History of House of the Dragon in Timeline

House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, explores the history of House Targaryen roughly 200 years before the original series. Based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, the series depicts the events leading up to and including the "Dance of the Dragons," a brutal civil war that decimates the Targaryen dynasty. The show features an ensemble cast and delves into themes of succession, power, and the internal conflicts that ultimately lead to the downfall of a once-great house.

2015: HBO Executives approach Martin for Game of Thrones Successors

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: Condal pitches series based on Tales of Dunk and Egg

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: Potential Spin-Off series 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: Book Fire & Blood Based Spin-off

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

September 2019: Game of Thrones prequel series close to 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, with Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik serving as showrunners.

January 2020: Writing begins

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

October 2020: Paddy Considine Cast as Viserys I Targaryen

In October 2020, Paddy Considine was cast as Viserys I Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

February 2021: Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Sonoya Mizuno Added to Cast

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

In February 2021, it was announced that Ramin Djawadi would compose the score for House of the Dragon.

April 2021: Principal photography began

In April 2021, principal photography on the ten-episode first season of House of the Dragon began.

July 2021: Emily Carey and Milly Alcock Cast as Younger Alicent and Rhaenyra

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

February 2022: First Season Production Wrapped

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

August 26, 2022: Series Renewed for Second Season

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

October 2022: OSVP Stage at Leavesden Studios Shutting Down

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

December 20, 2022: First Season Released on Physical Media

On December 20, 2022, the first season of House of the Dragon was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD, including behind-the-scenes features.

April 11, 2023: Second Season Filming Begins

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

April 2023: Gayle Rankin, Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, and Abubakar Salim Join Cast

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: Second Season Filming Moves to Cáceres, Spain

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

September 29, 2023: Second Season Filming Wrapped

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

December 2023: Tom Taylor, Clinton Liberty, Jamie Kenna, Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett, and Vincent Regan Join Cast

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

December 2023: Third and Fourth Seasons Being Written

On his personal blog in December 2023, Martin stated the third and fourth seasons are being written.

2023: Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations and Golden Globe Award Win

In 2023, House of the Dragon received nine Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, winning one for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama.

June 2024: Series Renewed for Third Season

In June 2024, ahead of the second-season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season, which will also consist of eight episodes.

June 16, 2024: Season 2 Premieres

On June 16, 2024, the second season of House of the Dragon premiered, consisting of eight episodes.

August 2024: Series Intended to End After Fourth Season

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

September 2024: George R.R. Martin Criticizes Creative Changes

In September 2024, George R. R. Martin criticized changes made by Condal and HBO to the source material in a since-deleted blog post.

November 19, 2024: Second Season Released on Physical Media Formats

On November 19, 2024, the second season of House of the Dragon was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD, along with the SteelBook special edition.

2024: Season 2 debut viewership decline

The second season of House of the Dragon had a debut of 7.8 million viewers, which was a 22% viewership decline from season 1. In 2024, the series also garnered its highest streaming viewership during the week of June 17–23, with 1.23 billion minutes viewed.

January 2025: James Norton Cast as Lord Ormund Hightower

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 of House of the Dragon as Lord Roderick Dustin and Ser Torrhen Manderly respectively.

March 21, 2025: Filming for the third season began

Filming for the third season of House of the Dragon began on March 21, 2025, at Leavesden Studios, Watford and wrapped by that October.

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 of House of the Dragon as Ser Luthor Largent, Ser Jon Roxton, and Ser Adrian Redfort respectively.

July 2025: Annie Shapero Cast as Alysanne Blackwood

In July 2025, Annie Shapero was announced to have joined the cast of House of the Dragon as Alysanne Blackwood.

November 2025: Series Renewed for Fourth Season

In November 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which is expected to be released in 2028.

2025: Emma D'Arcy Earns Best Actress Nomination

In 2025, Emma D'Arcy earned two Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama nominations for her role in House of the Dragon.

2025: Ryan Condal Discusses Creative Tensions with George R. R. Martin

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.