‘House Of The Dragon’ season two will have fewer episodes

House Of The Dragon season two episodes will appear shorter than the first instalment, HBO has announced.

According to Deadline, the Game of Thrones prequel will contain eight episodes instead of its usual 10. This unforeseen change comes after HBO revealed that the series would get an identical amount of episodes after its debut in 2021.

However, while some may think it was a cost-cutting mission due to the change in leadership at Warner Bros Discovery, a spokesperson from HBO stressed that the change of plans was “story-driven” and part of a “long-term plan” for the series.

This change for season two will transfer significant portions of the series to season three, including a big battle scene. The show is set to premiere in the summer of 2024.

Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, who wrote the original material Fire & Blood, spoke about the series – noting that it will need four complete seasons to tell the story.

“I am thrilled that we still have 10 hours every season to tell our tale,” Martin wrote on his blog last October. “I hope that will continue to be true. It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish.”

Meanwhile, the show’s co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal has revealed that the upcoming second season of the hit prequel will feature several new dragons – five to be exact.  

Condal told The Hollywood Reporter we’re “going to meet five new dragons.” However, Condal did not elaborate on these five dragons’ identities or riders.