History of House of the Dragon in Timeline

House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, explores the history of House Targaryen. Set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, it depicts the events leading to the Targaryen's decline, specifically focusing on the "Dance of the Dragons," a brutal war of succession. The series is based on George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood and showcases the complex relationships, political intrigue, and dragon-fueled conflicts within the Targaryen dynasty, revealing the internal strife that ultimately weakened their rule over Westeros.

2015: HBO approached George R. R. Martin

In 2015, with Game of Thrones still in production, HBO executives approached A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R. R. Martin regarding possible successors or spin-offs to the series.

2016: Tales of Dunk and Egg pitch

In 2016, Condal pitched the idea of a series based on Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg, however HBO initially passed on it.

November 2018: Spin-off Based on Fire & Blood

In November 2018, George R. R. Martin stated that a potential spin-off series would be solidly based on material in Fire & Blood.

2018: Fire & Blood Book

In 2018, George R. R. Martin stated that a potential spin-off series would be based on his 2018 book Fire & Blood.

September 2019: Prequel Pilot Order

By September 2019, a Game of Thrones prequel series from Martin and Ryan Condal that tracks the beginning of the end for House Targaryen was close to receiving a pilot order from HBO.

October 2019: Straight-to-series order

In October 2019, House of the Dragon received a straight-to-series order.

January 2020: Writing Begins

In January 2020, Casey Bloys, HBO's president of programming, stated that writing for House of the Dragon had begun.

July 2020: Casting Begins

Casting for House of the Dragon began in July 2020.

October 2020: Paddy Considine Cast as Viserys I Targaryen

In October 2020, Paddy Considine was cast as Viserys I Targaryen.

February 2021: Additional Cast Members Announced

In February 2021, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Sonoya Mizuno were added to the main cast of House of the Dragon.

February 2021: Ramin Djawadi to Compose Score

It was announced in February 2021 that Ramin Djawadi would compose the series score for House of the Dragon.

April 2021: Principal Photography Begins

Principal photography for House of the Dragon started in April 2021 in the United Kingdom.

July 2021: Younger Alicent and Rhaenyra Cast

In July 2021, Emily Carey and Milly Alcock were added to the cast as younger counterparts of Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen, respectively.

July 18, 2021: Production Paused Due to COVID-19 Case

On July 18, 2021, production of House of the Dragon was paused for two days due to a positive COVID-19 case.

February 2022: First Season Production Wraps

In February 2022, HBO confirmed that the first season of House of the Dragon had wrapped production.

August 21, 2022: Series Premiere

House of the Dragon premiered on August 21, 2022, with the first season consisting of ten episodes.

August 26, 2022: Second Season Renewal

On August 26, 2022, less than a week after its premiere, the series was renewed for a second season.

September 2, 2022: First Episode Released on YouTube

On September 2, 2022, the first episode of House of the Dragon was released for free on YouTube.

October 2022: OSVP Stage Shutdown

In October 2022, it was reported that the OSVP stage at Leavesden Studios, which was used in the series, was shutting down.

November 2022: Viewership Demographics and Piracy

In November 2022, Nielsen reported that 35% of House of the Dragon's viewers were between 18 and 34 years old. Additionally, the series was the most pirated show of 2022, according to TorrentFreak.

December 2022: Season 2 Plot Revealed

In late December 2022, Sara Hess told Variety that most of season 2 had been written and would include a revenge plot against Alicent following the events of the first-season finale.

December 20, 2022: First Season Released on Blu-ray and DVD

The first season of House of the Dragon was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD on December 20, 2022.

2022: Positive Reviews and Top Ten Lists

In 2022, the first season of House of the Dragon received positive reviews, with critics praising the writing, directing, score, and cast performances. The series was also included on multiple critics' top ten lists of 2022.

April 11, 2023: Second Season Filming Begins

The second season of House of the Dragon began filming on April 11, 2023, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in Watford, England.

April 2023: New Cast Members Announced

In April 2023, Gayle Rankin, Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, and Abubakar Salim were announced to have joined the cast for the second season of House of the Dragon.

May 18, 2023: Filming Moves to Cáceres, Spain

On May 18, 2023, the filming of the second season of House of the Dragon moved to Cáceres, Spain.

September 2023: Martin Criticizes Changes

In September 2023, George R. R. Martin criticized changes made by Condal and HBO to the source material in a since-deleted blog post.

September 29, 2023: Second Season Filming Wraps

Filming for the second season of House of the Dragon wrapped by September 29, 2023.

December 2023: Writing for Seasons 3 and 4

In December 2023, George R. R. Martin stated on his personal blog that the third and fourth seasons are being written.

December 2023: Further Cast Additions

In December 2023, Tom Taylor, Clinton Liberty, Jamie Kenna, Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett, and Vincent Regan were announced to have joined the cast for the second season of House of the Dragon.

2023: Awards in 2023

In 2023, House of the Dragon received nine Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, winning one for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes. The series also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. Emma D'Arcy also received a nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama. Other nominations include three Critics' Choice Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

June 2024: Third Season Renewal

In June 2024, ahead of the second-season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season.

June 16, 2024: Second Season Premiere

The second season of House of the Dragon premiered on June 16, 2024, with eight episodes.

August 2024: Planned Series Ending

After the second season finished airing in August 2024, Condal said the series is intended to end after the fourth season.

2024: Season 2 Viewership Statistics

In 2024, Season 2 of House of the Dragon debuted with 7.8 million viewers, a 22% decline from Season 1. However, Latin American viewership increased by 30%. Samba TV reported 1.3 million U.S. households watched the premiere, compared to 2.6 million for Season 1. The week of June 17-23, 2024, marked the highest streaming viewership with 1.23 billion minutes watched, according to Nielsen. The season finale reached a high of 8.9 million viewers and marked the highest streaming viewership for any episode on HBO.

January 2025: James Norton Joins Cast

In January 2025, James Norton was announced to have joined the cast for the third season of House of the Dragon as Lord Ormund Hightower.

March 2025: Tommy Flanagan and Dan Fogler Join Cast

In March 2025, Tommy Flanagan and Dan Fogler were announced to have joined the cast as Lord Roderick Dustin and Ser Torrhen Manderly respectively.

March 21, 2025: Third Season Filming Begins

Filming for the third season of House of the Dragon began on March 21, 2025, at Leavesden Studios, Watford.

April 2025: Tom Cullen, Joplin Sibtain, and Barry Sloane Join Cast

In April 2025, Tom Cullen, Joplin Sibtain, and Barry Sloane were announced to have joined the cast as Ser Luthor Largent, Ser Jon Roxton, and Ser Adrian Redfort respectively.

2025: Emma D'Arcy Nomination

In 2025, Emma D'Arcy received a nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.

2025: Creative Tensions Discussed

In 2025, showrunner Ryan Condal discussed creative tensions with author George R. R. Martin, citing disagreements over the adaptation of material from Martin's Fire & Blood.