House Of The Dragon Just Lost Its Most Important Member
It looks like House of the Dragon is making a major change heading into Season 2 of the already popular series on HBO
House of the Dragon has been making headlines since its August 21st premiere. The series, which is a spin-off of Games of Thrones, received a great deal of backlash upon its arrival due to its graphic nature. One scene, in particular, involved a character giving birth, and the sequence was so graphic that some viewers were left disgusted and wanting to vomit. Now, the show is in the news again, but it’s for an entirely different reason. According to Deadline, Miguel Sapochnik is departing the series as co-showrunner ahead of its second season.
Sapochnik has worked on Games of Thrones for several years, where he served as executive producer and director for several episodes including “Hardhome” and “The Battle of the Bastards.” He was co-showrunner of House of the Dragon in the first season along with the series’ co-creator Ryan Condal. Now that Sapochnik is leaving his role, Condal will make the transition from co-showrunner to sole showrunner.
Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing in Games of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor to serve as director and executive producer for the second season of House of the Dragon. The filmmaker previously directed seven episodes of Game of Thrones and received two Emmy nominations for his work on the series. Miguel Sapochnik will remain executive producer for the duration of the show, along with Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz and Vince Gerardis.
Sapochnik may be leaving House of the Dragon as co-showrunner, but his work with HBO is not finished. He has a first-look deal with the network to develop new projects. His resume is overflowing with experience when it comes to the world of television, having directed episodes for popular shows like Fringe, Under the Dome, and True Detective. It’s not shocking that HBO would want to keep him around.
House of the Dragon is off to a strong start for HBO. The first episode, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” two weeks ago and became the networks biggest series premiere ever with nearly 10 million viewers turning in. HBO renewed the show prior to the second episode, “The Rogue Prince,” which pulled in 10.2 million views when it aired Sunday, August 28th.
Taking place 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon centers around the Targaryen civil war. The series is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel, Fire and Blood. Martin serves as co-creator along with Ryan Condal. The fantasy drama stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Bill Paterson, Gavin Spokes, and Emily Carey. The first season will have 10 episodes with the third episode, “Second of His Name,” premiering Sunday, September 4th.
Miguel Sapochnik certainly played an important role in bringing everything together on House of the Dragon. We’re curious to see if his departure as co-showrunner will have any impact on the series. Fortunately, although Ryan Condal will be the sole showrunner come the second season, he’ll still be working closely with George R.R. Martin. It’s safe to say the series in good hands going forward.
