House of the Dragon season 2 enters production, returning cast revealed

House of the Dragon season 2 has begun filming – and the cast has been revealed.

“House of the Dragon has returned," co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera. All your favorite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle. We can't wait to share what we have in store.”

The season 2 cast includes Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.

Deadline reported last month that the second season would consist of eight episodes instead of 10, with an HBO source saying that the reason for cutting two episodes from the season was story-driven – as showrunner Ryan Condal works on a "big-picture" view of the series.

House of the Dragon is based on Martin's book Fire & Blood, which tells the story of House Targaryen. Set nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series follows the civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her former childhood best friend-turned-stepmother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) that became known as the 'Dance of the Dragons'. 

House of the Dragon season two does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2023 and beyond.