House of the Dragon to return sooner than expected, HBO confirms

Almost two years after the first season introduced us to the history of the incestuous, warmongering history of the dragon-loving House Targaryen, we'll be returning to Westeros this summer.

Deadline reports that HBO's streaming chief JB Perrette told a conference in San Francisco that the show would be part of a handful of tentpole series to return a little early than expected.

This comes after the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood last year, which ended up delaying the release dates for several huge shows in development.

Initially, HBO bosses had expected House of the Dragon to return to screens later in the summer.

But crucially, filming for season two was unaffected by last year's strikes because the scripts had been completed before filming began.

The Game of Thrones prequel was released last August to acclaim from critics and fans alike and drew in record breaking viewing figures for HBO. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” book “Fire & Blood,” the HBO show follows the Targaryen dynasty in the fictional continent of Westeros.

It takes place nearly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and about 100 years after the Targaryens united the Seven Kingdoms under their rule.

The returning cast includes Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham.

Several new faces will also feature, including:  Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

Related links:

New Samurai show likened to ‘Game of Thrones in Japan’ drops on streaming today to rave reviews

Netflix series compared to Game Of Thrones and dubbed ‘one of the best series in history’

Matthew Lillard confirms return as Shaggy in new Scooby-Doo project

Disney considering bringing back Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow