catch new episodes of season one Sundays on HBO.