Against poor odds in the wake of the Game of Thrones series finale, House of the Dragon won us over with its infighting, smaller scale, and friends-to-enemies central conflict. Stillseason 2 could up the ante even more, according to author George R. R. Martin.
The Game of Thrones creator wrote about a recent trip to London in a blog post. He got to sightsee, visit studios, and spend time in House of the Dragon season 2‘s writers’ room. “I also spent two days locked in a room with Ryan Condal and his writing staff (Sara Hess, Ti Mikkel, David Hancock, and Philippa Goslett) talking about the third and fourth seasons of House of the Dragon. They were lively, fun discussions, and we got some good work done… though two days was not nearly enough.”
Martin also shared that he had seen a rough cut of the first two episodes, writing, “I am hardly objective when talking about anything based on my own work… but I have to say, I thought both episodes were just great. (And they are not even finished yet).” Not surprising news, given that season 1 was one of the best fantasy series of 2022.
He continued, “Dark, mind you. Very dark. They may make you cry. (I did not cry myself, but one of my friends did). Powerful, emotional, gut-wrenching, heart-rending. Just the sort of thing I like. (What can I say? I was weaned on Shakespeare, and love the tragedies and history plays best of all).”
He also praised the incredible sets built for the production, “And of course, I visited the Game of Thrones shoots in Belfast, Scotland, Morocco, and Malta. Those were incredible too. But nothing I have ever seen can compare with the Red Keep and Dragonstone sets they have built at Leavesden Studios in London.”
Martin said the sets built were “HUGE, stunning, and so damned real that I felt as if I had gone through a time portal to medieval Westeros. I love castles and have visited dozens of actual medieval castles, keeps, and towers in my time, and none of the real castles I’ve ever seen can hold a candle… or a torch… to our Red Keep.”
If we weren’t excited before, we certainly are now. Although, perhaps a little worried about the inevitable bloodshed.
For more on the world of Westeros, find out about the Game of Thrones cast, the best Game of Thrones characters, or the Targaryen family tree. You can see our list of the best TV series of all time or the new movies coming soon.