Production has started in the UK on the second series of the Game of Thrones spinoff the House of the Dragon, Warner Bros Discovery has announced.
The fantasy drama series is based on author George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and includes Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Paddy Considine returning in their starring roles.
On Tuesday it was confirmed that filming of the HBO drama had begun at WBD’s Leavesden Studios in Watford, Hertfordshire.
The show’s official Twitter account posted an image of the franchise’s iron throne and the statement: “It’s time to return to King’s Landing.”
The series chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen and the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
The show’s first season won the Golden Globe for best drama television series. The production budget for the 10-episode season was reportedly nearly $200m (£160m).
Ryan Condal, co-creator, showrunner and executive producer, said: “House of the Dragon has returned. We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera.
“All your favourite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle.”
Smith, known for previous starring roles in Doctor Who and The Crown, portrays Prince Daemon Targaryen, younger brother of King Viserys (Considine) and heir to the throne. D’Arcy plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the king’s first-born child.
Also reprising their roles for the new series are Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Velaryon), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower) and Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower).
Author Martin, who acts as co-creator and executive producer on the series, described House of the Dragon as a story about “very flawed human beings, capable of doing good things, capable of doing monstrous things. People of courage, people of cowardice. These are the kinds of characters I love the most.”
