HBO announces 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 release date
Warner Bros Discovery's global streaming and gaming head JB Perrette, on Monday, revealed that HBO's popular series House of the Dragon Season 2 will premiere in June. Perette revealed this at the Morgan Stanley 2024 Technology, Media, and Telecom media conference. Although the exact date is still unknown, this announcement offers the most specific release window so far.
Why does this story matter?
Fans of the show had been eagerly awaiting the release announcement. The original series, a prequel to Game of Thrones, was released in August 2022, with weekly episodes. The 10-part series concluded in October 2022. Previously, HBO chief Casey Bloys hinted at an "early summer" release and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav mentioned "next quarter" during a Q4 earnings call on February 23.
The team behind 'House of the Dragon' Season 2
The cast of House of the Dragon Season 2 includes returning actors Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D'Arcy. It will also feature new additions Abubakar Salim, Gayle Rankin, Freddie Fox, and Simon Russell Beale. Ryan Condal, George RR Martin, Sara Hess, and Vince Gerardis are the executive producers alongside Season 2 director Alan Taylor and Season 1 director/co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik. The series is based on Martin's book Fire & Blood.
The series was not affected by Hollywood strikes
Filming for the second season began on April 11, 2023, at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England. The production was not affected by the Writers Guild of America strike or the SAG-AFTRA strike because the scripts were completed before filming started. The second season was renewed just a week after its prequel concluded in October 2022.
HBO's tentpole strategy
Perrette mentioned the series as one of HBO's four major tentpole series, alongside new installments of The Last of Us, Euphoria, and The White Lotus. He also noted that Bloys was focusing on "bigger Warner Brothers IP" for originals such as The Penguin from the DC Universe, a Dune series, and The Conjuring. Perrette emphasized that the content was one of the several "vectors" Warner Bros. Discovery was relying on to boost Max as the go-to streamer.
