Warning: spoilers ahead for the House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 finale.
The end of House of the Dragon is nigh, the boss of the TV series has confirmed.
This week, the season 2 finale of the epic fantasy series was released – and while it included exciting developments for characters including Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), many fans found the ending extremely underwhelming.
It was already announced that the Game of Thrones prequel spin-off would be returning for season 3, which is expected will come in 2026.
However, the showrunner for the TV series – the co-creator of the programme with author George RR Martin – has now revealed exactly when he plans for House of the Dragon to end.
Following the release of the finale, Ryan Condal took part in a press conference attended by Metro.co.uk, during which he shed light on the timeline.
During the conference, the interviewer Joanna Robinson mentioned how Ryan had alluded to there being ‘three more seasons’ of House of the Dragon.
‘I just want to confirm with you – that means you’re saying five seasons total is what the current shape of this show is for you?’ The Ringer journalist asked.
‘No, I think it’s four,’ he clarified.
He shared that they’re going to start ‘prep’ for season three in the autumn, and then ‘we should be in production again in early-ish 2025’.
Ryan was then asked about how many episodes there could be in season three, as the first season of House of the Dragon had 10 episodes, with the second following with only eight.
‘Without saying anything, because I haven’t had discussions with HBO about it, I would just anticipate the cadence of the show from [a] dramatic storytelling perspective will continue to be the same from season two on.’
One of the criticisms that House of the Dragon fans had about the season two finale was that there wasn’t a big battle between the Blacks and the Greens as had been anticipated.
Following weeks of build-up, the season ends with different noble Houses, including the Starks and the Lannisters, beginning their march to battle… but then ends on a frustrating cliffhanger.
Ryan promised that when season three eventually airs, there won’t be long to wait for the highly-anticipated battle to be revealed.
‘There are so many great events that we’re already writing in season three as this war really comes to a big head at this point in the storytelling,’ he said.
‘If you look at season two – this is largely a metaphor for a nuclear conflict. If season two was the arming of the sides and the Cold War, with moments of actual conflict and explosion, I think season three, you do start to see things boil over from here to the end of the war.
‘As always with this show, there’s gonna be giant moments of spectacle but also real moments of surprise and character nuance that we’re very much looking forward to.
‘Some of my favourite moments in the book, just as a reader, that I’m excited to adapt as a dramatist are yet to come in the story.’
Ryan addressed the fans’ desire to see the battles, like the explosive moment in season two episode four at Rook’s Rest when Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) is killed, and added a tease about an upcoming battle that fans haven’t seen on screen yet called the Battle of the Gullet.
‘We were trying to give the Gullet, which I would say is maybe the second most anticipated action event of Fire and Blood, trying to give it the time and the space that it deserves. Obviously as anybody that has seen the finale [can see], we are building to that,’ he stated.
‘That event will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling of House of the Dragon. Based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off. We just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans in the way that’s deserved.’
The showrunner added that the creators of House of the Dragon wanted to ‘build anticipation’ towards the big battle, emphasising how ‘complex’ it is to create the show.
‘I know everybody wants this to come out every summer, it’s just that the show is so complex that we’re really making multiple feature films every season.
‘So I apologise for the wait, but I will just say if Rook’s Rest and the Red Sowing are any indication, we’re going to pull off a hell of a win with the Battle of the Gullet in the future.’
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House of the Dragon is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
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