“Game of Thrones” author George R. R. Martin has offered an update on how production on the second season of the spin-off series “House of the Dragon” is going.
Whilst the writer’s and actor’s strikes have caused the shutdown of almost every major film and TV production across the globe, there are a handful of productions able to continue due to existing agreements and legal requirements.
Arguably the most high-profile that’s still chugging along unimpeded is “House of the Dragon”, which remains on track for a Summer 2024 premiere.
In a recent post on his Not A Blog blog, Martin confirmed that production on the second season is halfway through and progressing well:
“One of the few shows till shooting is HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, as you may have read. That’s true. I am told the second season is half done. 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.
HOTD 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. If they walk, they have no protection against being fired for breach of contract, or even sued.”
Martin adds his overall deal with HBO was suspended on June 1st. Filming for the second season began on April 11th and is expected to wrap around October/November.