‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Likely Return Window Revealed

House of the Dragon may be closing in on a target release date. HBO and HBO Max content CEO Casey Bloys discussed plans for the fantasy series in a new interview with Variety this week. He didn’t make any promises or even make very direct guesses, but he may have given fans a hint they can rely on.

When asked about when House of the Dragon Season 2 might premiere, Bloys said that the year 2024 is “a good guess.” He wouldn’t say when during that year he expects the show to air, but he said that it’s also “a good guess” that the show will not be eligible for the 2024 Emmy season. Eligibility for that award show ends on May 31, 2024, which means Queen Rhaenyra’s dragons might be flying through the summer.

Fans are dying for more details about House of the Dragon after its triumphant first season this past fall. The show aired from August to October of 2022 and it captured everything fans loved about Game of Thrones at its height. However, the second season was not greenlit until the first one had already premiered, meaning that it took some time to get work underway again. Season 2 has only just begun production, and of course, it will require a lot of post-production for all the CGI.

Bloys also answered questions about the other alleged Game of Thrones spinoffs in development at HBO Max. While fans are eager to see a Westerosi franchise with at least one title on the schedule every year, Bloys is not. He said: “My philosophy is a good script is [the] number one priority. I am not doing it based on wanting to have one a year, two a year. I want to do it based on the scripts that we’re excited about.”

“Remember to get House of the Dragon following up from Game of Thrones, we developed a lot of shows, shot a pilot, developed a bunch of scripts and we got House of the Dragon,” Bloys went on. “To do that again is going to take the same amount of effort. You have to develop a lot of things, try things. You never know what’s going to work. So we’re currently doing that. I’m not opposed to any number of shows. There’s probably a natural limit to how many fans want, but I’m open to any as long as we feel really good about the scripts and the prospects for a series.”

At last count, HBO had four other live-action Game of Thrones spinoffs in the work and at least two animated shows. However, since then author George R.R. Martin has written that one or more of those projects has been “shelved,” without revealing which one(s). Bloys also said that there is some internal resistance to spinoffs and cinematic universes at HBO, as that has never been the network’s style before.

For now, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are both streaming on HBO Max. Martin’s books are available in print, digital and audiobook formats. The author reports continued progress on his next novel, The Winds of Winter.