House of the Dragon Season 3: Everything We Know So Far

The dragons are here to stay. Ahead of House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere this Sunday, HBO renewed the medieval fantasy series for a third season. While many viewers were already anticipating that the Game of Thrones prequel would be nowhere near finished by the end of season 2, the network made it official this morning with a speedy renewal.

“George [R.R. Martin], [showrunner] Ryan [Condal], and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon,” said Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, in the official press release. “We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.”

For everything we know about House of the Dragon season 3, follow along below.

Theo Whiteman//EsquireHouse of the Dragon was quickly renewed for a third season.

Who Will Return for House of the Dragon Season 3?Hold your horses! We still have to get through season 2. The press release lists only the cast and crew of season 2, so HBO is staying clear of revealing any major deaths in this upcoming season. Since a war is brewing in season 2, you can bet that a good chunk of those names may not return for season 3. After Ned Stark’s early death on Thrones, you can’t trust that House of the Dragon will save any of your favorites moving forward.

Currently, the series stars Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, and many, many more.

HBO//HBOThe Targaryen boys, King Aegon II (Glynn-Carney) and Aemond (Mitchell), mean business in season 2.

What Will Happen in House of the Dragon Season 3?According to King Aegon II himself, Tom Glynn-Carney, “It’s all up in the air, mate.” Earlier this month, he told Esquire, “I’m speaking from an angle of not knowing anything about the plan, but I highly doubt they’ll do what they did with Game of Thrones and carry on after the book finishes.” As he sees it, “I think our story will run its course and everyone will move on.”

Glynn-Carney also teased that the story may deviate from writer George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel. “The books are the foundation of where we’re going narratively, but things are tweaked,” he revealed. “It’s the bible, but it’s also not. The writers of our show are brilliant and should be given credit for their creation. George R. R. Martin should be given credit for his creation. But they’re not the same thing.”

HBO//HBOThe “Dance of the Dragons” begins in House of the Dragon season 2.

When Will Season 3 Premiere?House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on both HBO and Max this Sunday, June 16, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. It runs for eighth episodes, but there’s no telling what’s down the road. As showrunner Ryan Condal told Inverse, “…knowing where we’re going in season 3…we have a good plan and we know the road map and how to get there.” Let’s just hope that plan involves dragon fights. Many dragon fights.