The first trailer for “House of the Dragon” season 3 is here, offering a closer look at the penultimate chapter of HBO’s hit fantasy drama.
With showrunner Ryan Condal and HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirming that the show will conclude with season 4 in 2028, season 3 escalates the Targaryen civil war.
“You are the Queen of Dragons,” Matt Smith’s Daemon Targaryen declares to Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy. “You have an absolute power within your grasp.”
The footage reveals the immediate fallout from the season 2 finale, when Alicent Hightower, portrayed by Olivia Cooke, pledged to surrender King’s Landing to Rhaenyra. However, Rhaenyra’s allies caution her against trusting that promise as tensions rise.
Condal previously told Entertainment Weekly that the war intensifies quickly in the new season.
“I will say that the war this season goes very hot, very, very quickly,” he said. “I think the people that were waiting and waiting for all of the horrible, brutal, pitiless bloodshed will be getting it in copious amounts.”
Battle of the Gullet and Major Storylines Ahead
Season 3 will adapt the Battle of the Gullet from George R. R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood,” a fictional chronicle of the Targaryen dynasty. The battle is considered one of the bloodiest sea conflicts in Westeros history.
The trailer shows Rhaenyra’s son, Jacaerys Velaryon, played by Harry Collett, flying into battle on dragonback. Condal described the production effort behind the sequence.
“In many ways, the Gullet has been on the minds of the production for about three years now, and trying to figure out how we were going to mount it in a way that was both producible and exciting, thrilling,” Condal told Entertainment Weekly. “The planning that has gone into this… basically all departments working in concert to really make a thing that nobody has ever done before.”
The trailer also features Aegon II Targaryen, played by Tom Glynn-Carney, who fled King’s Landing at the end of season 2 alongside Larys Strong, portrayed by Matthew Needham. In Aegon’s absence, Aemond Targaryen, played by Ewan Mitchell, appears firmly positioned on the Iron Throne.
Cast Additions and ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Details
HBO confirmed that season 3 will consist of eight episodes, matching season 2’s episode count. The season premieres in June on HBO.
New cast members include “Sons of Anarchy” star Tommy Flanagan as Ser Roderick Dustin and Dan Fogler as Ser Torrhen Manderly. James Norton joins as Ormund Hightower, described by Variety as Otto Hightower’s nephew and the Lord of Oldtown, currently leading the Hightower forces toward King’s Landing.
Returning cast members include D’Arcy, Smith, Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Steve Toussaint, Collett, Bethany Antonia, Glynn-Carney, Mitchell, Phia Saban, Sonoya Mizuno, Needham, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Tom Bennett, Kieran Bew, Kurt Egyiawan, Freddie Fox, Clinton Liberty, Abubakar Salim, and Gayle Rankin.
“House of the Dragon” season 3 premieres this June on HBO.
