George R.R. Martin appears to have moved on from House of the Dragon. He’s much more excited about the next Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will be a grounded series focused on practical effects. His shift away from HBO’s Fire and Blood adaptation might ease his stress level due to the many changes made by HotD Showrunner Ryan Condal in the second season, which culminated in a muted finale (but the overall audience is still in it, unlike GRRM).
Those head-scratching shifts included toning down the “Blood and Cheese” episode and leaving a vital-to-the-book dragonseed, Nettles, out of the show. Additionally, viewers grew visibly weary at watching Daemon (such a rogue prince/mover and shaker in the first season) do nothing but be haunted and confused while endless strategy sessions took place at Dragonstone. A key clash (the Battle of the Gullet) was also postponed for budgetary reasons, but finally, the third season is promising that long-awaited action. Let’s look at what we can expect from House of the Dragon‘s third season.
Plot
Bad news first? Although the third season will begin with the Battle of the Gullet HBO creatives have not confirmed whether the Battle Above God’s Eye, involving aerial fighting between Daemon and mini-me Aemond, will surface soon. Yet this might really be good news. Although Helaena already prophesied about this clash, it’s hard to imagine Ryan Condal wanting to blow that battle out of the water (er, sky) before the fourth season. After all, this meeting between the show’s pettiest rivals is going to be brutal on a storytelling level. If you’ve read Fire and Blood or dug into Helaena’s angst on the battle, then you know that this fight will be positively climactic.
The better news is that the Battle of the Gullet will bring warring fleets to screen and put words into action with this show. This battle follows the alignment of various houses with Team Green and Team Black, and Lord Corlys/Sea Snake will make good on his vow to do everything possible to advance Rhaenyra’s cause so that she can claim King’s Landing and her rightful place on the Iron Throne. Expect a great loss of life in this fight that will extend through sea and sky, and if the show sticks with a key death in the book, both audience and main characters will be shattered.
HBO’s Head of Drama Series and Films Francesca Orsi told Deadline that this battle will “surprise” viewers, which should be music to the ears of an audience who are craving more energy. Much of the battle’s vitality will come courtesy of a Titanic producer joining the series:
“You know what, it was worth the wait,” Orsi said about the upcoming battle scene. “I was just on set and saw all the elements and what was behind it. I’m so glad we waited because it’s going to be better than ever, and I don’t think we had the time at that point to do what it is that we’ve achieved now this season.
“It’s just so massive, we needed the time to build it,” Orsi continued. “One of the lead producers on it [Kevin de la Noy] worked on Titanic, so all that he brought in terms of acumen of what happened on the Titanic and how that entire experience is built, he brings that expertise to it.”
Additionally, we will see Rhaenyra do something more than languish in policy discussions while moving in on King’s Landing. Emma D’Arcy teased Gold Derby when quizzed on the subject of leaping into action: “I got what I wanted, folks.” Meanwhile, Ryan Condal declared, “[T]he goat is back.” (I’ll just leave that right here for speculation’s sake, but damn, it would be nice to see Stepstones Daemon again.)
The third season could also bring the Butcher’s Ball battle to the screen. If that happens, it might not end well for a despised character. Yay!
Cast
Returning cast members include the following:
– Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen)
– Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower)
– Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen)
– Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen)
– Steve Toussaint (Corlys Valeryon)
– Phia Seban (Helaena Targaryen)
– Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen)
– Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty)
– Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria)
– Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower)
– Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen)
– Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen)
– Matthew Needham (Larys Strong)
– Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole)
– Harry Collett (Jacaerys Velaryon)
– Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin)
– Freddie Fox (Gwayne Hightower)
– Tom Bennett (Ulf White)
– Hugh Hammer (Kieran New)
This season, we will also meet Daeron Targaryen (rumored to be portrayed by Harry Gilly), the youngest son of Alicent and Viserys.
And will Paddy Considine be back as full-fledged Zombie King Viserys? Please.
Release Date
Ryan Condal has confirmed that scripts are complete, and filming will resume “in a few weeks.” House of the Dragon will then return sometime in 2026.
Trailer
No footage has been released yet, but at least we can look forward to more of the below excellence in battle form:
