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Writer George R R Martin has dropped the news that the House of the Dragon season 2 filming is halfway completed. In his blog, humorously titled Not A Blog, he wrote about the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes and how shows like HOTD 2 are not affected by the strikes.
"I am told that the second season is half done," he wrote.
The House of the Dragon season 2 started filming in the spring of 2023 before the WGA strike started. As a prequel to The Game of Thrones, the House of the Dragon season 1 has grabbed attention with passionate reviews and praise from viewers and critics.
The anticipation changed into apprehension with the writers’ strike, followed by the actors’ strike hitting most production houses. However, House of the Dragon season 2 has avoided a halt in filming since the scripts were ready before the strike, and the actors involved are not part of the SAG strike. As such, filming is expected to go in full swing.
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George RR Martin explains why the House of the Dragon season 2 is not affected by strikes
George R R Martin, writer of Fire & Blood, the story behind season 2 of the House of the Dragon, has revealed that filming for the show is already halfway through. In his blog, he explains why the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA strikes are significant and that he supports them.
The writer said that when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were announced, the House of the Dragon season 2 production team decided to continue its production as planned. While the scripts for season 2 were already written when the strike was announced, there is no scope for further changes or additions in the hand.
"ALL the scripts had been finished months before the WGA strike began. No writing has been done since, to the best of my knowledge."
The Writers’ Guild of America announced its strike in May, affecting most ongoing shows and movies except for HOTD and The Rings of Power. However, when the Screen Actors Guild announced joining the strike, more performances were affected, but the House of the Dragon season 2 avoided being impacted.
While most Hollywood actors for movies and shows belong to the SAG, the cast of HOTD mainly has UK actors belonging to the Equity Union. In that case, while the shows under the SAG strike shut down filming for most shows, the House of the Dragon actors may face negative consequences if they join the strike.
"...though Equity strongly supports their American cousins...British law forbids them from staging a sympathy strike. If they walk, they have no protection against being fired for breach of contract, or even sued."
This is because the Equity actors do not have any legal protection from the strike that the SAG actors enjoy, thus ensuring the continuance of work through the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. As such, with the current situation at hand, House of the Dragon season 2 will be one of the very few shows airing on the small screen.
Fans of the House of the Dragon season 1 ready to binge on season 2
The first season was a massive success with the right blend of plot, cinematography, actors, characterization, and CGI. The storyline ended at a cliffhanger leading up to the second season. The fight for the throne and complicated turns in relationships in the quest for power is set to move to the next level with the new season.
Considering most of the actors working in the show are part of the Equity Union of the UK, the filming is going forward as scheduled in various locations across London, Wales, and Spain. The lead actors shooting currently are Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Fabien Frankel, Rhys Ifans, Ewan Mitchell, Eve Best, and Tom Glynn-Carney, along with new actors joining in.
Expected initially to air in April 2024, the House of the Dragon season 2 seemed to have been pushed for a summer 2024 release. However, Casey Bloys of HBO has refuted the probability of a summer release for a later one in the year.
The House of the Dragon season 2 trailer is expected to drop in or after fall 2023.
