According to House of the Dragon: Inside the Creation of a Targaryen Dynasty, a book about the making of HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, show creators were originally planning to include a scene that depicted the Kingsguard induction ceremony.
Based on a sneak preview of the upcoming book granted to Entertainment Weekly, the moment was originally scripted for Episode 2, “The Rogue Prince.” The scene depicts Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) inducting her pick for a new Knight of the Kingsguard, following the death of Ser Ryan Redwyne (Gary Cooper), at the request of her father, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). Showrunner Ryan Condal noted that the scene was ultimately cut because “It felt tonally wrong to include a ‘win’ for Rhaenyra before Dragonstone.”
While Gina McIntyre’s Inside the Creation of a Targaryen Dynasty is slated to hit shelves on Jan. 31, 2023, it will take a bit longer for audiences to see new episodes of House of the Dragon. HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys revealed that Season 2 of the show is likely set to come out “sometime in [2024],” ruling out any possibility that new episodes will release in the next year. “We’re just starting to put the plan together [for Season 2],” he said. “It’s not to be coy or secretive, but you don’t want to say it’s going to be ready on this date, and then you have to move it.”
War Is Coming For House of the Dragon Season 2
However, Condal teased that the wait will be well worth it, explaining that, like with Game of Thrones, the scope of House of the Dragon will only continue to expand as time goes on. He offered some details on this future expansion, noting that “A war is coming that requires allegiances from different kingdoms and armies all over the map of Westeros.”
Condal also revealed that, as Westeros prepares for war, audiences can expect House of the Dragon’s cast to stay mostly the same.
“As a reward to our wonderful audience for following us through all the time jumps and recasts, they are done,” he said. While it is unclear whether this means that no one new will be joining the show’s cast, some rumors along those lines have already been shut down, including a popular one that stated WandaVision’s Elizabeth Olsen would be jumping on board the HBO series. “I’ve never heard of such a thing,” said the actor, admitting that she would love to make an appearance in the show if the opportunity presented itself.