HBO has had plenty of hit shows, although few were as big of a sensation as Game of Thrones. Despite the controversial GOT ending, the spinoff House of the Dragon returned to Westeros for those with a HBO or Max subscription. Season 2 is nearly upon as HOTD was able to film in the midst of the strikes. And the showrunner recently spoke about the complicated feelings he had at the time, even being quote saying “it was rough.” Let’s break it all down.
What we know about House of the Dragon Season 2 is limited, but all out war is seemingly brewing between the Blacks and Greens. Showrunner and co-creator Ryan Condal recently spoke to EW about the show’s return to TV, where he addressed working in the midst of the WGA and SAG strikes last year. In his words:
It was rough. It felt real shitty, I’m not going to lie. We talked to the WGA and, ultimately, they understood that if we left the set, they were going to make it without us. I don’t think the WGA loved it, but they were okay with us being there in a producing capacity.
There you have it. Essentially House of the Dragon was able to continue filming thanks to some technicalities. The production wasn’t included in SAG, so the actors were able to shoot without breaking union strike rules. And since Season 2 was already written, the project didn’t need the use of Screen Actors Guild talents to continue filming. After all, the season was written way in advance of filming.
The House of the Dragon Season 2 trailer teased the specific vision that’s coming in the show’s sophomore run on television. After the set up of Season 1, the next group of episodes is what hardcore fans who have read the book have been waiting for.
Later in the same interview, Ryan Condal revealed how far in advance the writing for Season 2 was done, and why that’s so important for a show of HOTD‘s scale. In his words:
We were prepared for it. The writing really was done. The writing is always done on the show because it has to be. You cannot prep a show that is this complex [otherwise]. We’re shooting two feature-size film units every day. That’s the way that we keep on schedule to release the show every two years, otherwise it would take a year just to film the show.
Points were made. Just like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon shoots across various countries, and is a wildly expensive production. And the only way that the necessary planning for the season can be done is if the scripts were completed early. And as such, they didn’t need WGA members on hand when filming Season 2 of HOTD.
All will be revealed when House of the Dragon begins airing new episodes on June 16th. While we wait, check the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.