Heads up House of the Dragon fans, Season 2 will fulfill our dreams of another big battle unfolding on our small screens. After the epic arial action that turned the events for both Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) at the end of the first season, the upcoming season will build on the tension in the sea. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, four-time Emmy winner Rowley Irlam, the show’s stunt coordinator teased the epic action sequences in store for fans.
House of the Dragons Season 1 ended on a vengeful note as Rhaenyra’s young son Prince Lucerys is (accidentally) killed by Alicent’s son Aemond and his dragon Vhagar. The event has accelerated the impending civil war between the Blacks and the Greens. In George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Bloodthe events lead to a massive battle called, Battle of the Gullet, Irlam confirms, “It’s not a secret that in this story there’s a battle at sea. I think that’s where we’re headed.” The Battle of Gullet is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war known as Dance of the Dragons. While the Targaryens and Velaryons retaliate after Luke’s death, cutting off King’s Landing via seas, Otto Hightower’s (Rhys Ifans) scheming leads to the big battle.
Will it Top the Battle of the Bastards?
The casualties will affect major turning points and characters in the upcoming season. Irlam has been a part of creating the blood-pumping battle sequences for quite some time having also worked on the series’ predecessor Game of Thrones. When asked about having a battle in the upcoming season that tops the Battle of the Bastards, from the original series, the coordinator said, “If I didn’t top those episodes, I’d still be very proud of what we’ve done. But we haven’t given up, and the desire is always to go bigger and better — but to not repeat.” He further elaborated:
“We don’t want “Battle of the Bastards 2” or “Hardhome 2” or “Spoils of War 2.” We’re always trying to find new sequences we can get our teeth into.”
Speaking of the practicality and limitations of shooting the Battle of Gullet, he explained, “There are two words in there — ‘prohibitive’ and ‘expensive’ — and I don’t like the first word.” Adding that the “desire is to expand our repertoire to a large sea battle. You can do a sea battle in a car park, but it won’t necessarily feel the same. But there are water tanks, and there’s a tank here in Leavesden. If you’re going to do it, I think you need to do it in a tank. But let’s see what happens.”
House of the Dragon Season 2 is expected to drop sometime in 2024.