Everything we know about House of the Dragon season 3 so far
By Bryce Olin
The House of the Dragon season 2 finale, "The Queen Who Ever Was," just aired on HBO and MAX on Aug. 4, 2024. As always, fans are already looking forward to the next season of the hit Game of Thrones prequel series.
Well, we have a lot of good news to share about the new season! First of all, House of the Dragon season 3 is already happening. HBO announced House of the Dragon season 3 on June 13 via press release, before the premiere of the second season. We all knew that the third season was happening. It was only a matter of time until HBO made that public.
House of the Dragon season 3 starts filming in early 2025
According to House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, the cast and crew will start working on House of the Dragon season 3 sometime in early 2025. Variety reported the news the day after the season 2 finale aired on HBO and MAX.
Unfortunately, Condal did not reveal how long the show will be in production on season 3, but we have to assumed that production will last most of next year.
In the past, production on the first two seasons has varied. The first season, which was two more episodes than season 2, was in production for almost 10 months, but there were pandemic-related delays, scheduling challenges, and other issues. The second season filmed for six months, but it was only eight episodes.
Given what we're expecting to happen in season 3, it's likely that production will wrap on season 3 sometime around the end of 2025, but we'll await the official word on that.
Has the House of the Dragon season 3 release date been announced?
We don't know the House of the Dragon season 3 release date yet. It's a bit too far out for HBO to announce the full season 3 release date.
But, we do have a pretty good idea when to expect when the season will return. Unfortunately, we're in for a long wait.
While HBO hasn't confirmed we'll be waiting until 2026 until House of the Dragon season 3 premieres, that's basically what everyone is expecting at this point. This is one of the biggest shows in the world in terms of the size of the production, special effects, and CGI, and more.
Olivia Cooke shared a picture in her Instagram stories after the season 2 finale. On the pic, she wrote, "ta, see you in 2 years xo."
It sure seems like the general consensus is that we'll see these stars back on HBO and MAX for season 3 sometime in 2026, likely in the summer of 2026. That makes sense, given that we've seen both seasons of House of the Dragon premiere in the summer of 2022 and 2024. We have to assume that will be the case for season 3.
As Condal pointed out in a recent press conference via IGN, they're making "multiple feature films" for each season. Condal also apologized for the long wait between seasons.
"The show is so complex that we're really making multiple feature films every season, so I apologize for the wait, but I will just say, if Rook's Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, the team that we have together, we're gunna pull off a hell of a win with the Battle of the Gullet in the future."
Release prediction: Summer 2026
House of the Dragon season 3 cast
While I'm sure there will be more than a few new characters who join the House of the Dragon season 3 cast, we know who will be returning for the new season.
- Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
- Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
- Rhys Ifhans as Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mystaria
- Matthew Needham as Larys Strong
- Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
- Jefferson Hall as Jason and Tyland Lannister
- Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon
- Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
- Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
- Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
- Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Simon Russell Beale as Simon Strong
- Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
- Ellora Torchia as Kat
- Tom Taylor as Cregan Stark
- Tom Bennett as Ulf White
- Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen
There are bound to be some new, important characters introduced in season 3. We'll add the actors and actresses playing those characters to the cast list when we find out who they are and when they're confirmed for season 3.
How the House of the Dragon season 2 finale sets up season 3
In so many ways, the House of the Dragon season 2 finale, "The Queen Who Ever Was." As those who are familiar with George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood have known for a while, the story is building to the Battle of the Gullet. It's one of the biggest battle sequences in the series, and it's going to happen, likely, early in season 3.
At the end of season 2, we see Alicent make a plea to Rhaenyra to stop the madness, take King's Landing, and end the war before it begins. It's interesting that Alicent, when she thought she had the upper hand earlier in the season, turned down Rhaenyra's similar request. Again, Rhaenyra speaks true; it's too late to stop this. War is coming. War has already come.
The second season ends with the Houses and their bannermen, including the Lannisters, Starks, and more, marching off to war.
There were several other interesting developments in the season finale, as well. Notably, Daemon Targaryen was introduced to the vision behind Aegon's prophecy, A Song of Ice and Fire. He pledges his allegiance to Rhaenyra, to unite the realm, and defeat the White Walkers. Well, I think we all know that ain't going to happen.
Additionally, Aegon II is headed for the border with Larys Strong. If he wants to escape with his life from this war, he has to flee Westeros, but he plans to return.
Oh, and before I forget, we also have that business with Aemond and Helaena to discuss. Aemond, in his haste, tries to get his sis to attack Harrenhal before Rhaenyra is able to bring the other dragons into the mix. Helaena doesn't want to go, and she shares why.
She reveals to Aemond a vision that she had about Aegon returning as King and Aemond, gulp, dying at something called the God's Eye.
So, that's basically where things stand heading into the penultimate season of House of the Dragon.
Penultimate? That can't be right, right? Well, it is!
House of the Dragon season 4 is the final season of the series
According to a report from Variety, House of the Dragon season 4 is the final season of the Game of Thrones prequel. So, there are only two seasons left. With how much ground they'll need to cover, it's probably going to be a sprint with some big gaps to the finish, but we're ready for it.
We still don't know how many episodes will be in House of the Dragon season 3, but it's likely going to be between 8-10 episodes. So, at worst, we have 16 episodes of House of the Dragon left. At best, we have 20 episodes left.
Somehow, neither seem like enough.
What to watch while you wait for House of the Dragon season 3
Well, there's some good news in the long wait that we'll have until season 3 premieres. You can watch a lot of TV shows. Up first on Aug. 29, 2024, we have The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. The new season is only weeks away, and based on the trailer for the new season, it looks terrific!
Of course, we also have another Amazon series to watch. The Wheel of Time should be back for its third season sometime next year (2025). We don't know the exact timeline, but based on when production ended, the season could be ready to go in the spring or summer of 2025 on Prime Video. We might have to wait until the fall of 2025, though, because that's when Prime Video usually releases its fantasy shows.
There's also another Game of Thrones prequel in the works at HBO. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres in 2025, according to HBO.
We also should have a new season of The Witcher (with new star Liam Hemsworth), along with new seasons of Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians next year, too! Oh, and don't forget about The Last of Us season 2!
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