First House of the Dragon season 2 trailer teases one of the book's most brutal moments and a new Stark

The first teaser for House of the Dragon season 2 has been unveiled at CCXP, and it's truly epic.

The new trailer sees all of the major characters return on the brink of war following the exploits at the end of season 1. "The war will be fought, many will die, and the victor will eventually ascend the throne," promises Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) as we get some hints of just how brutal things will get. We also get our first look at some of the new characters, including Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark - and of course, there's an epic dragon moment too.

Season 2 will be a few episodes shorter than season 1, but is set to be just as explosive – if not even more fiery. After the first season ended with the greens and blacks on the precipice of all out war, we can expect fireworks in the new episodes as the Dance of the Dragons heats up.

We won't get too far into book spoilers, but expect Blood and Cheese (which we get a tease of in the new trailer) and a dramatic showdown between brothers this season.

Season 2 will see the return of the major (surviving) cast, including Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen. Newcomers include Freddie Fox as Alicent's brother Ser Gwayne Hightower, Gayle Rankin as the maybe-witch Alys Rivers, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong – great uncle of Larys – and Abubakar Salim as sailor Alyn of Hull.

While you wait for House of the Dragon season 2, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist.