The decision was made shortly after Dragon’s season premiere on Sunday, which attracted 10 million people overnight, an HBO record for a series launch, and about on pace with the sixth season premiere of Game of Thrones. The first episode’s viewership in the United States has risen to 20 million people across linear, on-demand, and HBO Max platforms, according to a new report from HBO.
Francesca Orsi, executive VP, of HBO programming, comments, “We are beyond proud of what the whole House of the Dragon team has done with season one. “Our incredible cast and crew took on a huge task and went above and above to produce a programme that has already become must-see television. Thank you so much for guiding us on this adventure, co-creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin, as well as co-creator and showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik. Season two of the great House Targaryen drama will have us even more enthused than the first.
HBO executives have been supportive of Dragon and have previously made it seem like they would be quick to approve further episodes should the debut go well.
The renewal could be significant for more than simply Dragon’s future. At least seven Game of Thrones spinoff projects are currently in production on HBO (four scripted, at least three animated). The fact that Dragon performed well enough to prompt a prompt renewal for a second season may indicate that at least one other show will eventually receive a series order.
The second season of Game of Thrones will likely include another 10 episodes, though HBO has not specified how many.
The question of the show’s return date is more important. Ten months were spent filming the first season of Dragon, and an enormous amount of post-production visual effects work—which started in January and is still ongoing—was also necessary. By the end of 2023, it will be challenging for the production to complete filming and VFX for another season, making a return in 2024 more feasible.
The show’s main cast includes Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Emma D’Arcy (Wanderlust), and Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders) as King Viserys Targaryen and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, respectively.