House of the Dragon Season 2 Reshoots Reportedly Extended for Huge Battle

House of the Dragon is finally expected to return for its second season this summer, and the first teaser trailer was released by HBO back in December. The season premiere is still a few months off, and it’s rumored that the show is extending its reshoots. According to Redaian Intelligence, House of the Dragon began reshooting parts of the season earlier this month. The site reports that reshoots are extending through March, and a big battle is likely among the scenes getting retooled.  

Redaian Intelligence guesses the battle in question could be the Battle at Rook’s Rest, which was rumored to be shot over the course of two weeks back in August. While the battle doesn’t seem to be the only focus of the reshoots, it does sound like one of the production’s largest undertakings. 

What Is House of the Dragon Season 2 About?

At the end of the first season of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) was supposed to become the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, having been appointed by her late father, King Viserys (Paddy Constantine). Unfortunately, things go awry when Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) crowns her son, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) as the new king instead. The season ends with one of Alicent’s sons killing one of Rhaenyra’s sons, essentially igniting a war that is expected to bloom in the second season. While speaking about House of the Dragon Season 2, showrunner Ryan Condal addressed the work being done on the new episodes…

“I’m excited to pick up where we left off,” Condal said (per Deadline). “Now we get to fall into the more traditional rhythms of storytelling and Game of Thrones. We’ve always talked about this particular tale, George [R.R. Martin] has too, of being a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. This series is very much about a house tearing itself apart from within. Now that all those pieces have been set on the board, I’m really excited to tell the next chapter, to see what happens now that Viserys is gone and no longer keeping a lid on things.”

How Many Seasons Will House of the Dragon Get?

Back in December, George R.R. Martin teased that they’re already working on the third and fourth seasons of House of the Dragon. Martin is known for writing the books Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are based on, and he’s been hands-on when it comes to the onscreen adaptions. The author took to his blog and shared some updates about the franchise. 

“I also spent three days with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. Starting with a visit to the studio where HOT D is being shot.  (I had originally planned to visit there months ago, but the WGA strike put an end to that, and instead I stayed here in Santa Fe, working on WINDS OF WINTER and walking a picket line),” Martin wrote. 

“All I have to say about that is… ohmigod!  I am no stranger to film sets. I have worked off and on in television and film since 1986, where I joined the staff of the TWILIGHT ZONE revival at CBS. I still recall the rush where I saw them building Stonehenge on the sound stage behind my office, for an episode I’d written. And of course I visited the GAME OF THRONES shoots in Belfast, Scotland, Morocco, and Malta. Those were incredible too. But nothing I have ever seen can compare with the Red Keep and Dragonstone sets they have built at Leavesden Studios in London. HUGE, stunning, and so damned real that I felt as if I had gone through a time portal to medieval Westeros.  I love castles and have visited dozens of actual medieval castles, keeps, and towers in my time, and none of the real castles I’ve ever seen can hold a candle… or a torch… to our Red Keep.”

“It was not all tromping through sets, though,” Martin added. “I also spent two days locked in a room with Ryan Condal and his writing staff (Sara Hess, Ti Mikkel, David Hancock, and Philippa Goslett) talking about the third and fourth seasons of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. They were lively, fun discussions, and we got some good work done… though two days was not nearly enough.   There is so much ground to cover that I am not sure twenty days would have been enough.” 

Stay tuned for more updates about House of the Dragon.