Update: HBO has now confirmed that House of the Dragon season 3 is in the works – and I'm really not surprised that it is.
Original story follows.
House of the Dragon season 2 won't be released until June 16, but its follow-up is already being written – despite the fact that it hasn't been renewed.
Speaking to TechRadar, House of the Dragon season 2 showrunner Ryan Condal revealed that the hit Max series' third season was already in early development. HBO hasn't renewed the high-fantasy show for another outing, but Condal and his fellow writers aren't waiting for an official confirmation before they put pen to paper on next season's scripts.
Unlike Game of Thrones' (GoT) TV adaptation, the final two seasons of which were developed without any source material to draw from, House of the Dragon's beginning, middle, and end are all outlined in 'Fire & Blood volume 1', the first book that covers a large portion of House Targaryen's history (author George R.R. Martin has confirmed a second book is on the way).
With a full breakdown of events depicted throughout this fiery and merciless period of Westerosi history, Condal and his writing team not only know everything that happened during the Targaryen civil war, but can plan accordingly for the narrative direction of the show's future seasons.
"We know where the story ends, where we want to get to [with each season], and the narratives we want to cover to get there," Condal said. "The full Targaryen history hasn't been written, but this part of it was completely written in 'Fire & Blood volume 1', so we have all of the information we need. We've had extensive conversations with George, and there's a great advantage in knowing where it [the show] is going and where we want to take it.
"We'll keep moving, and it's a very nice thing to know where you're going because I think you make your storylines richer. And, we're writing season three right now. Obviously, we haven't been picked up for production yet but, as we did last year, we like to be ready when they [HBO executives] say yes... hopefully they will."
Some people might question why time and energy is being put into another season when House of the Dragon's next installment hasn't been greenlit, but I think it's a sensible decision. It's incredibly unlikely that the GoT prequel will be canceled after two seasons – it's one of the best Max shows, in my view, whose well-received first season redeemed Thrones' TV universe in the eyes of many after the main show's turgid final season.
It's a matter of when, not if, House of the Dragon season 3 will be announced, so it makes sense that Condal and company will want the scripts ready to go so that principal photography can begin in earnest. I really don't want to have to wait two years for season 3 to arrive – so get your skates on, HBO.
House of the Dragon season 2 lands on Max on Sunday, June 16. It'll debut on Sky and Now TV (UK), and Foxtel and Binge (Australia) on Monday, June 17.
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