Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon is gearing up for its second season. And while the Game of Thrones prequel continuing production amid the 2023 Writers Strike and Actors Strike left some people angry it was still filming, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has updated fans on why that’s happening.
Unlike the perilous waters threatening the drown the current 2023 Dune 2 release date or Aquaman 2 release date, House of the Dragon is expected to make its slated premiere window in the summer of 2024.
While the House of the Dragon season 2 release date may not be in question, the continuing of shooting without any actors walking out or the confidence in scrips without writers to workshop them as needed on set left some uneasy. There’s a simple reason why this production is different from others in the news right now, however.
Martin explained on his blog, “ALL of the scripts had been finished months before the WGA strike began. No writing has been done since, to the best of my knowledge. House of the Dragon is shot mostly in London (and a little bit in Wales, Spain, and various other locations), which is why filming has continued.”
“The actors are members of the British union, Equity, not SAG-AFTRA, and though Equity strongly supports their American cousins (they have a big rally planned to show that support), British law forbids them from staging a sympathy strike,” he says. “If they walk, they have no protection against being fired for breach of contract, or even sued.”
He goes on: “Honestly, I was shocked to hear that. One of the two major UK political parties, Labour, has its roots in the trade union movement. How in the world could they have allowed such anti-labor regulations to be enacted? Seems to me that Labour Party really needs to do a better job of protecting the right to strike. As for me personally, my overall deal with HBO was suspended on June 1.”
“I still have plenty to do, of course,” he states. “In that, I am one of the lucky ones. (These strikes are not really about name writers or producers or showrunners, most of whom are fine; we’re striking for the entry-level writers, the story editors, the students hoping to break in, the actor who has four lines, the guy working his first staff job who dreams of creating his own show one day, as I did back in the ’80s).”
So, the House of the Dragon cast is free to continue playing Game of Thrones characters. In the meantime, we have a list of the best TV series and best fantasy series to keep you occupied while the industry puts the brakes on during the fight for fairer pay. If you need a laugh, we also got an AI to write the Game of Thrones sequel, Snow.