House of the Dragon season 2’s release date is a long way off, with a Summer 2024 premiere likely, and it could break a Game of Thrones record.
House of the Dragon season 2’s release date could break a Game of Thrones record, albeit not a one it would necessarily want. After the backlash to Game of Thrones season 8, the pressure was on House of the Dragon to win viewers back and prove the franchise has a real future – not only with more of the prequel, but for other spinoffs as well. With huge ratings and strong reviews, it’s safe to say it has accomplished that.
Indeed, the question isn’t so much if there’ll be more House of the Dragon or other Game of Thrones spinoffs, but when they’ll arrive. Though several of the latter are reportedly in development (including a Jon Snow sequel show), none have even been officially announced by HBO. And while House of the Dragon season 2 is happening, that will be a long way off. The network is very much taking a patient approach to expanding the world of Westeros (and beyond), which means that while the future is secure, there could also be a record-breaking wait for more.
House Of The Dragon Season 2 Could Have The Longest Gap Between GOT Seasons
The wait for more could be even longer than anticipated. An update from HBO programming chief Casey Bloys pointed to House of the Dragon season 2 releasing Summer 2024, and should that prove to be true then it could be the longest gap between any two seasons of a Game of Thrones show. That currently stands at just under 20 months, between Game of Thrones seasons 7 and 8, but depending on when House of the Dragon season 2 debuts then it could equal or beat it. If HBO opts for August 2024 (a reasonable assumption given the show’s success) then the wait from House of the Dragon season 1’s ending to season 2 releasing would be around 22 months.
Game of Thrones had an impressive consistency in its release dates through seasons 1-6, with each releasing in either March or April every year from 2011-2016. Things started to change with Game of Thrones season 7, which instead released summer 2017 (beginning in July and ending in August), before the much longer gap for Game of Thrones season 8 – which did release in April, but 2019. Both season 7 and 8 had fewer episodes, but were much bigger productions in terms of the scale of battles and CGI (not least the increased use of dragons). That led to bigger gaps, and similar is happening with House of the Dragon season 2.
Why House Of The Dragon Season 2 Is Taking So Long
Although the scripts were written beforehand, House of the Dragon season 2 was officially renewed in August 2022, shortly after the season 1 premiere. That alone all but guaranteed that House of the Dragon would skip 2023, since it will likely need at least a year to film and then have post-production completed. House of the Dragon season 1 started filming in April 2021, and did not wrap until February 2022, before releasing in August of that year. House of the Dragon season 2 will be bigger in scope, visiting more locations – including a return to Winterfell – and having more battles. With that, then not releasing until Summer 2024 makes a lot of sense.
While it may be somewhat frustrating to have to wait so long, ultimately it should be a good thing. It means HBO isn’t rushing things in order to capitalize upon its success, but will allow the show to take as long as it needs to be ready. House of the Dragon season 2 may not arrive anytime soon, and will be a longer, more agonizing wait than Game of Thrones viewers were typically used to, but hopefully it will also be worth it.
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