House of the Dragon season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news

House of the Dragon season 3 has finally started filming, which means that we won't have to wait too long to see more Targaryen drama. With the new episodes now officially in production, the HBO show is getting ready for another season of bloodthirsty dragons and brutal battles all across Westeros.

While cast and crew are hard at work on set, we've compiled everything we know about House of the Dragon season 3 release date, confirmed cast, plot theories, first-look images, and more. Recently we've had some exciting casting announcements and even a behind-the-scenes clip, so keep reading to learn about everything that HBO has revealed so far.

Following the House of the Dragon season 2 ending, the story will continue to explore the Targaryen civil war, led by friends-turned-enemies Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (played by Olivia Cooke). Although most details are still under wraps, we have a pretty good idea of what will be key in the upcoming episodes, including the dragonseeds introduced last season (you can read all about them in our House of the Dragon dragonseeds explained).

Grab your map of Westeros and get ready with this guide, which includes everything you need to know about House of the Dragon season 3. This includes some plot details, some teases from showrunner Ryan Condal and Fire and Blood writer George R.R. Martin and plenty of production updates.

Read on for these and everything else revealed about the HBO show so far below.

House of the Dragon season 3 release date speculation

House of the Dragon season 3 doesn't currently have a release date.

However, filming has officially begun on the new episodes. "House of the Dragon is back in production," Emma D'Arcy shared in a video to mark the news, which you can watch below. "Here we are on day one of season 3. Action."

With that rough timeline at hand, it seems that House of the Dragon season 3 is continuing with the pattern followed by previous seasons. Between season 1 and season 2, there was a gap of two years, which means that it's likely we won't see new episodes until summer 2026.

We will have some more Thrones before then though – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is currently filming, and we've even had a first-look image.

Is House of the Dragon season 3 the final season?

No, House of the Dragon season 3 won't be the final season – but season 4 will. Showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed that things will wrap up after four seasons in a press conference after the season 2 finale.

While we won't get into book spoilers, there are some huge battles on the way. Given the pace of the show so far, our view is that two more seasons seems like the ideal number to get to the end of this story.

House of the Dragon season 3 cast

Unlike season 1, the House of the Dragon cast stayed pretty stable throughout the second season. There were some big causalities, mind – including Eve Best's Rhaenys and some of the younger Targaryens (thanks to Blood and Cheese, need we say more?).

This all means we have a pretty solid idea about who might appear in the third season. We also have some new arrivals in the third outing as well, including James Norton appearing as Ormund Hightower, after he was name-dropped at the end of the second season.

Just as filming kicked off too, the show confirmed two more Northmen would be joining in the third season, with one of them playing an iconic Game of Thrones character.

Check out the full cast list as it stands below.

• Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
• Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
• Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen
• Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
• Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
• Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
• James Norton as Ormund Hightower
• Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong
• Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
• Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
• Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
• Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
• Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
• Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
• Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
• Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
• Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
• Jefferson Hall as Jason/Tyland Lannister
• Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
• Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
• Tom Bennett as Ulf White
• Simon Russell Beale as Simon Strong
• Tommy Flanagan as Ser Roderick Dustin
• Dan Fogler as Ser Torrhen Manderly

House of the Dragon season 3 plot speculation

The season 2 finale of House of the Dragon set up some very key plot points to resolve when it returns. The main narrative thread was all leading to the big battle on the way across Westeros. From where we leave things, Rhaenyra has the clear advantage thanks to her dragonseeds. This means, that after Daemon bent the knee, she has seven dragons (potentially eight if Rhaena manages to secure Sheepstealer).

Her fighters are preparing to make the approach on King's Landing where Alicent has told them that they'll be allowed in to take control of the city. However, we're not totally sure that it will all go as smoothly as that... In the final moments we see Aegon and Larys heading out of the city, Helaena all but agreeing to mount her dragon, and the Tyland Lannister's new fleet on their way.

Aemond and Vhagar have their eye on Harrenhal too, and we know better than to bet against Vhagar...

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin (who also penned House of the Dragon's source material, Fire & Blood) seemingly has some issues with what's to come, though. "There are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…" he wrote in a now-deleted blog post (which contains a possible major spoiler for the new season).

So far, one of the only things we know for sure about House of the Dragon season 3 is that Rhaenyra will have a weapon. At least, that's what actor Emma D'Arcy is pushing for, as they explained in the podcast Happy Sad Confused on December 11.

"The petition I’ve put in is I want a weapon. Like it’s getting ridiculous. I don’t even mind if it’s like a little dagger, a short sword. I don’t really care. All the men in the show don’t have to worry about where they put their hands because they’re constantly holding the pommel of their sword. That obviously sounds like innuendo and you can do with that what you will but that is true. And all the rest of us are going, 'Where do we put our fucking hands?' Anyway, next year one hand is going to be taken care of. That’s what I want," they said.

The third season is also due to begin with a bang, depicting a major battle in its opening episode. HBO‘s head of drama series and films Francesca Orsi confirmed it will start with The Battle of the Gullet. "I’m really excited. I think you’re going to be in for a great surprise on how we start the [season] with an exciting battle," said Orsi to Deadline.

Is there a House of the Dragon season 3 trailer?

There's no trailer yet for House of the Dragon season 3 as it's still early days on filming and production. We don't expect we'll see one for a while yet either. Keep this page handy for when we might, though.

For more on House of the Dragon, check out our House of the Dragon timeline and our breakdown of the Targaryen family tree.