When will House of the Dragon get started on season 2?

With the finale of the first season of House of the Dragon finally being released, fans are keen to know what happens next for the HBO series.

The first episode of House of the Dragon set a record for viewership figures on HBO as the most watched premiere of all-time on the network, and it wasn’t long after this episode was dropped that a second season was also confirmed.

“We couldn't be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two,” HBO's Francesca Orsi confirmed.

However some changes are set to take place for the next instalment, with co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik to step down.

“Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honour and a privilege,” he said in a statement to the The Hollywood Reporter.

“Of course, I wish [co-creator Ryan Condal] and his team success and all the best with season two and beyond.”

When Can We Expect Season 2?

While no release date for the second season has been announced as of yet, there is news on a timeline for filming.

Spanish newspaper, HOY, reported that HBO production would return to Cáceres, the location where the King’s Landing is based, for filming in early 2023.

Ryan Condal confirmed to Variety that the series is planned to start filming around this time, and didn’t rule out a 2023 release, however it’s not entirely likely.

Condal stated that just 'as the original Game of Thrones grew in scope and expanse as it went, so, too, will ours'.

The several key settings grounding the series will remain though, as the production has "lived a good bit in three different worlds through this show: King’s Landing, Dragonstone and Driftmark'.

He also noted that 'those will continue to be the home bases for the show'.

In terms of plot, it seems like a war is heading towards Westeros, however viewers are warned not to expect quite the plethora of settings as in the original series.

"I don’t think we’re going to get quite as vast as the original Game of Thrones did in its final analysis," Condal said.

"But there are definitely many more new worlds to come, and new worlds that you haven’t necessarily seen in the original show, either. Rest assured, plenty of scope to come."

All episodes of Season 1 of House of the Dragon are now streaming on HBO Max for those looking to catch up.

And for those who’ve yet to watch the series, there’s still plenty of time to immerse yourself in the Thrones prequel before season 2 becomes available.