Warning: this article contains spoilers for the first season and finale of House Of The Dragon.

Calling all House Of The Dragon fans: we now have a confirmed release date for the much-anticipated second season of the Game Of Thrones spin-off.

The prequel, which won the Golden Globe for best drama television series in 2022, is based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood. Set 200 years before the events depicted in Game Of Thrones, it tells the story of House Targaryen, exploring the lead-up to the civil war that eventually breaks out within the royal household.

Here’s everything we know so far about the second season.

What is the plot for House Of The Dragon season two?

The events in this series revolve around House Targaryen and the war of the Seven Kingdoms, taking place 200 years before Game Of Thrones. It’s based on The Dying Of The Dragons, a novella found in George RR Martin’s 2018 work Fire & Blood.

The first episode of House Of The Dragon alone smashed streaming records, so it’ll come as no surprise that a) it’s been renewed for a second season and b) that the plot details for season two are being kept under wraps. But what we do know is that Lucerys’s death will likely spark a war-waging fire from Rhaenyra, and that she and Daemon will exact bloody revenge upon King’s Landing and the Hightowers.

It all boils down to who will take the rightful seat at the Iron Throne. And if Alicent and Otto have anything to do with it, we know it’ll be a longstanding and fierce battle.

Who will star in House Of The Dragon season two? 

Major players including Matt Smith (who plays Daemon Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen), Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen), Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen) and Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen) will all be back for round two.

Also returning will be Sonoya Mizuno, implying that her character Mysaria, the White Worm, survived the blaze at the end of season one.

The likes of Harry Collett (Jacaerys Velaryon), Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen), Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen), Matthew Needham (Larys Strong), Jefferson Hall (Jason Lannister) and Phia Saban (Helaena Targaryen) will be reprising their roles too, but we won’t see Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, who played Rhaenyra and Alicent in their younger years for the first half of season one, this time around.

“[They’re] not a part of the story that we’re telling, yet,” Condal previously told Variety. “ That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now.”

What else can we expect from House Of The Dragon season two?

With the first season finished, Condal has been teasing more of what we can expect from the upcoming season. Speaking to The Times, he revealed that producers deliberately slowed down the narrative for the first season in a bid to ensure viewers were invested in the new characters.

He explained: “We will get to the spectacle. But you have to understand these people’s complexities before they’re thrown into war.

“Series two will hit the rhythms people came to expect from the middle run of Game Of Thrones, but it will have been earned, and viewers will feel the tragedies because we put the work in.”

Condal also hinted at the possibility of some surprisingly lighthearted moments in the new series, explaining that the writers will seek to introduce “natural pathways into moments of levity” in the drama.  Oh, and we can also expect to meet “five new dragons” next time. 

When will House Of The Dragon season two be released?

The second season of House Of The Dragon will debut exclusively on Sky and NOW from 17 June.  Episodes will be released weekly on Sky & NOW with UK viewers able to enjoy each instalment at the same time as the US at 2am.

House Of The Dragon season one is available to watch on Sky and streaming service Now with an entertainment membership.

Images: HBO