And in a shock to no one, Deadline reports that more “House Of The Dragon” is on the way, with HBO greenlighting Season 3 ahead of Season 2’s premiere on Sunday. “Game Of Thrones” fans knew such an announcement was imminent. The spin-off series still has plenty of story left to adapt from George R.R. Martin‘s 2018 book “Fire & Blood.” And next to “The Last Of Us,” “House Of The Dragon” is HBO’s biggest series right now; the network needs the series for at least a few more seasons as it navigates the post-“Succession” TV landscape.
READ MORE: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Showrunner Has Already Planned The Series’ End: “We Know Where The Curtain Closes On This Particular Chapter”
Besides, Martin hinted last December that he’s hard at work on Seasons 3 and 4 with the show’s writing team. That means more of the same bad news for fans of the original book series (more “House Of The Dragon” likely means no “The Winds Of Winer” any time soon), but more “Game Of Thrones” is more “Game Of Thrones.” And how Season 2 fares this summer will also indicate how many other series spin-offs HBO greenlights in the future. “The Hedge Knight” is already on the way, as is a prequel series about Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros, but the Jon Snow spin-off is dead. Stay tuned for updates after “House Of The Dragon” Season 2 run its course.
Set 200 years before the events of the original HBO series, “House Of The Dragon” tells the story of House Targaryen, which finds itself bifurcated into two factions to start Season 2.  Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Steve Toussaint lead the ensemble cast. Other major cast includes Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, and Jefferson Hall.
Abubakar Salim, Gayle Rankin, Freddie Fox, Simon Russell Beale, Clinton Liberty, Jamie Kenna, Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett, Tom Taylor, and Vincent Regan round out the Season 2 cast.
Showrunner Ryan Condal shares co-creator and executive producer credits with Martin on “House Of The Dragon.” Other executive producers include Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, and Vince Gerardis. Season 2 directors include Taylor, Clare Kiner, Geena Patel, Andrij Parekh, and Loni Peristere.
“George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, in a press statement. “We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”
“House Of The Dragon” Season 2 premieres on HBO and Max this Sunday, June 16, at 9p. Read The Playlist’s review of the latest season here.