House of the Dragon Season 3 is still quite far from being released, and fans (like us!) are already missing it and eagerly waiting for it to come back.
There’s still a lot of exciting news floating around about the show! We’re getting updates about how the filming is going, new scripts being written, fresh characters being added, and more behind-the-scenes stuff that’s keeping the excitement alive.
One of the biggest updates is that Season 3 is now officially being filmed, which means things are finally moving forward. The actors have even received a new set of scripts for some upcoming episodes, which is a great sign.
Also, there’s news about new cast members joining the show. According to Variety, James Norton, who starred in Happy Valley, will play an important role, Ormund Hightower.
Ormund is the nephew of Otto Hightower (the guy played by Rhys Ifans), and he’ll be leading an attack on King’s Landing to fight against Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) as the war in the show gets more intense and dramatic.
So, if you love House of the Dragon and the whole Targaryen family drama, stay tuned, there’s a lot more coming! And don’t forget to keep checking for updates, because more news will be revealed as time goes on.
House of the Dragon season 3 release date speculation
Even though there’s no official date yet for when Season 3 of House of the Dragon will come out, people are guessing it might be released sometime in early or mid-2026.
What we do know for sure is that season 3 is already being written and filmed, and production started way back in March 2025, so things are definitely moving along.
Back in February 2025, actors Matt Smith and Fabien Frankel shared during a fan event in Florida (called MegaCon) that they had already received the scripts for episodes four, five, and six of season 3. So that tells us everything is running according to plan so far.
If you’ve ever watched Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, you probably know how massive and detailed these shows are. Because of that, it takes a lot of time, effort, and people to put each season together properly.
Just to show how confident HBO is in the show, they renewed Season 3 in June 2024, even before Season 2 was released! That shows how much they believe in the story and how excited they are to keep it going.
So, while we wait, there’s a lot to look forward to, and it’s nice to know that the next chapter of the Targaryen family saga is well on its way.
Who will be in the cast of House of the Dragon season 3?
We don’t have any solid information about the cast as of now. However, we expect these stars to come back:
- Matt Smith as King Consort Daemon Targaryen
- Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen
- Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower
- Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
- Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
- Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
- Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong
- Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen
- Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen
- Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen
- Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon
- Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen
- Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen
- Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Ser Tyland Lannister
- Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle
- Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
- Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
- Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark
- Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
- Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower
- Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
- Tom Bennett as Ulf White
- Sir Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong
- Oscar Eskinazi as Prince Joffrey Velaryon
- Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome
- Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne
- Amanda Collin as Lady Jeyne Arryn
- Abigail Thorn as Admiral Lohar
- TBC as Daeron Targaryen
- James Norton as Ormund Hightower
Some exciting new faces are coming to House of the Dragon in Season 3! One big name that’s already been revealed is James Norton, who will be playing Ormund Hightower. And that’s not all, we can expect even more new cast announcements shortly.
One character that fans have been waiting forever to see is finally making his debut, Daeron Targaryen, the younger brother of Aegon and Aemond. During a recent press event, the showrunner Ryan Condal was asked directly if we’ll finally meet Daeron in Season 3, and he happily said “yes”!
However, as of now, we don’t yet know who’s going to play him, and his actor hasn’t been announced.
Condal also spoke about Helaena’s storyline and how they chose to give her more screen time. He explained that the team was very interested in exploring Alicent’s family more deeply, especially her sons Aegon, Aemond, and, eventually, Daeron too. He mentioned that these brothers, since they’re dragon-riding warriors and important in the war, naturally end up getting a lot of the focus in the story.
“But Helena was always fascinating to us because she was a bit of a tabula rasa, as described in the book.”
A lot of fans were really looking forward to seeing a character named Nettles in Season 2 of House of the Dragon. She’s a fan-favourite from the books who famously bonds with the wild dragon Sheepstealer. But for now, her story seems to have been combined with that of Princess Rhaena Targaryen (played by Phoebe Campbell), which has left many fans a bit disappointed.
However, during a press event, showrunner Ryan Condal gave a little hope by hinting that Nettles might still show up later in the series. When someone asked if she’s been completely removed from the show, he said something like, “Just keep watching!” He added that they’ve put a lot of thought into Rhaena’s story, especially since she’s one of the only Targaryens without a dragon, and they’ve been setting her up for something special since the beginning.
Condal also said that every decision they make is planned far ahead, and they don’t make changes without good reason. So even though Nettles hasn’t appeared yet, she might still be coming, and the team wants us to trust the ride they’re taking us on.
Meanwhile, in the final episode of Season 2, we met a brand new character, Admiral Lohar, played by Abigail Thorn. Fun fact: the character was originally male in the books but was changed to female in the show. It looks like Admiral Lohar and some other new characters introduced this season will return in Season 3 too.
As for who’s coming back, we can expect most of the Targaryen family to return for Season 3. The show has also been giving more attention to the dragonseeds (Targaryen bastards), like Hugh Hammer (played by Kieran Bew) and Ulf White (played by Tom Bennett), so they’ll likely play bigger roles going forward.
In a powerful vision scene, Joshua Ben-Tovim appeared as Ser Brynden Rivers, also known as Lord Bloodraven. There’s a chance we might see more of him in upcoming seasons too.
Sadly, one major character we probably won’t see again is Rhaenys Targaryen, also known as The Queen Who Never Was. She was killed in Episode 4 in a fiery and emotional battle against Prince Aemond Targaryen, who also injured his brother, King Aegon II, in that same fight.
We also don’t expect to see Blood and Cheese again. They were introduced in Season 2 in one of the most shocking moments, but their role seems to be done for now. And in the very first episode, young Prince Jaehaerys (Aegon’s eldest son) was brutally killed, so he’s not returning either.
That said, don’t rule out flashback scenes! Fans were surprised and emotional when Milly Alcock (young Rhaenyra) and Paddy Considine (King Viserys) appeared in one of Daemon’s visions. Some older characters might pop back up in memories or dreams in Season 3.
There’s also the possibility of meeting even more Targaryen children in the future. One of them is Prince Maelor, Aegon’s youngest son in the books, who has a role in the Blood and Cheese storyline. But in the show, Maelor hasn’t been born yet.
Condal explained this by saying that they had to shorten the timeline in Season 1. They squeezed about 30 years of story into 20 years, just so they didn’t have to keep changing actors for every age jump. Because of that, some of the youngest characters, like Maelor, don’t exist yet in the show’s timeline.
Still, this could mean that in Season 3 or later, we might start seeing the next generation of Targaryens being born or growing up, though nothing has been officially confirmed just yet.
House of the Dragon season 3 plot details
We don’t yet know the full story of what’s going to happen in House of the Dragon Season 3, but it’s expected to continue following the events of George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. Of course, just like the past two seasons, the show might make a few changes here and there to keep things interesting.
That said, there are some big moments from the book that fans are hoping to see. If you haven’t read the book and want to avoid spoilers, now might be the time to look away.
The showrunner, Ryan Condal, explained that while Season 2 focused on the early, messy beginnings of war, Season 3 is going to be something much bigger. He said it’ll be about full-on war, bolder, bloodier, and far more intense than what we’ve seen so far.
One of the most highly anticipated scenes is the Battle of the Gullet, a dramatic and violent sea battle. A lot of fans expected to see it in Season 2, but Condal said they decided to wait so they could give it the attention it truly deserves. He said it’s one of the biggest events from the book and will likely be the most epic scene the show has done yet.
Based on how Season 2 ended, it also looks like we may finally see Rhaenyra take the Iron Throne in Season 3. This is something many viewers have been waiting for since the beginning.
Even though this part of the story is all about conflict, Condal reminded everyone that the Targaryen history doesn’t end here. There’s still a lot that happens after this war. But the team is focused on ending this chapter of the story in a way that feels satisfying for fans.
He hasn’t said how many seasons or episodes are left, but he shared that they know exactly where the story is going, and since the book is already written, they have all the material they need. They just want to take their time and give it the ending it deserves.
Meanwhile, Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, said that filming Season 2 was so intense and emotional that by the end, they felt completely drained. Emma said they couldn’t even form sentences; they were just that exhausted. So if Season 3 happens, they joked that they’ll need a better plan to save their energy.
How many seasons of House of the Dragon will there be?
House of the Dragon is officially planned to have four seasons in total. This was confirmed by showrunner Ryan Condal during a recent press conference.
So that means we’re already halfway through the full story. With two seasons done and two more to go, we’re now stepping into the most intense and emotional part of the journey.
Is there a trailer for House of the Dragon season 3?
There is no trailer out as of this writing. We will update this page when we receive any updates regarding the trailer!
How many episodes could House of the Dragon season 3 consist of?
House of the Dragon Season 3 doesn’t have an official number of episodes just yet, but based on what Ryan Condal recently said, it’s likely to have eight episodes, just like Season 2.
When someone asked him about it during a press conference, he didn’t give a direct answer but hinted that the format and rhythm of the show would probably stay the same as it was in Season 2. So even though nothing is confirmed, eight episodes seems like a safe guess for now.
Season 1 had 10 episodes, but the team decided to go with eight in Season 2 to keep the storytelling tighter and more focused. It looks like they’re planning to stick with that setup moving forward.
As for how long each episode will be, they’ll likely fall between 50 to 70 minutes, depending on how much story needs to be told in that specific episode. The final episode of Season 2 was the longest one yet, it lasted 73 minutes!