HBO has renewed the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, for a second season, as announced by Warner Media in a press release. The prequel follows the House Targaryen and is based on the Fire and Blood book series by four-time Emmy Winner and series producer George R. R. Martin (The Twilight Zone, Game of Thrones).

House of the Dragon premiered on August 21st and earned the largest audience of any original series in HBO history. The premiere episode has now been viewed by 20 million audience members across linear, On Demand, and HBO Max, as noted by Nielsen and first-party data, as stated in the Warner Media press release. 

Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, commented on the renewal via the press release. She shared, “We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one. Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV. A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”

Martin created and executive produced House of the Dragon alongside co-creator, co-showrunner, executive producer, and writer Ryan J. Condal (Colony). Two-time Emmy Award winner Miguel Sapochnik (Altered Carbon) also co-showruns, executive produces, and directs the series. Additional executive producers include Jocelyn Diaz (Serena), Vince Gerardis (Ice), Emmy Award nominee Sara Hess (Orange is the New Black), and two-time Emmy Award winner Ron Schmidt (Watchmen). 

The series stars Paddy Considine (The Third Day) as King Viserys Targaryen, Emmy Award-nominee Matt Smith (The Crown) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses) as Alicent Hightower, and Emma D’Arcy (Hanna) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Steve Toussaint (It’s a Sin) co-stars as Lord Corlys Velaryon alongside Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel (Last Christmas) as Ser Criston Cole, Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans (Temple) as Otto Hightower.

Additional cast members include Milly Alcock (Upright), Bethany Antonia (Stay Close), Phoebe Campbell (Midsomer Murders), Emily Carey (Wonder Woman), Harry Collett (Dunkirk), Ryan Corr (Wakefield), Tom Glynn-Carney (The King), and Jefferson Hall (Tenet). David Horovitch (Holby City) co-stars alongside Wil Johnson (Outlander), John Macmillan (The Nevers), Graham McTavish (The Witcher), Ewan Mitchell (Doctors), Theo Nate (Time), Matthew Needham (Chernobyl), Bill Paterson (Fleabag), Phia Saban (The Last Kingdom), Gavin Spokes (The Ipcress File), and Savannah Steyn (A Discovery of Witches).

House of the Dragon is currently airing on Sundays at 9 PM on HBO.