House of the Dragon Season 3 is finally out, but fans had to wait two years for it.
According to showrunner Ryan Condal, there’s a simple reason why the HBO fantasy series can’t return every year. Speaking at a recent HBO press conference, Condal addressed the two-year gap between seasons 2 and 3 and explained why the long wait is inevitable.
“I will [it],” said Condal per Page sixacknowledging viewers’ “frustration” at the delay. But according to the showrunner, the scope of the production leaves little room to speed things up.
“It just takes a long time to make,” he explained. Condal broke down the process, noting that “preparation and shooting” alone requires about a year, while the visual effects team then spends another “seven months [to] eight months”, which brings the series’ dragons to life.
His message to impatient fans was straightforward: “Do the math.”
“It’s not possible to come out every year. I’m very sorry, but you decided to be fans of the show called ‘House of the Dragon,'” he added.
In comparison, Game of Thrones largely maintained an annual release schedule during its run from 2011 to 2019, except for a two-year wait before its final season. While that series featured dragons and big battles, House of the Dragon is even more dependent on visual effects as it chronicles the bloody Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of Dragons.
Set more than a century before Game of Thronesthe series follows Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daemon Targaryen as they battle rival members of their own family for control of the Iron Throne.
