Since its first season finale in October of last year, news surrounding the first spinoff of Game of Thrones has been relatively silent. That may change as Comicbook reports the second season of House of the Dragon is set to begin filming next month. According to Production List, the Golden Globes winner for Best TV Series – Drama will start shooting on March 6th.
Set 200 years before the birth of Game of Thrones’ last living Targaryen, House of the Dragon explores the Targaryen family tree just before the beginning of the end when a civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons tore Westeros and the family apart. Viewers view Westeros under Viserys I, played by Paddy Considine (The Third Day) who encounters a dilemma when he appoints his only child and daughter, Rhaenyra, as his apparent heir. Given the realms have never had a queen on the Iron Throne, the father and daughter face internal and external pressure to usurp her reign.
The first season covered nearly a decade in the lives of these characters, casting both young and older actors to portray some of the major players. Rhaenyra was cast as two performers: Milly Alcock (Upright) for the first five episodes; and, Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers) as adult Rhaenyra for the final five episodes. A similar method was done with characters like Rhaenyra’s friend turned adversary, Alicent Hightower, who was played by Emily Carey (The Lost Girls) and Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses). It is assumed the two adult actors will continue to portray Rhaenyra and Alicent respectively in the upcoming season.
Other cast members included Matt Smith (Morbius), Steve Toussaint (Small Axe), Eve Best (Nurse Jackie), Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), Rhys Ifans (The King’s Man), and Matthew Needham (Stutterer).
House of the Dragon is just one of many future GoT franchise series HBO seeks to launch. Several are still in early development including Kit Harington (Marevl’s Eternals)-led sequel series on Jon Snow; a series focused on Toussaint’s Sea Snake, Lord Corlys Velaryon; and, a prequel series about buddy explorers Dunk and Egg. However, creator George R.R. Martin (A Song of Fire and Ice novel series)) previously detailed how the WBD merger and changes at HBO Max could affect some of the planned shows.
“Some of those are moving faster than others, as is always the case with development,” Martin said via Collider. “None have been greenlit yet, though we are hoping… maybe soon. A couple have been shelved, but I would not agree that they are dead. You can take something off the shelf as easily as you can put it on the shelf. All the changes at HBO Max have impacted us, certainly.”
“We developed a lot of ideas, we were still developing a lot of ideas, and I think we’re really excited about the one that will air later this summer,” Kara Buckely, HBO VP of Original Programming said according to Comicbook. “But, we don’t feel the need to make another one unless it feels really creatively exciting to us. That’s my job, at least. And the team that I’m on, that’s what we’re told to focus on.”
All eight seasons of Game of Thrones and season one of House of the Dragon are available to stream on HBO Max.