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House of the Dragon<\/em><\/a>\u00a0season 2 will premiere in June, nearly two years after the first season aired on HBO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to <\/span>Variety<\/em><\/a>, Warner Bros. Discovery streaming and gaming chief J.B. Perrette revealed the release month information on Monday during an interview at Morgan Stanley\u2019s Technology, Media and Telecom conference. The announcement comes months after HBO shared in November that the <\/span>Game of Thrones<\/span><\/em> prequel was eyeing an early summer 2024 release.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The show is based on George R.R. Martin\u2019s novel, <\/span>Fire & Blood<\/span><\/em>, which is a history book recounting notable events in Westeros in the 200 years before the original series, <\/span>HOTD<\/span><\/em>\u00a0will continue to explore the in-fighting and intrigue surrounding House Targaryen. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Season 1 <\/span>ended in dramatic fashion<\/a>, with everyone in Westeros seemingly taking sides in the newfound battle between the Black Council and Green Council, here’s what we know about what’s to come in season 2, from new cast members to episode count and everything else in between.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After spending most of season 1 establishing the main players in the battle of succession to follow the death of King Viserys (played by Paddy Considine, who <\/span>will surely be missed<\/a>), season 2 will inch the series closer and closer to war.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “We will get to the spectacle,” co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal <\/span>told The Times<\/em><\/a>. (His co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik <\/span>is not returning<\/a> for season 2.) “But you have to understand these people\u2019s complexities before they\u2019re thrown into war.” And now that we’ve gotten to know the major characters as well as what’s at stake, “[season] two will hit the rhythms people came to expect from the middle run of Game of Thrones, but it will have been earned, and viewers will feel the tragedies because we put the work in.”<\/span><\/p>\n According to the GOT fansite, <\/span>Winter Is Coming<\/em><\/a>, there are several big events coming. “Without getting into too much detail, there will be a conspiracy within the Red Keep, Rhaenys Targaryen will mount Meleys again, and there will be a search for more dragonriders.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As for Prince Daemon (<\/span>Matt Smith<\/a>), the series’ <\/span>big bad turned internet\u00a0boyfriend<\/a>, expect for a lot more exploration into his dynamic with his niece and current wife Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy). “And right now, we\u2019re writing season two and figuring out, what is the nature of his relationship with Rhaenyra?” writer Sara Hess <\/span>told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em><\/a>. “There are many interpretations [in <\/span>Fire & Blood<\/span><\/em>] to that.”<\/span><\/p>\n But considering how much the series <\/span>has already deviated<\/a> from Martin’s book, expect even more changes to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In March 2023, <\/span>THR<\/span><\/em> reported that Condal <\/span>revealed one telling detail<\/a> about the new episodes. “You\u2019re going to meet five new dragons,”\u00a0he teased.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After so many deaths in season 1, there are still a surprising number of major players returning for a second season. Among them are Rhaenyra (D’Arcy) and Daemon (Smith) and their blended family of children, Jacaerys Valeryon, Baela and Rhaena Targaryen as well as the recently-born twins Aegon and Viserys. Considering how young many of the kids are in season 1, it’s likely that the series will age up those characters and recast them in the new episodes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Then there’s Queen Alicent (<\/span>Olivia Cooke<\/a>), her father, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), her children, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Helaena (Phia Saban), and her loyal servant, Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). It’s worth mentioning that Alicent’s fourth child with Viserys, Daeron, will make an appearance on the series at some point despite not being mentioned or seen in season 1. <\/span>According to Martin<\/a>, who serves as an executive producer on the series, “their youngest son Daeron is down in Oldtown, we just did not have the time to work him in this season.”<\/span><\/p>\n Of the remaining adult Valeryons, Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Corlys a.k.a. the Sea Snake (<\/span>Steve Toussaint<\/a>), will return despite so many losses to their family, including Laenor (John Macmillan), who was revealed to <\/span>still be alive<\/a> after Rhaenyra and Daemon arranged for his assassination so that they could get married. But despite being seen rowing away on a boat, much like Gendry Baratheon (Joe Dempsie) in <\/span>Game of Thrones<\/span><\/em>, it’s unclear if and when he’ll make a return to the series.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, other characters introduced in season 1, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), the Arryk Cargyll twins — Arryk (Luke Tittensor) and Erryk (Elliott Tittensor) — as well as Tyland and Jason Lannister (both played by Jefferson Hall), are all expected to be back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As for those two Lannisters, expect more from them as the series progresses, with Hall <\/span>revealing to ET<\/a> that \u201cthis is a story about the Targaryens. And the Lannisters do play a strong role in it, but not from the offset.\u201d He asked for fans \u201cto be patient as far as that\u2019s concerned. Because they are introduced to the story\u2026 and they are supporting that story. That\u2019s not to say they don\u2019t have a very strong, pivotal role within it as time goes on.”<\/span><\/p>\n In April 2023, HBO confirmed that the returning cast members include Smith, Cooke, D\u2019Arcy, Best,\u00a0 Toussaint, Frankel, Mitchell, Glynn-Carney, Mizuno and Ifans are all back as series regulars for season 2.<\/span><\/p>\n Additional returning cast members include Hall, Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell and Matthew Needham.<\/span><\/p>\n As for new cast members, only a few names have been revealed so far. ET has confirmed that\u00a0Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox,\u00a0Gayle Rankin and\u00a0Abubakar Salim have joined the sprawling ensemble.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, the Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys (Needham). Fox has been added as Ser Gwayne Hightower, the Son of Otto Hightower and brother to Queen Alicent as well as the uncle to King Aegon, Queen Helaena and Prince Aemond.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, Rankin will appear as Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal while\u00a0Salim will play Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n As for\u00a0<\/span>Elizabeth Olsen<\/a>, the actress\u00a0addressed rumors that she is\u00a0headed to Westeros by\u00a0<\/span>telling ET<\/a>,\u00a0“Dream casting is fun, yeah, but I heard it was, like, announced though, which is weirder… I never heard of such a thing.”<\/span><\/p>\n That being said, Olsen would be happy to be a part of it if something came up. “I mean, sure, yeah. [I’d like do to] anything that’s worth telling, that’s a good story, that’s innovative, that’s great great characters,” she offered.<\/span><\/p>\nPlot and Timeline<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Returning Cast and Characters\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
New Cast and Characters\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Return and Premiere Date<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n