For better or for worse, there has been a major shakeup to the creative team of the Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon. Per The Hollywood Reporter, it has been reported that Miguel Sapochnik, who served as a director and co-showrunner of the first season alongside Ryan Condal, is leaving the series in that role. He will remain on board as an executive producer and has signed a new deal with HBO to develop new projects, but creatively, his time on House of the Dragon is said to be over.
Word is Condal will be serving as the sole showrunner starting with season 2. As with the first season, he will be consulting with original author George R. R. Martin to help guide the story. Sapochnik may also have some ideas that will be used in the second season, as it has previously been reported that he and Condal had already mapped out season 2.
In a statement concerning his exit, Sapochnik said:
The House of the Dragon Team Wishes Him Well
HBO
While Condal will continue as sole showrunner, it’s also been reported that Alan Taylor will step in as an executive producer and director of multiple episodes. Taylor, who previously worked on Game of Thrones, has also addressed this change in a statement of his own.
An additional statement from HBO reads:
Despite the issues that coming with losing a co-showrunner, the future looks very bright for House of the Dragon. The series broke records when it debuted its premiere episode, quickly prompting HBO to order a second season. The second episode drew even higher viewership, suggesting that word of mouth has brought in more viewers eager to give the spinoff a shot. As of now, season 2 doesn’t have a premiere date, but you can see the first two episodes on HBO Max. New episodes debut on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday nights.
