House of the Dragon Showrunner Confirms When Season 2 Begins Shooting

The first season of House of the Dragon has come to a close, and fans are already curious to know when the Game of Thrones spinoff will return for Season 2. While a release window for Season 2 is unknown, showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed when shooting is scheduled to resume. Episode 10, titled "The Black Queen," followed Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) after she learned that her father, King Viserys, is dead, and the Hightowers have stolen her claim to the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon has been an instant hit for HBO, which is probably why Season 2 will start shooting really soon.

Showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed to Variety that Season 2 of House of the Dragon begins shooting in early 2023. Before fans start getting visions of House of the Dragon returning to HBO next year, Condal said that's "to be determined." Condal serves as the lone showrunner on House of the Dragon after co-creator and executive producer Miguel Sapochnik announced his exit after Season 1.

Who Dies in the Season 1 Finale of House of the Dragon?

House of the Dragon concludes its first season with the death of Rhaenyra's son, Lucerys "Luke" Velaryon (Elliot Grihault). Lucerys is sent to Storm's End to deliver a message to Borros Baratheon, who Rhaenyra is hoping will side with her against the Hightowers. However, when Lucerys makes it to Storm's End, Aemond Targaryen and his dragon Vhagar are there as well. 

Borros declines Rhaenyra's offer, and Aemond uses the opportunity to get revenge against Lucerys for taking his eye as a kid. Aemond and Vhagar later chase Lucerys and Syrax in the skies during a violent storm. Both Aemond and Lucerys lose control of their dragons, and after Syrax attacks Vhagar with a flame of fire, Vhagar retaliates by chomping them both out of the sky.

Will There Be a Second Season of House of the Dragon?

HBO announced in late September that House of the Dragon was renewed for Season 2. The hit series debuted Sunday, August 21st and set a record for the largest audience in HBO history for a new original series, garnering over 20 million viewers across cable television, on-demand, and on HBO Max in the U.S., according to Nielsen. House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel and takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, focusing on House Targaryen.

"We are beyond proud of what the entire HOUSE OF THE DRAGON team has accomplished with season one," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming. "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."

Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, released a statement on House of the Dragon's massive premiere. "It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night," Bloys said in a statement. "House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we're ecstatic with viewers' positive response. We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George, Ryan and Miguel have in store for them this season."

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