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The Big Picture
House of the Dragon
Season 2 to feature two massive battles, surpassing Season 1’s epic scenes.
The children of the powerful Targaryen family take the lead in the upcoming conflict.
Season 2 will return to HBO next month on June 16.
We are less than a month away from the premiere of House of the DragonSeason 2, and as such, there is a desire from its viewing audience as they seek to understand what might be in store when we return to Westeros. When we were last treated to the family drama and feud that is soon to set all of Westeros alight in dragon fire, Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) had received the saddening news of the death of her son, Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault). Luke had met his end in mid-air at the hands of his uncle, Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), and his dragon, Vhagar. Despite trying to hold off the outbreak of civil war in the aftermath of her father’s death, the young Queen is now certainly on the warpath, and showrunner Ryan Condal reveals that the coming season will feature two of the biggest battles the series has ever done.
House of the Dragon is a prequel to the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones. At the peak of its influence, the series commanded insane budgetary numbers, which helped in the depiction of epic battles such as the Battle of the Bastards and the Battle of Winterfell in the Long Night against the Night King. Now Condal reveals in a conversation with Den of Geek, that the coming season will feature two of the biggest battle sequences they’ve been able to put together so far. “We can fit two Avengers films inside of our shoot schedule,” Condal says. “The battles are episodes unto themselves,” the showrunner revealed. “We have two of the largest sequences that we’ve ever filmed on House of the Dragon. Both of them outstrip anything that we did in season one. They are episodes within episodes.”
In George R.R. Martin’s historical account of this Targaryen civil war, the author termed the clash between both factions of the dragon-riding family as the Dance of Dragons, given the sheer number of dragons flying across battlefields. Game of Thrones for all the praise it received, only had to contend with three dragons – Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal. The first season of the prequel already saw the arrival of nine dragons, including the largest in the world. Season 2 will see an additional five, including the arrival of Vermithor, the Bronze Fury.
This War Sees The Children Take Center Stage
While the present conflict in the most powerful family in the Seven Kingdoms has pitched Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) against her once best friend, Rhaenyra. Showrunner Condal has revealed that despite the parents heading their separate war councils, the war will be championed mainly by their children. “‘The kids,’ as I say—Alicent and Rhaenyra’s children—take center stage in this conflict. We put a lot of focus on them and their stories because it really does become about them,” Condal says. While away trying to establish his mother’s support base in the North with the Starks, Rhaenyra’s eldest son, Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon (Harry Collett) is away from Dragonstone when news of his brother’s demise arrives. That will serve as fuel for the fiery dance ahead for Jace. “From Jace’s point of view, it’s Jace’s war now,” actor Collett says. “Because he’s lost his little brother over it. He is one of the characters that actually wants to be in the war.”
House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres June 16. Catch up on the first season on Max ahead of the Season 2 premiere, and stay tuned to Collider for future coverage of the series.
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
Release Date August 21, 2022
Creator Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 2
Distributor HBO
WATCH ON MAX