House of the Dragon season 2 gets an official Max release date and three fiery showdown-style trailers
House of the Dragon season 2's official release date has been announced, and the impending fiery civil war between the wider Targaryen family has been further teased in not one, but three gripping trailers.
Released today (March 21), the "dueling" teaser, which you can watch below and spotlights House Targaryen and House Hightower, reveals what we've known for a few weeks – i.e. that House of the Dragon season 2 will arrive in June. Now, though, we have an actual release date: Sunday, June 16. Well, that's the case for US viewers, who'll be able to stream it on HBO or Max on that day. UK and Australian audiences will have to wait until a day later, Monday, June 17, to tune into its premiere.
But I digress. You're also here to watch House of the Dragon season 2's "dueling" trailer. So, without further ado, check it out below:
Okay, that's only one, so what about the others? Well, the all-too-brief teaser contains links to the other two trailers: Black for House Targaryen, and Green for House Hightower. It's a novel and creative way to not only show off more footage of the likely barbaric season to come, but also to ask viewers to pick which side of the divide they're on heading into the next installment. Bravo, HBO.
The latest teasers for the Game of Thrones prequel series arrive three months after our first look at House of the Dragon's sophomore season. In early December 2023, the first official footage teased a fiery and bloody start to the Dance of the Dragons, with the battle lines being drawn between House Targaryen and House Hightower after that shocking end to season 1's final episode.
As I mentioned, until recently we only had a rough idea of when House of the Dragon would return. In January, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) told TechRadar it had "nothing to announce" about season 2's release date – a blunt response that came in the wake of Matt Smith, one of the show's stars, suggesting it would arrive in August. That apparent leak wasn't as accurate, however, as WBD's Head of Streaming, J.B. Perrette, later confirmed that season 2 would launch in mid-2024.
Season 2's latest trailers also come hot on the heels of the release of new promotional art ahead of the high-fantasy series' return. The posters, which you can view below, deliver ominous vibes as House of the Dragon's major players are forced to pick sides before the thrilling and brutal Dance of the Dragons war begins. First up, here are the promo posters depicting the Targaryens:
Not to be outdone by their fierce rivals, here are the posters for the Hightower clan:
House of the Dragon season 2 sees the return of familiar faces from its forebear, including Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), and Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon). Showrunner Ryan Condal returns to lead development on the series' second entry, with George R.R. Martin – who wrote House of the Dragon and continues to make his way through his Game of Thrones book series (where's book six, aka The Winds of Winter, George?!) – is back as co-creator and executive producer on one of the best Max shows.
Unlike its predecessor's 10-part installment, House of the Dragon season 2 will only comprise eight episodes. Still, as long as they're full of geopolitical intrigue, bloody action, and treacherous drama, I won't be complaining.
House of the Dragon season 2 will debut on HBO and Max in the US, Sky Atlantic in the UK, and Binge and Foxtel in Australia.
