The good news just keeps rolling in for "House of the Dragon" diehards. After receiving word that the much-anticipated second season of the Emmy-winning fantasy series would be premiering this June — rather than August like we all initially thought — we officially have a release date. Better yet, fans also now have not one but two new trailers touting all of the dragon-riding drama they can expect when the new episodes drop.
On Thursday, March 21, HBO released a pair of new trailers to promote the second season of the "Game of Thrones" prequel series, which will officially arrive on HBO on Sunday, June 16 at 9pm Eastern. "House of the Dragon" is set nearly 200 years before the events of the flagship show and centers on the succession war within House Targaryen during the height of its power.
Given that the new season will delve even deeper into the history of the Targaryen family and the growing feud between former BFFs Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), it's only fitting that the new trailers allow viewers to choose which side of the so-called "Dance of the Dragons" they're rooting for.
Picking up where the first season left off — the finale, "The Black Queen," aired on October 23, 2022 — the "black" trailer focuses on D'Arcy's Rhaenyra, along with her uncle-slash-husband Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) and their Dragonstone forces. The "green" version spotlight's Cooke's Alicent and the rest of the King's Landing crew, who supports her son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his claim to Viserys I's throne.
Unlike the first 10-episode installment, the second season of "House of the Dragons" will have eight episodes in total, but clearly it'll still be packed with all of the fire-breathing tension, violence and backstabbing we've come to expect from the HBO hit. Director Clare Kilner said to The Hollywood Reporter about the shortened season: “There are eight wonderful episodes with so much happening in every episode, and we have trouble, at times, bringing them down to one hour. [Showrunner] Ryan [Condal’s] decision was to give it a good opening and a good ending, and they’re jam-packed with emotional and visually exciting events.”
Ahead of the trailers' debut, HBO also released a series of character posters on March 20 promoting the new season. Along with D'Arcy, Cooke, Glynn-Carney and Smith, the posters showcase fellow returning cast members including Fabien Frankel (who plays Ser Criston Cole), Ewan Mitchell (as Prince Aemond Targaryen), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Targaryen) and Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon).
Tom's Guide will keep you updated on any new "House of the Dragon" intel that drops between now and that June 16th premiere date. In the meantime, you can catch up with all of the news about the various "Game of Thrones" spinoff series that are in the works, including the Dunk and Egg prequel and the Aegon the Conqueror series. You can also revisit "House of the Dragon" season one with a Max subscription before those new season two episodes drop.
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