House of the Dragon co-creators George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal hint fans of the HBO series will see more deviations from Fire & Blood.

There may be less Fire & Blood displayed during House of the Dragon Season 2 as the popular HBO show’s co-creators hint at more deviations from George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed novel.

Martin and fellow House of the Dragon creator Ryan Condal spoke at HBO’s FYC event on Mar. 7, delving into a few tidbits about the show and what viewers can look forward to in the show’s follow-up season. Martin insisted Fire & Blood served as an “outline” for House of the Dragon, though the show fits in bits and pieces rather than large chunks. “It was an imaginary history book that has a few scenes where I zero in, and I give you a half page of a scene. But, mostly, it’s history. It’s an outline, and you can’t present an outline on television, so it has to be filled in,” he said. “In Fire and Blood, for example, it has stated that Queen Emma Arryn dies in childbirth and the son dies the following day. There is nothing about it being the most horrendous childbirth scene ever seen on TV.”

Martin described the show as an “adaptation, but also a creation.” Condal, meanwhile, revealed there will be five dragons in House of the Dragon Season 2, with Martin admitting he was impressed by how believable the fire-breathers looked during Season 1. “They had personality,” he said. “They came alive. It came as great satisfaction to me.” As for when filming Season 2 begins, Condal said it would begin “shortly.”

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See every season 1 Deleted Scene from House of the Dragon

What to Expect in House of the Dragon Season 2

Though there’s not a lot known about what Season 2 entails, others who work on the show have teased potential happenings, including writer Sara Hess, who hinted it will up the ante with a certain death, potentially in retaliation for the slaying of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) son Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) by Vhagar during the Season 1 finale. Additionally, Steve Toussaint, who played the “Sea Snake” Corlys Velaryon in Season 1, promised a more vengeful version of his character in the upcoming season, fighting for his slain grandson Lucerys and Rhaenyra’s right to the throne.

Season 2 of House of the Dragon was reportedly expected to begin filming this month, with production locations spanning London and Spain. However, fans should not expect the season to air until late 2024 at the earliest, as relayed by HBO content chief Casey Bloys who insisted there was no rush to put it out as he prioritizes quality scripts over stressing timelines.

Also starring Milly Alcock (Princess Rhaenyra), Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey (Alicent Hightower), House of the Dragon‘s debut season was a record-breaking hit for HBO. The series premiere attracted just shy of 10 million viewers, the biggest single-day premium cable or streaming viewership premiere of 2022, and the highest single-night audience figure since the Game of Thrones series finale. The Game of Thrones prequel will not include Season 1 showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, who reportedly left House of the Dragon after they refused to add his wife, Alexis Raben, to the Season 2 production team.

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