History of House of the Dragon in Timeline

House of the Dragon is a prequel series to Game of Thrones, set nearly 200 years before the original show. Based on George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood", it chronicles the history of House Targaryen and the events leading up to their decline. The series focuses on the reign of the Targaryen dynasty and the escalating tensions within the family, ultimately culminating in a brutal civil war known as the "Dance of the Dragons", a war of succession that pits Targaryen against Targaryen and threatens to tear the Seven Kingdoms apart.

2015: HBO approached Martin regarding spin-offs

In 2015, HBO executives approached George R. R. Martin about potential successors or spin-offs to Game of Thrones while it was still in production.

2016: Condal pitched Tales of Dunk and Egg, HBO passed

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

November 2018: Martin: 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 Publication

In 2018, George R. R. Martin's book "Fire & Blood" was published, which served as the basis for the House of the Dragon series. The series begins about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest, nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

September 2019: 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 began

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

July 2020: Casting began

Casting for the first season of 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 in House of the Dragon.

February 2021: Additional main cast 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

In February 2021, it was announced that Ramin Djawadi would compose the score for the series House of the Dragon, using the Game of Thrones theme.

April 2021: Principal photography began

Principal photography on the ten-episode first season of House of the Dragon began in April 2021.

July 2021: Emily Carey and Milly Alcock added to cast

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: Season 1 production wrapped

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

August 21, 2022: Series premiere

On August 21, 2022, House of the Dragon premiered its first season, consisting of ten episodes.

August 26, 2022: Renewal for second season

On August 26, 2022, less than a week after its premiere, House of the Dragon 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 House of the Dragon, was shutting down.

December 20, 2022: Season 1 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 began

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 for season 2

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 moved to Cáceres

On May 18, 2023, 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: Additional cast members announced for season 2

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

December 2023: Third and fourth seasons being written

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

2023: Awards and nominations

In 2023, House of the Dragon received nine Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, winning one for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes. The series won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. Emma D'Arcy earned a Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama nomination.

June 2024: Renewal for third season

In June 2024, House of the Dragon was renewed for a third season, which is expected to consist of eight episodes and premiere in June 2026.

June 16, 2024: Season 2 premiere

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

August 2024: Series intended to end after fourth season

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

September 2024: Martin criticized changes to source material

In September 2024, George R. R. Martin criticized changes made by Ryan Condal and HBO to the source material in a since-deleted blog post. Condal stated he became aware of the post secondhand and expressed disappointment over the situation.

November 19, 2024: Season 2 released on physical media formats

On November 19, 2024, the second season of House of the Dragon was released on physical media formats including 4K UHD Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD.

2024: Season 2 viewership metrics

In 2024, the second season of House of the Dragon had a debut of 7.8 million viewers across linear and streaming on its Sunday night premiere. The series garnered its highest streaming viewership for a particular week during the week of June 17–23, 2024, according to Nielsen, garnering a viewership of 1.23 billion minutes.

January 2025: James Norton joins cast for season 3

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: Third season filming began

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

July 2025: Annie Shapero joins cast

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

November 2025: Renewal 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 earned Best Actress nomination

In 2025, Emma D'Arcy earned another Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama nomination for House of the Dragon.

2025: Condal discussed creative tensions with 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.