With another season underway, and GRRM being clear with his displeasure with some of showrunner Ryan Condal’s decisions, HBO head Casey Bloys tells Deadline about the current state of the series relationship with Martin. He explains:

“He’s very important to me, to us… But when we put shows together, it’s like putting a marriage together. Marriages can be difficult, especially when Ryan Condal is making creative decisions and adapting work. It can be fraught. Any marriage can get rocky. I would prefer everybody get along, of course. But with the creative process, we are always going to have bumps. That’s to be expected.”

In Martin’s deleted post about House of the Dragon, he had complained about the omission of Maelor Targaryen, who was supposed to be present in the scene where Jaehaerys was beheaded. In Martin’s rant, he said that removing the character would possibly result in several moments in the story to be changed in the context; and there are story moments that he thinks would not make sense if certain events didn’t happen.

GRRM’s blog on HOTD is out, and he is NOT happy. pic.twitter.com/UILFedmIcJ

— hypatia (@actuallyhypatia) September 4, 2024

It’s crazy because this is only a fraction of what Martin was allegedly complaining about when it came to House of the Dragon; and fans can only imagine what else issues he had with the second season.

Personally, I thought there was a lot to enjoy about the series, and it’s nowhere near as bad as the final season of Game of Thrones. The character arcs still feel pretty solid, and the spectacle is definitely still there.

Hopefully the third season manages to mend the divide between Martin and Condal. But even if that was the case, I’m sure there are already several toxic fans and grafters who are ready to tune in every week and make hours of hate content for the show.

No release date has been set for the next season of House of the Dragon, but a 2026 premiere could be realistic.

Just recently, Martin has posted on his blog about one of his major grievances with the series, particularly how they’ve toned down the violence of the whole Blood and Cheese incident that lead to the death of Prince Jaehaerys and the exclusion of a character from the books. He has since deleted the blog post, but now HBO has decided to release a statement.

According to Deadline, HBO said about the post:

“There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO… Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow. We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.”

In Martin’s original post, he had complained about the removal of Prince Maelor, Heleana’s youngest son, and how it would mean that more key scenes from the book would be removed from the show. He then teases that there would be more ‘toxic’ changes in the series moving forward, but the blog mostly focuses on the Blood and Cheese incident and how it could ‘butterfly effect’ more crucial events down the line.

GRRM’s blog on HOTD is out, and he is NOT happy. pic.twitter.com/UILFedmIcJ

— hypatia (@actuallyhypatia) September 4, 2024

Immediately fans who had been hating on the show since Season 2 came out have used Martin’s quotes to fuel their anger at showrunner Ryan Condal for changing some elements of the story. Admittedly, there are some who thought that the series was right to tone down the child murder.

We don’t know exactly what the beef between Martin and HBO is, but as of now, it does look like they’ve somewhat silenced GRRM from cooking up any more bad faith for the series and showrunners. Either that or GRRM just wants to edit more on his original blog entry.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is expected to come out in 2026.

As it turns out, we should only expect two more seasons out of the show moving forward. As confirmed by Variety, showrunner Ryan Condal has confirmed during a press conference that House of the Dragon is expected to conclude by Season 4.

It’s interesting that Condal would mention four seasons, as this was also said to be the plan by series co-creator George R.R. Martin who confirmed back in 2022 that they would need four seasons with ten episodes each to cover the events of the Fire & Blood book.

As of now, the show’s third season is still being written, and the goal is to start production early next year. When asked about the length of the season, Condal has said that there has been no episode number discussed yet. He explains:

“I haven’t had discussions with HBO about it. I would just anticipate the cadence of the show, from a dramatic storytelling perspective, will continue to be the same from Season 2 on.”

Admittedly, the series has been taking liberties from the source material, but it has been doing some interesting character choices—especially with the emphasis on the two queens Rhaenyra and Alicent being at the center of the conflict.

Though the finale may not have been as bombastic as some fans were expected, any seasoned Game of Thrones watcher knows that the ‘spectacle’ episode is always the penultimate one, and the finale is used to wrap up arcs and build up what’s to come in the next season.

Catch the complete second season of House of the Dragon now streaming on Max.

What’s funny is, he actually has a cameo in the latest season of House of the Dragon, but very few have noticed so far.

As it was pointed out in the latest episode of House That Dragons Built, Martin actually appears onscreen in the series—not as himself, but as part of the set. As it turns out, the weirwood tree in Harrenhal has the face of George R.R. Martin. Check this out:

It’s not a 1:1 recreation of Martin’s face, but it does have enough features that people could look at it and immediately think of him. I thought the face looked fine, but I was kind of hoping they found a way to replicate the glasses, suspenders, and beret as well.

Game of Thrones is no stranger to guest stars and cameos. They had Ed Sheeran appear as a Lannister soldier, and had guest appearances from actors like Ian McShane and Pedro Pascal. Even Raised by Wolves fans have noticed that Amanda Colin (Mother) and Abubakar Salim (Father) also have prominent roles in the second season of House of the Dragon.

We don’t know if the show will ever want to show Martin as himself, but I think he’ll fit right in as an old maester. Maybe they can take a leaf out of Peter Jackson’s book and just have him be a commoner munching on a carrot.

Catch House of the Dragon now streaming on Max.

Just in, we have our first look at Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Check this out:

Set a century before #GameOfThrones, the new @HBO Original drama series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is now in production. Coming soon to @StreamOnMax. pic.twitter.com/CS7tX7iND2

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) June 18, 2024

At 6’4’’, Claffey really does fit the part of Ser Duncan a.k.a. Dunk, as you can see that he’s taller than everyone else in the frame. We’ve yet to have a look at his co-star Dexter Sol Ansell who will be playing the part of Aegon “Egg” Targaryen.

While the shows we have so far are based on full-length novels, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is actually based on shorter novellas from George R.R. Martin. The first is The Hedge Knight, then The Sworn Sword, ending with The Mystery Knight.

In the lore, Duncan the Tall became a legendary member of the Kingsguard, and it was his squire Egg that would become Aegon V Targaryen ruler of Westeros and brother to Maester Aemon of the Night’s Watch. Here’s a brief mention of Dunk in Game of Thrones:

No release date has been set for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms yet, but with production ongoing we should expect a release early next year or maybe even something by the end of this year.

In the meantime, check out House of the Dragon now streaming on Max.

Check this trailer for House of the Dragon out:

Admittedly, nothing too significant has been changed with the status quo between the two sides of the Targaryens, but we do know that Rhaenyra now definitly knows that her son is dead, and now the Greens will have to retaliate as Daemon has ordered Aegon’s heir to be killed.

Fans have known that this show will ultimately lead to the Targaryen Civil War known as the “Dance of Dragons”, but for this first episode, it does look all all the pieces are still being set. We know all the major players from each house, and we’re also seeing how far they are in the effort to keep the throne.

Besides the Targaryens though, we are getting teases for other established houses in the world of Westeros. We just saw The Wall again and its state during this era of the timeline, and it’s also teased in the preview that we’re going to be seeing the Tullys (Caitlyn Stark’s original house) and the Tarlys (Sam Tarly’s ancient house).

All in all, it’s great to be back in Westeros, and we should expect some heart-clenching drama in the coming weeks. Oh yeah, maybe some dragons as well.

Catch new episodes of House of the Dragon every Sunday night on Max.

Just in, HBO has officially announced the two lead cast members of the show playing the pair of “Dunk and Egg” a.k.a. Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon “Egg” V Targaryen. Here’s the post:

Send a raven.

Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell will star in the new @HBO Original Series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, as Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg. Coming to Max. pic.twitter.com/OAXVSQKLrB

— Max (@StreamOnMax) April 5, 2024

Peter Claffey (Dunk) is best known for his work on the series Wreck, and his co-star Dexter Sol Ansell had a small part as a young Coriolanus Snow in the recent Hunger Games prequel A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Unlike the previous Thrones series which is based on full-length novels, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a series of novellas from George R.R. Martin, and three have been published so far—The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight.

In the lore, Duncan the Tall would grow on to be a legendary member of the Kingsguard, and his squire, Egg, would rule Westeros as Aegon V Tagaryen. Egg is also the brother of Aemon Targaryen in Game of Thrones, and he calls out to him before he dies in the series. Here’s a scene from GoT where they briefly mention Ser Duncan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBb15PQn-gQ

The story is a prequel set 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and after the Dance of Dragons from House of the Dragon. We don’t know what kind of tone the showrunners will be going for, but I am up for something more wholesome that takes place in a world as brutal as Westeros.

No release date has been set for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, but you can watch out for House of the Dragon which is set to come back to Max on June 16.

House of the Dragon is set to return this June, and we have two new trailers dropped, each focusing on different sides of the Targaryen Civil War—Black and Green. Watch this:

Unlike Game of Thrones which had to come up with its own ending because there was a lack of source material, House of the Dragon has a completed story in the lore, so a lot of fans are hopeful that we get a concise ending.

Even if the story is completed though, the series has been taking some liberties. In the books, Viserys Targaryen was more of a forgettable character, but the series actually gave hime a very meaningful arc, which made his death all the more devastating.

We don’t know what else the show could change, but so far, the series has managed to ignite excitement in the GoT fandom again; especially after the disappointment with the finale that a good chunk of fans cannot seem to shut up about.

Hopefully the showrunners of House of the Dragon have a good enough sense to condense the story without overstretching episodes or making some questionable character decisions. I don’t think the fandom can take another hit like GoT Season 8.

The second season of House of the Dragon comes to Max on June 16.

Writing on his own personal blog, Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin talks about how difficult of a year he’s had and how he anticipates 2024 not to be any better. He goes on to talk about ongoing wars, both publicized and ignored, but also has something to say about the recent fandom spaces. Martin writes:

“I take solace where I can.   In chocolate thrones, if nowhere else.   In books.   In films and television shows… though even there, toxicity is growing.  It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but somehow in this age of social media, it is no longer enough to say ‘I did not like book X or film Y, and here’s why.’  Now social media is ruled by anti-fans who would rather talk about the stuff they hate than the stuff they love, and delight in dancing on the graves of anyone whose film has flopped.”

If anything, Martin definitely knows what he’s talking about. After all, the Game of Thrones fandom has been filled with the same ‘anti-fans’ ever since the series ended; on top of that, Martin has also been the victim of constant fan ridicule for taking his time when it comes to finishing the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire saga. Some are even blaming him for taking so long that the TV series had to write its own ending.

For now, the social media climate does seem to be cultivating a lot of hate—especially since they are very good with engagement. We don’t know how we could take on this toxicity moving forward; but some fans are trying their best to stay positive amidst the noise of it all.

Winds of Winter still has no release date, but watch our for the next season of House of the Dragon coming to Max this summer.

We never got an official look at the show, but thanks to make-up artist @floramoody, we have a look at Naomi Watts in costume for what was supposed to be called Game of Thrones: Bloodmoon. Check this out:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Flora Moody (@floramoody)

Here are the stills thanks to @westerosies:

First look at Naomi Watts in the pilot episode of HBO’s cancelled ‘BLOOD MOON’ #GameOfThrones prequel series.

The pilot reportedly revolved around a wedding between a Stark and a Casterly, taking place at Casterly Rock. pic.twitter.com/4htFRbSJsg

— westerosies (@westerosies) February 2, 2024

We don’t know who Watts was supposed to be playing in the show, but based on the blonde hair and yellow clothing, I’m going to guess she was a Casterly.

The official logline from the series did say (via ComicBookMovie): “From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the White Walkers… the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one thing is for sure: it’s not the story we think we know.”

Besides the origin of the White Walkers, the show as also speculated to reveal how the Wall ended up being built; and we would also see how the Lannisters came to be the ones who would take over Casterly Rock.

We don’t know exactly why the series was cancelled, but seeing where House of the Dragon was going, I can imagine that HBO wanted something on the same level of scandalous that maybe the other prequel wasn’t able to match.

Maybe they can try again after HOTD ends, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, fans are gearing up for the return of House of the Dragon on Max sometime later this year.

Check this out:

The teaser doesn’t come with an official description, but we do get teases of what happened after the events of the first season, with the start of the Targaryen Civil War—two sides of the same house fighting for the Iron Throne.

While Game of Thrones had to unfortunately come up with its own ending because George R.R. Martin wasn’t finished with the books, House of the Dragon has the benefit in that it’s based on a completed piece of work—Martin’s Fire & Blood.

The first season had a lot of great performances from the cast, including the two matriarchs from each side played by Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower) and Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen). Too bad we won’t be seeing any more of Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, who played the younger version of the two.

Let’s also not forget to mention Paddy Considine who played Viserys Targaryen; his performance was such a standout and improvement on the original depiction a lot of fans are definitely bummed to see him go. Fingers crossed he makes some kind of cameo in the second season.

The second season of House of the Dragon comes to Max in the summer of 2024.

Deadline reports that House of the Dragon will only feature 8 episodes—two episodes short of the first season, which had ten. The show was originally supposed to have ten like the last season, but rewrites have prompted for the series to only include eight.

I guess it’s also worth noting that HBO is still mulling over whether the show would get a third season; and the shortened Season 2 is a response not the show not yet receiving the greenlight.

If anything, there are pros and cons to having seasons that are too short or too long. The last season of Game of Thrones suffered from having the plot move at a breakneck pace because it didn’t have enough episodes to cover everything; but on the other hand, shows like Daredevil hot too draggy because the network demanded a specific number of episodes and the writers ran out of plot.

With House of the Dragon working on finished source material, I’m hoping the show manages to stick the landing better than Thrones did. It already did some great work with the character of Viserys, so I’m curious what could happen down the line for the Targaryens and Hightowers.

No release date has been announced for House of the Dragon 2, but you can catch the complete first season now streaming on HBO Max.

Speaking during a live stream with Random House (via The Brag), Martin confirms that Winds of Winter is already 75% done. Martin says, “I think I’m about 3 quarters of the way done, maybe. But that’s not 100% done. So, I have to continue to work on it. “

3/4 done with Winds of Winter. Straight from George. pic.twitter.com/9JaNeKT0HG

— JJ (@ladydragonjj) October 25, 2022

We don’t know what could be the reason why Martin would get delayed on the last book, but fans have been speculating that it could have something to do with his unexpected celebrity status and all the different appearances that Martin has signed up for. “I guess I overestimate my ability to get stuff done and underestimate the amount of interruptions,” said Martin.

Though the wait has been long, Martin does say that this could be the largest book in the series. He says:

“It’s a big, big book… It’s a challenging book. It’s probably going to be a larger book than any of the previous volumes in the series… The Dance of Dragons and Storm of Swords were the two largest books in the series. They were both about 1500 manuscript pages. I think this one is gonna be longer than that, by the time I’ve finished it.”

We don’t know when Winds of Winter will come out yet, but hopefully Martin manages to finish his series with a bang. I mean, can we even expect A Dream of Spring to release at all?

What’s funny is, HOTD executive producer Sara Hess has found herself baffled that everyone would love a character as toxic as Daemon. Talking to THR, Hess explained, “He’s become Internet Boyfriend in a way that baffles me. Not that Matt isn’t incredibly charismatic and wonderful, and he’s incredible in the role. But Daemon himself is … I don’t want him to be my boyfriend! I’m a little baffled how they’re all, ‘Oh, daddy!’ And I’m just like: ‘Really?’ How — in what way — was he a good partner, father or brother — to anybody? You got me. He ain’t Paul Rudd.”

This is just my own speculation, but I think one of the main reasons that fans gravitate to Daemon is their love for Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra has kind of been a fan favorite character throughout the course of the show, and seeing that she’s kind of obsessed with her uncle, fans just sort of leaned in on the ship.

I mean, a few episodes ago, fans had loved Ser Criston Cole, but ever since he got rejected by Rhaenyra, fans have been dubbing him as ‘Ser Incelot’.

For now, the series is now building up to its finale, which should mark the beginning for the Dance of Dragons. It’s been one slow burn of a season, but each episode has managed to be so full of intrigue and drama, I can honestly forget about any dragon fighting.

Catch the finale of House of the Dragon on HBO Max this Sunday.

The series is now building up to its final episode, and we have a new preview teasing the finale. Watch this:

The episode essentially follows Rhaenys as she flies back to Dragonstone to tell Rhaenyra and her family that Viserys has died and that Aegon had been crowned the new king. Though we expect the episode to focus on the Blacks and how they plan to react to the news, the teaser does also give us a look at Aemond who could be revealing his infamous sapphire eye.

While the show has been riveting on its own during the run of its first season, a lot of book readers have commented that House of the Dragon has only been showcasing a fraction of the beginning of the book. Good for fans, because that means that the show could have a long and healthy run on HBO Max; word actually has it that they plan to run a total of four seasons. I guess that’s enough to encompass a full story without the series overstaying its welcome.

If anything, HBO still has a lot of other Westeros projects going on, like that Jon Snow sequel. Hopefully we get news on that soon.

The House of the Dragon finale airs on HBO Max this Sunday.

A lot of love has gone Considine’s way since his last appearance, and in a post thanking the fans, he decided to thank actress Sian Brooke (Aemma Targaryen) for helping fuel his performance as King Viserys. Here’s his post:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PaddyConsidine (@paddy_considine)

“I want to give massive love and respect to [Sian Brooke] who came in for only a few days, but changed the course of my character with her brilliant performance and commitment to the work. The impact stayed with me until my final improvised words. She unlocked the missing piece of the puzzle for me, and allowed my story to come full circle. From the moment she dies, so does Viserys. It was a love story.”

This is some very interesting insight to the character, and we get to see how it Aemma tends to linger in the show despite dying in the first episode. It was even said that Viserys’ actions in appointing Rhaenyra as his heir, were all an act of love for Aemma, because Rhaenyra was their only daughter, and having her take the throne was Viserys’ way to honor her.

It was amazing how nuanced of a character Viserys was for the series, starting out as an incompetent king; but in the end he proved that he was a very loving father who just wanted his family to be happy.

Catch the next House of the Dragon when it comes to HBO Max this Sunday.

Talking to Entertainment Weekly, director Geeta Patel explains:

“There was one moment in the throne room where Daemon helps Viserys up the stairs to the throne ’cause Viserys is so weak, he can’t make it himself. First, a soldier comes up to Viserys, and Viserys shakes him away and says, “No, no, no. I can do this myself.” He has the pride. And then another person comes to him and he thinks it’s a soldier and it’s actually his brother. When we were shooting that — I think the rehearsal again, the first day — the crown fell off of Paddy’s head and Matt picked it up and we just kept going. We didn’t stop [filming]. There was a discovery there of this moment. So then the three of us got together and they were like, “We felt this. This felt like the turning point in our relationship.” It’s just a silent moment.”

While the show has made it very evident that Viserys was not a good king, the show really emphasizes that he is, at least, a good man, and his final stand to help his daughter has been met with a lot of praise from fans.

Matt Damon has admittedly been getting a lot of praise for his role as Daemon, but the episode definitely belonged to Paddy Considine, who has added a lot of layers to the Viserys character that even George R.R. Martin admitted he couldn’t do when it came to the books.

Viserys may be gone, but the Dance of Dragons is yet to begin. Catch the next episode of House of the Dragon when it comes out Sunday on HBO Max.

With every episode comes a breakdown by the showrunners and the actors, and here we have them talking about Driftmark and what it means for the series moving forward. Watch this:

Probably one of the biggest events in the series is the marriage of Daemon and Rhaenyra, and we see that this is a symbolism of Rhaenyra’s hardened stance when it comes to claiming the throne. Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik explains, “This consummating of the relationship brings with it all the obstacles. Suddenly with Daemon by her side, Rhaenyra becomes more formidable. It tells us that Rhaenyra is not going away.”

We had just gotten a time jump the episode prior, but now it looks like the episode after this will feature another jump a few years with the Targaryen children fully grown with their own dragons and family beef.

Though we had started the series during a time of peace, the show has steadily ramped up the stakes, showing us a clear divide in the family with the Hightowers wanting Aegon on the throne and Rhaenyra claiming her place as Viserys’ official successor. Admittedly, the series has been more sympathetic to the cause of Rhaenyra, but I am hoping that the show give some proper character exploration to the Green side of the war as well.

Catch the next episode of House of the Dragon on HBO Max this Sunday.

Watch this:

The preview pretty much starts with the funeral of Laena Velaryon who we saw ‘died a dragon rider’s death’ in the last episode. We don’t really know what her death means for the alliance with the Driftmark, but we do see Daemon standing side by side with Rhaenyra and her family—who we last saw escaping to Dragonstone before things get uglier in the Red Keep.

While he was also just a small character in the earlier episodes, we finally saw Larys Strong playing his hand, with the murder of his brother and father; hence trapping Alicent in an alliance with him. With the Hand of the King gone, there is now a chance for the return of Otto Hightower, who we see in the preview. We don’t know how Otto has changed over the years, but it’s very possible that he’ll be more hell-bent on getting Aegon on the throne. With his experience as hand, it’s very possible that he also has a lot of strings to pull now that he’s going to be brought back into the game.

The series has been having a strong run, and though fans are going to miss Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, I think Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke do such a great job with taking over the roles.

Catch the next episode of House of the Dragon when it premieres on HBO Max this Sunday.

Talking to Happy Sad Confused, Harington was asked about the series, and in true Jon Snow fashion, he replies, “The only thing I’ll say is that I know nothing about it,” calling back to the infamous catchphrase by Ygritte (Jon’s first lover) in the original series, “You know nothing Jon Snow.”

Though no details have been revealed about the upcoming sequel series, some are hoping that we could see a ‘proper’ finale for the show and its characters, with some even expecting that Daenerys could be resurrected by a Red Woman (assuming that’s where Drogon took her body). I mean, if Jon Snow could be resurrected, why not Danny?

Though Harington says he knows nothing about the show, it has been reported that it was his idea to continue the story. I’m just hoping that he manages to have a series that has everything fans loved about the early run of Game of Thrones—kind of like House of the Dragon.

Until HBO gives us an official announcement, all we can really do is wait. Personally, I’ll take it, as HOTD is an exciting jump back into the universe.

No release date has been announced for the Game of Thrones sequel, but you can catch House of the Dragon with new episodes every Sunday on HBO Max.