Season 2 of the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, has officially been renewed. With its return to Westeros on Sunday, August 21, the series drew the greatest audience ever for a new HBO series, and that’s saying a lot. Given that the first episode was seen by over 20 million people in the United States alone via on-demand and streaming services, HBO would be crazy not to renew it. Fortunately, they haven’t done it yet. The 2018 novel Fire & Blood by Song of Ice and Fire author and House of the Dragon executive producer George R. R. Martin serves as the inspiration for the show.
The series begins 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, played in Game of Thrones by the always brilliant Emilia Clarke, and follows the narrative of the Targaryen family. The series focuses on the Targaryen family, notably Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock in her early years and Emma D’Arcy in her older years), her father Viserys (Paddy Considine), who is a much friendlier ruler than we have seen in most Game of Thrones seasons, and the fearless Daemon (Matt Smith). Anxiety was high after the first episode, but viewers need not worry; the story of avarice and betrayal will continue for more than 10 episodes.
Others in the cast besides D’Arcy, Smith, Considine, and Alcock are: Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McT Martin, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik are the show’s creators. Francesca Orsi, HBO’s executive vice president of programming, released a statement in which she said, “We are beyond proud of what the whole HOUSE OF THE DRAGON team has done with season one. Our remarkable cast and crew took on an enormous challenge and triumphantly delivered a programme that has quickly become a television institution. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our guides, George, Ryan, and Miguel. In Season 2, we will continue to bring to life the great saga of House Targaryen, and we cannot wait! On Sunday, August 28th, HBO and HBO Max will debut the second episode of House of the Dragon.