Despite losing one of its showrunners for season two, a Game of Thrones veteran will return to House of the Dragon.
Behind the scenes of House of the Dragon, there will be a change in leadership as well: Miguel Sapochnik, who served as co-showrunner and director for the first season of the HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones, is quitting the project before Season 2.
The director of important Game of Thrones episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” and “Hardhome,” Sapochnik, collaborated with co-creator Ryan Condal to co-showrun the first season of House of the Dragon and also directed the pilot. Season 2’s only showrunner will now be Condal.
Working in the Game of Thrones world for the past several years has been an honour and a joy, Sapochnik said in a statement, “particularly spending the last two with the incredible cast and crew of House of the Dragon.” “I am pleased by the enthusiastic response of our viewers and so proud of what we were able to accomplish with Season 1. Moving on was tremendously difficult to decide, but I am confident that it was the best option for me both personally and professionally.
However, another Game of Thrones veteran will step in to fill the vacuum created by Sapochnik’s absence: Alan Taylor, an Emmy winner who directed episodes of The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Beyond the Wall in addition to seven episodes of Game of Thrones, will serve as executive producer for Season 2 of House of the Dragon. He will also helm many episodes.
In a statement, Taylor stated, “It’s a pleasure and an honour to be back at HBO, immersing myself in the world of the Targaryens.” “As House of the Dragon develops into its second season, I am looking forward to collaborating closely with Ryan. In a whole and intriguing world, Ryan, Miguel, and George [R.R. Martin] have begun an astonishing novel. It will take a lot of work to go back to Westeros, but I welcome the task.
HBO’s most watched series premiere ever, House of the Dragon launched earlier this month to around 10 million viewers, and its viewership even increased in Week 2. The second season was quickly ordered by HBO after the first.
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