House of the Dragon Showrunner Exited Series Because of Very Personal Conflict With HBO

By Kofi Outlaw

When House of the Dragon showrunner Miguel Sapochnik exited the series right after the first couple of episodes aired, it was a major surprise to fans, cast, and crew alike. Sapochnik's departure only became much more of a looming question as House of the Dragon's viewership and popularity continued to skyrocket over the course of Season 1 – especially after all the backlash that Sapochnik had received while directing Game of Thrones' final episodes. Now, we're finally getting some of the "personal" details about what happened there... 

According to Puck News, Miguel Sapochnik's departure from House of the Dragon back in August of 2022 definitely came as a surprise. There was reportedly a first-look deal between Sapochnik and HBO put in place before he left, which would've brought him back to work on other HBO projects; however, the likelihood of that happening is now being called into question. 

The main juice of Puck's report is that Sapochnick and HBO had major friction over House of the Dragon renewing the involvement of Sapochnik's wife Alexis Raben as a producer for Season 2. Raben was a producer on Season 1, as well as making onscreen appearances throughout the season. It's being floated that Sapochnik and HBO came to a 'standoff' over the matter, resulting in a moderator being brought in to resolve things. Ultimately it's said that Sapochnik sided with his wife and stepped away; he reportedly left a lot of money on the table and even changed representation (CAA) to join his wife. 

What Does Miguel Sapochnik's Departure Mean For Game of Thrones? 

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(Photo: HBO)

Miguel Sapochnik was responsible for some of Game of Thrones' biggest successes ("Battle of the Bastards", "The Winds of Winter"), and its biggest failures ("The Long Night", "The Bells") during the latter seasons. After seemingly making a big comeback with House of the Dragon, it was speculated that Sapochnik could become a main staple of HBO's expanding Game of Thrones Universe – maybe even showrunning the Jon Snow sequel series that's been announced. Now all of that seems like it's outside the realm of possibility, leaving some big creative questions hanging over House of the Dragon Season 2 and future Game of Thrones spinoffs. 

Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin recently revealed that executive changes at HBO Max have definitely affected how the Game of Thrones franchise is taking shape: 

"Now I am back in the salt mine, working... working on so many bloody things... And House of the Dragon, Season 2. And several of the other successors shows that we're developing with HBO. (Some of those are moving faster than others, as is always the case with development... 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)."

House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming on HBO Max. 

Via: Collider

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