Rome, 15 June 2024 – “In the second season, ‘House of the Dragon’ seems to finally be the show it was always meant to be. What the entire first season was leading up to, it turns out, is a tragedy of epic proportions, darker than even the famously violent and cynical ‘Game of thrones’ could ever have dreamed. In the war between two scions of the long-standing Targaryen clan, there are no winners, much less the kingdom each contender hopes to rule. The new episodes, four of which were pre-screened for critics, contain much of what their predecessors lacked, from the development of key relationships to the dragon-on-dragon violence promised by the title. ‘House of the Dragon’ it is elevated, refined and expanded, all in the service of a show that is now as dark in a figurative sense as it already was in a literal sense.” So yesterday “Variety” on the return of the series.
We will have to choose who to side with: with i greens that they fight for King Aegon II (the very blond Tom Glynn-Carney) or with i Blacks who are with his sister, la Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy, same platinum hair and icy gaze). And the kingdom of Westeros splits, plunging towards a civil war in a story that still keeps spectators in suspense, between knights and flying dragons, power struggles, court intrigues and battles. The wait is almost over: the second season of House of the Dragon arrives from 17 June on Sky and streaming only on Now, at the same time as the American broadcast.
But that’s not all: to the delight of the fans, HBO has officially announced that there will be a third chapter of the Game of Thrones prequel. “George, Ryan 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“, the words on the HBO social profiles. “We are amazed by the colossal effort that the entire team has put into creating a spectacular second season, with a scope and scale that can only be rivaled by its heart.”
Taken from the novel Fire and Blood Of George R.R. Martin, the HBO and Sky Exclusive series is set 200 years before the events mentioned in Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen between violence, revenge, twists, usurpers and usurped, traitors and betrayed. The action picks up a couple of days after the events that ended the first season. Each of the two factions considers their aspiration to be legitimate Game of Thrones: on one front the Black faction led by the supposed queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and her uncle/husband Daemon (Matt Smith) who bloodily supports her. On the other side, there are the Greens of the usurper Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), Rhaenyra’s half-brother, who with the support of his mother Alicent, Rhaenyra’s former best friend (Olivia Cooke) and his grandfather Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) claims to be the rightful king. Aegon’s one-eyed brother, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), had killed Rhaenyra’s son at the end of the first series. Now we will see the consequences.
If in 2022 the first episode of the first season was seen by 9.99 million viewers in the United States and won a Golden Globe for best drama series, it’s easy to imagine how high expectations are for d’s upcoming debuti House of the Dragon 2. Eight episodes (two less than the previous chapter) in which duty and sacrifice are contrasted with the obsession for revenge. Because the central element around which the world created by moves George RR Martin is that of power – to be defended, conquered, overthrown, coveted, betrayed – which leads human beings to show their true face. And in this House of the Dragon 2 it is no less. A success for many also due to the role of women. Another peculiarity of the prequel is the ambiguity that moves the characters, neither entirely good nor entirely bad. The prince stands out Daemon Targaryen – Matt Smith.
Majestic and epic thanks also to a very high budget (the first season cost 200 million dollars), House of the Dragon 2 obviously does not forget its fantasy nature, promising the introduction of five new dragons who will have a central role in the battles. Women and men moved by pain and the desire for power. All by virtue of a legacy in the form of a throne that tears apart anyone who approaches it. Starring Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno and Rhys Ifans. Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham also return in the new episodes. New entry of the new season, Abubakar Salim (will be Alyn of Hull), Gayle Rankin (Alys Rivers), Freddie Fox (Ser Gwayne Hightower), Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne. Co-creator and executive producer George RR Martin; co-creator, showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal; executive producers Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, Vince Gerardis.
