House of the Dragon Season 3 is almost upon us — and fans simply cannot contain their excitement. Reviews have already emerged for the highly anticipated new instalment of the HBO fantasy drama, which serves as a prequel to Game of Thrones. The overwhelming majority have heaped praise on the show following a somewhat underwhelming second series.
The new season picks up immediately where the last left off, as war has finally descended upon Westeros and the battle between the Blacks and the Greens begins in earnest. Much like Game of Thrones, season three of House of the Dragon is being simulcast on both sides of the Atlantic.
It will air at 9pm Eastern Standard Time on HBO in America on Sunday, June 21, meaning the show will make its UK debut on Sky Atlantic, HBO UK and Ireland and NOW on Monday, June 22 at 2am British Summer Time. The simulcast ensures that British viewers face no delay and can tune in at precisely the same time as their American counterparts. There will be a total of eight episodes in the new series — identical to the previous outing but fewer than the debut season.
Episodes will drop on a weekly basis, meaning fans will need to exercise patience as the drama gradually unfolds across two months. The principal cast will reprise their roles, including Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, and Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen.
Several fresh faces will also join the third series, including Grantchester star James Norton as Ser Ormund Hightower, Downton Abbey's Tom Cullen as Luthor Largent, and Sons of Anarchy actor Tommy Flanagan as Roderick Dustin. Once more, House of the Dragon will draw upon material from Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin's Targaryen chronicle Fire and Blood.
The third series is anticipated to be the most ambitious yet and will feature the spectacular Battle of the Gullet, which showrunner Ryan Condal is already proclaiming as a television milestone due to the sheer scale and ambition of the sequence. Alongside the Battle of the Gullet, audiences can look forward to their customary helping of political intrigue as competing factions jostle for supremacy and control of the Iron Throne.
