Will the Writers Strike Impact ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2?

House of the Dragon Season 2 will reportedly continue filming in spite of the WGA writer’s strike, but some fans are worried it will still suffer from the shortage of writers on set. Sources close to the production told Variety on Tuesday that all eight scripts for the fantasy show were finished before filming began, so the strike won’t impact the production schedule. Still, any re-writing or additional writing will be difficult without the WGA’s support.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) represents screenwriters from across the entertainment industry, and this year it failed to agree on a new contract with The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), resulting in a labor strike starting on Tuesday. That reportedly includes many WGA members working on international productions like House of the Dragon. Unlike its predecessor Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon employs a full writing staff, but they finished their work before filming began. Insiders did not explain to Variety how the production plans to handle any re-writes or additional writing needed during the process.

This season, House of the Dragon‘s sole showrunner is writer Ryan J. Condal, so presumably, he will remain on set in his capacity as executive producer even as the WGA is on strike. The strike reportedly requires Condal not to perform any work or use any tools that far under their jurisdiction, so there’s no telling how his work could be limited during this time. Condal has not commented publicly on the strike, and he does not seem to have verified public accounts on Instagram or Twitter.

House of the Dragon is based on a section of George R.R. Martin’s book Fire and Blood, which is not a novel but a fictional history book. It takes a broad description of events from an unreliable narrator and adapts it into a fantasy drama closer in format to Game of Thrones. Season 2 will take place on a more linear timeline than Season 1 as the two factions of House Targaryen go to war with each other. Returning stars include Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower.

Other major players returning include Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Tom Glynn-Carnelians as King Aegon II, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen and Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon. A few new major characters will be introduced as well, including Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Simon Russell Beal as Ser Simon Strong, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower and Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull.

House of the Dragon Season 1 is streaming now on HBO Max along with all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. Season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in the second half of 2024. Martin’s books, including Fire and Blood, are available now in print, digital and audiobook formats.