House of the Dragon season 2: release date, trailer and everything we know so far

In just a few weeks, House of the Dragon season 2 will bring us back to Westeros, and a new trailer's just given us a look at what's to come in the ensuing war.

House of the Dragon season 1 delivered everything Game of Thrones and fantasy fans could want from the show: politicking, brutal deaths, tense rivalries, and fearsome dragons.

Having met our main stars and witnessed friendships being broken and scraps being fought, the stage is now properly set for a bloody conflict. When the Game of Thrones prequel series returns, the rapidly-fraying ties that bind House Targaryen look ready to completely unravel, splitting them apart into their chosen factions as the Dance of Dragons looms.

Back in December, Thrones creator George R. R. Martin teased that the new season featured 'powerful, emotional, gut-wrenching, heart-rending. Just the sort of thing I like." (quotes via Deadline)'. And with the two new trailers that have arrived (one each for the two factions of House Targaryen, the Greens and the Blacks) we've just had a bold new taste of what's to come.

Below you'll find all the info we've so far on House of the Dragon season 2, including when the new season will air, the latest casting news, and the latest trailer...

House of the Dragon season 2 release date

HBO has finally confirmed when House of the Dragon season 2 will premiere on Max on June 16 in the US and on June 17 in Europe.

If you need a refresher in the meantime, you can stream the first full season on Max and the Sky TV streaming service NOW in the UK.

Production on House of the Dragon season 2 got underway in the UK in April 2023. At the time, co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal said: "House of the Dragon has returned. 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.”

How many episodes will House of the Dragon season 2 have?

Deadline has reported that House of the Dragon season 2 will be a shorter season than the first.

According to their report, we'll only be getting eight episodes in the show's sophomore season which is 'part of a long-term plan for the show which includes HBO mulling a green light for a third season'. The article goes on to say that an HBO spokesperson confirmed the eight-episode plan and stressed their reasoning was 'story-driven'.

What will happen in House of the Dragon season 2?

*spoilers ahead for the first season*

As things stand, we have a pretty solid idea of where House of the Dragon will go next. King Viserys' death late in the season saw Alicent misinterpreting his final wish to see Aegon II take the throne. From then, battle lines started being drawn. Following the first major death in the season one finale, we expect the war between the Blacks and the Greens (Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower's allies, respectively) to kick off in full force.

Rhaenyra was attempting to stave off the fight in the season finale, intent instead on securing the support of Houses Baratheon and Arryn and the Riverlands. She sent her sons off as ambassadors, though Lucerys never managed to complete his mission. Despite making Lucerys and Jacaerys swear they would not participate in any fighting, Lucerys still met with a terrible fate at the hands of Aemond Targaryen and his dragon, Vhagar.

At Storm's End, the seat of House Baratheon, Lucerys crossed paths with Aemond, who was determined to get his revenge for his eye. Lucerys fled the scene on his dragon, Arrax, though Aemond gave chase; Arrax disobeyed Lucerys and spat fire at Vhagar. In retaliation, Vhagar tore Arrax and Lucerys to shreds in the skies.

From here, we expect that Rhaneyra will forgo her sense of mercy in exchange for all-out war. Daemon will be allowed to attack the Greens' forces in any way he feels appropriate, and now Rhaenyra will let him off the leash.

As for news, Ryan Condal told The Hollywood Reporter in March 2023 that filming was about to start 'very shortly' and teased "you're going to meet five new dragons" in the second season.

Who will be in the cast for House of the Dragon season 2?

All the major players who survived House of the Dragon's first season will be making their return. So, expect to see more from Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Olivia Cooke, Fabien Frankel, and many more of the faces that make up House of the Dragon's ensemble cast.

On April 24, 2023, HBO revealed four new faces who'd be joining the feud for House of the Dragon season 2. Gayle Rankin (GLOW, The Greatest Showman) has been cast as Alys Rivers, a resident of Harrenhal; in the book, her character became a powerful witch and was an ally to the Greens.

Simon Russell Beale has been boarded as Ser Simon Strong, great-uncle to Lord Larys Strong. Freddie Fox (Slow Horses) has joined as Gwayne Hightower, Alicent's brother, and Abubakar Salim (Raised by Wolves) is on hand as Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet.

Plenty more faces have joined the fray, too. Further additions to the House of the Dragon season 2 cast include Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

We aren't expecting the younger versions of Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) to return to the show anytime soon. They were replaced by their older counterparts Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy after the 10-year time jump halfway through season 1, and showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed that they aren't likely to make a return anytime soon.

Whilst speaking to Variety, showrunner Ryan Condal said "I mean, look, I don't know" when asked if Carey and Alcock would be back, later adding the younger stars "are not a part of the story that we're telling, yet. That's not a thing that we're doing right now."

Though, he did add that he's "not closing the door on anything", so they could potentially return in a later season in a flashback scene, similar to how Robert Aramayo played a young Ned Stark in the later seasons of Game of Thrones.

Is there a trailer for House of the Dragon season 2?

Yep, there's tons! The latest trailer teases all the drama soon to come our way. It features tons of dragons, battles and looks forward to the inevitable war that's on its way. And it looks like there might be some tension between Rhaenyra and Daemon; does he see her as capable of uniting the realm? Here's the trailer

On March 21, HBO released two new trailers for the series, inviting us to pick our preferred side in the war. The two trailers are themed around the Greens and Blacks, each showing what is to come for their respective factions. You can find them both below:

Below, you can find a previous teaser for the series that set the stakes and showcased the massing military might of the two factions.

Towards the end, Rhaenys warns that there's 'no war so bloody as a war between dragons', and the trailer proves this, erupting into brutal conflict towards the climax.