House of the Dragon season 3 is still far enough away to make us long for it with all our being. That said, there are still plenty of much-appreciated updates regarding the show circling, with new information being released about production, scripts, new characters, and more. For example, the latest is that House of the Dragon's third season is officially in production, with the cast having recently received a new batch of scripts for some of the episodes.
The finale of season 2 revealed a major twist typical of Game of Thrones, with Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) reuniting after so long. It almost seemed as if the two would reconcile and bring the whole feud to an end, but instead, the second season concluded with all sides preparing for battle.
House of the Dragon season 3 release date speculation
While there's no confirmed release date for Season 3 at this early stage, we estimate an early to mid-2026 release date.
In February 2025, stars Matt Smith and Fabien Frankel said during a panel at MegaCon in Florida that they had received scripts for the fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes of season 3. This means that everything seems to be progressing in line with the planned schedule.
As any Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon fan knows, the scale of the HBO series is absolutely epic, and it takes a long time to put together.
Who will be in the cast of House of the Dragon season 3?
Currently, we'd expect the following cast members to return for House of the Dragon season 3.
Matt Smith as King Consort Daemon TargaryenEmma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra I TargaryenOlivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent HightowerRhys Ifans as Ser Otto HightowerSteve Toussaint as Lord Corlys VelaryonFabien Frankel as Ser Criston ColeSonoya Mizuno as MysariaMatthew Needham as Lord Larys StrongTom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II TargaryenEwan Mitchell as Prince Aemond TargaryenPhia Saban as Queen Helaena TargaryenHarry Collett as Prince Jacaerys VelaryonBethany Antonia as Lady Baela TargaryenPhoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena TargaryenJefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Ser Tyland LannisterKurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester OrwyleKieran Bew as Hugh HammerAbubakar Salim as Alyn of HullTom Taylor as Lord Cregan StarkClinton Liberty as Addam of HullFreddie Fox as Ser Gwayne HightowerGayle Rankin as Alys RiversTom Bennett as Ulf WhiteSir Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon StrongOscar Eskinazi as Prince Joffrey VelaryonJamie Kenna as Ser Alfred BroomeVincent Regan as Ser Rickard ThorneAmanda Collin as Lady Jeyne ArrynAbigail Thorn as Admiral LoharTBC as Daeron TargaryenJames Norton as Ormund HightowerOne character we do know for sure that we're going to meet in season 3 is the long-awaited Daeron Targaryen, Aegon and Aemond's brother! Asked in a recent press conference whether we would finally meet him, Condal confirmed with a "yes" – although the actor to play him has not yet been cast, to our knowledge.
"But Helena was always fascinating to us because she was a bit of a tabula rasa, as described in the book."
When asked about whether Nettles has been fully written out of the show, he responded: "I think that's a ‘Please stay tuned and keep watching the story.’ I will say that we love Rhaena as a character, and we've really done a lot of legwork to set her up from the beginning as somebody in this Targaryen household who does not have a dragon."
View Affiliate Playlist on the source websiteMeanwhile, in the finale episode, we met a new character in the form of a gender-swapped Admiral Lohar, played by Abigail Thorne. We'd certainly expect her and other characters introduced this season to return for more.
In the finale episode, we also saw Joshua Ben-Tovim appear in a vision to Daemon Targaryen as Ser Brynden Rivers, AKA Lord Bloodraven. Could we see more from him in the future?
In a shocking and brutal episode 4, the beloved character was killed off in a fiery clash with Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), who also left his own brother, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), badly wounded.
While fans were also excited to see the appearance of Blood and Cheese, played by Sam C Wilson and Mark Stobbart, we're certainly not expecting to see them back for any more either. Similarly, episode 1 saw the brutal death of a young Jaehaerys Targaryen, the eldest son of Aegon Targaryen.
Fans were stunned to see the return of Milly Alcock as young Rhaenyra and Paddy Considine as the late King Viserys as part of Daemon Targaryen's visions. Could old cast members be back for more?
In the show, however, Condal reasoned that, due to shortened timelines, Maelor couldn't be born yet.
"I think as time marches on longer and longer, it becomes more challenging to tell all that story in one season, and season 1 was a challenge in and of itself.
That might suggest the new generation of Targaryen children is on the way in season 3, but take this with a pinch of salt until it's officially confirmed.
What could House of the Dragon season 3 be about?
However, there are certain book events we're expecting to see. Look away now if you don't want to see any book spoilers!
We're expecting to see the highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet, a brutal and bloody sea battle that many fans had been anticipating in season 2. Asked about why he postponed showing it, Condal said it's down to balancing the number of big events we have in each season.
“Based on what we know now, it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve pulled off. And we just wanted to have the time, the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans and in the way it’s deserved.”
Showrunner Ryan Condal previously told RadioTimes.com of future seasons: "There's a history that marches on for decades after this. So it's not about ending the Targaryen history. It's just finding the place to close the curtain on this particular time…
"So, I think that's become very clear as we've just gotten farther down the timeline. But I'm not ready to yet talk about how many episodes or seasons are left.
Meanwhile, Emma D'Arcy told IGN: "Oh my God, by the end of season 2, I was a f**king shell of myself.
"I was a husk. I could not form a sentence. I was so tired. I need to implement some way of getting through season 3, if there’s a season 3, to really harness as much energy as possible. It is a behemoth."
How many episodes could House of the Dragon season 3 consist of?
When asked about season 3's episode count at a press conference, the showrunner said: "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 2 on."
In terms of episode length, we'd again expect the episodes to range from 50 to 70 minutes, depending on how much needs to be covered in one particular episode.
Season 2 episode 8 was the show's longest episode yet, with the finale clocking in at 73 minutes.
How many seasons of House of the Dragon will there be?
That means we're currently halfway through the show's run.
Is there a trailer for House of the Dragon season 3?
In the meantime, why not check out what the stars had to say about season 2?
View oEmbed on the source websiteCheck out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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