HBO's hit show and pop culture phenomenon "Game of Thrones" has officially become a franchise. The world's first spin-off, "House of the Dragon," has only aired two episodes, but it has already set up an intriguing premise filled with royal intrigue and stunning dragons, not to mention a cast of intrigue-filled Targaryens.

After "Thrones'" controversial finale, some fans were skeptical of the show's potential, but its renewal chances skyrocketed after the first episode of "House of Dragons" drew nearly 10 million viewers, the highest rating ever for an HBO premiere. In response, the network has decided to focus all of its efforts on the "Game of Thrones" spinoff. Below is what is known so far about the second season.

That's right. The renewal for Season 2 comes five days after the record-breaking premiere, with the network reporting that viewership rose to 20 million between Sunday night's premiere and the following Friday.

"We are beyond proud of what the entire 'House of Dragons' team has accomplished in Season 1," Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, said in a statement (open in new tab). Our phenomenal cast and crew took on a huge challenge and exceeded all expectations to deliver a show that has already established itself as must-see television." I would like to thank (co-creator and executive producer George R.R. Martin and co-creators and showrunners Ryan Kondal and Miguel Sapotunik) for leading us on this journey. We couldn't be more excited to continue bringing the epic saga of the Targaryen family to life in Season 2."

Due to the sheer size of the show, it will take some time before a second season appears; according to The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab), visual effects work on season one began in January and is still ongoing. If Season 2 also takes nearly a year to shoot and another year for VFX work, it could be back in the summer or fall of 2024.

Filming for the new season will begin as early as spring 2023, and the Spanish newspaper Hoy reports that production will resume between March and June 2023 in the Spanish city of Cáceres, which portrayed the royal city in both "HotD" and "Game of Thrones."

Since this is a spin-off of "Thrones," it is difficult to predict the return of the cast (just ask Ned Stark) unless we see who makes it out of the first 10 episodes alive. If the main characters (open in new tab) are presumed safe, we can expect to see Emma Darcy (Princess Rainila Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Matt Smith (Prince Damon Targaryen), Fabian Frankel ( Sir Christon Cole), and Eve Best (Lenice Targaryen) can be expected to be seen. King Viserys Targaryen, played by Paddy Considine, may appear next season, but the unhealed wounds of the Iron Throne are quite ominous.

As for younger versions of Rainila and Alicent, showrunner Ryan Condal told Variety (opens in new tab) that actors Millie Alcock and Emily Carey may or may not return in flashbacks in later seasons. I don't know, he said." (Alcock and Carey) are not part of the story we are telling, not yet. That's not what we're doing right now," he said, adding that things may change in the future.

"There are things we haven't fully sorted out yet. 'I'm not going to close the door on anything. So how about that answer?"

From the trailer and the two episodes currently airing, Season 1 will take us through the events leading up to the civil war in Targaryen, known as the Dance of Dragons, the battle for the throne after King Viserys' death. The show takes the long route, starting with Rainila's ascension to the throne and fast-forwarding through the years (with casting changes) to get closer to the skirmish.

From co-creators George R. R. Martin and Ryan Kondal's renewal preparation tips, it appears that the full dance may not happen until season two. At the show's Comic-Con panel (which took place a month before Season 1 premiered), Kondal revealed that production is already working on a dragon that won't appear until Season 2, according to Variety (opens in new tab). He also said that they have a special "severed head budget" for Season 2, which will surprise (and excite) fans.

The one big question about the GoT prequel is whether it will face the same fate as Thrones. Fortunately, co-showrunners Condell and Miguel Sapotunik already have a plan for the end of the entire series; in an in-depth article in the Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab), the two discuss how they have an ending in mind and that the show will have a certain They revealed that they have plans to go on for a certain number of seasons, and according to sources, three to four seasons are currently planned.

They also hinted that the show and subsequent spinoffs could explore another era of the Targaryen dynasty, dating back to the destruction of Valyria (the destruction of the family's first home) and Aegon I's conquest of Westeros.

"The Targaryens span both directions," Sapochnik told the outlet. "So as a spine for other possible stories and spin-offs ...... This is a great starting point."

Showrunner Ryan Condal opened up to Variety about the production progress of Season 2, revealing that he was working on the next episode before the official renewal was announced.

"Season 1 is really folding into Season 2. We've been writing Season 2 for months through post, premiere, and press," he told the outlet.

While we will have to wait for the season 1 finale to know where season 2 will fall in the "Dance of the Dragon" timeline, Kondal also confirmed that there will be no more decade-long, mandatory recast time jumps in the upcoming season.

"The storytelling will stay true to the rhythm of the original 'Game of Thrones' series," he said of season two.

Fabian Frankel told RadioTimes (open in new tab) that behind the scenes there was already talk of a second season. "But obviously things could change," he told the outlet.

"To be honest, I went to a pub with Miguel [Sapochnik, showrunner] two months ago. He made fun of me. I won't tell you who it was, but he said, "I want you and this guy to spend some time together and get to know each other." So I'm excited to do that."

Eve Best also told the outlet that the cast already has ideas for the next one based on the book.

"The story already exists in the book, so we have a rough flavor," she said.