The second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon is about to enter production in the United Kingdom and according to a report in Deadline published on Tuesday night, the show will only consist of 8 episodes.
The second season of the Game of Thrones prequel is eyeing to make a Summer 2024 return.
Last summer, when HBO renewed Season 2, they followed a commonly used practice of not disclosing the episode order. Although the initial plan was for a 10-episode arc, it was later altered, resulting in some revisions to the scripts.
It was speculated that this change was due to the new leadership at HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and their emphasis on cost-cutting. However, an HBO spokesperson also confirmed to Deadline that Season 2 would have only 8 episodes and clarified that the decision was based on the requirements of the story.
According to previous reports, the creative team behind House of the Dragon had planned for the series to have a run of three to four seasons.
Ryan Condal, the executive producer and showrunner of House of the Dragon, collaborated with George R.R. Martin, the author and executive producer, to oversee the series and its overall narrative flow. During the development of Season 2, they took a break to assess the bigger picture and strategize how to divide the story across multiple seasons, including determining which battles to feature and when. The series is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
The kicker is that Deadline is also reporting that Season 3 of House of the Dragon has been planned out and is being considered for greenlighting by HBO. The network is said to be taking a long-term approach to the series, rather than just focusing on one season at a time.
If Season 3 is approved, the network will begin work on scripts, casting, and a production plan. House of the Dragon is set 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It revolves around the story of House Targaryen.
