- Casey Bloys has provided promising updates on HBO’s Game of Thrones prequels
- House of the Dragon season 3 could debut sometime in mid-2026
- Bloys also confirmed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will arrive in January
HBO boss Casey Bloys has confirmed when A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (AKotSK) will be released.
The second Game of Thrones[1] (GoT) prequel, which was originally due out sometime in 2025, is set to drop in early 2026, according to an interview with Variety[2] on the 2025 Emmys red carpet, where Bloys announced that AKotSK would launch on HBO and its streaming sibling HBO Max[3] after the turn of the year.
Asked if he could comment on recent rumors that AKotSK would drop in the first half of 2026, Bloys said: “I’m going to say January. How about that?”
For those who don’t know: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms[4] is based on the ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’ novella trilogy penned by GoT author George R.R. Martin. Set 90 years before Martin’s main book series, they follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire ‘Egg’ who – spoilers – is the future King Aegon V Targaryen. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell are set to portray the characters in HBO’s TV adaptation. You can learn more the rest of the series’ cast and possible plot beats in our dedicated guide on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms[5].
Comprising six episodes, AKotSK is expected to cover the events of the first novella, titled ‘The Hedge Knight’. It’s unclear if storylines from the other two novellas will be folded into its debut season, but we might get confirmation on that front once an official trailer is released. At the time of publication, we’ve only seen brief snippets of footage in a March 2024 HBO Max TV show sizzle reel teaser[6], so I’m hoping an actual trailer isn’t too far off.
A red hot summer awaits for House of the Dragon
That wasn’t the only significant update that Bloys delivered on HBO’s GoT universe. In conversation with Deadline[7], he also teased when House of the Dragon[8]‘s third season could air, saying: “I think it’ll be just outside of [the 2026 Emmy eligibility window].”
At first glance, that might seem like a fluff answer. However, studios that want to submit their shows for one or more Primetime Emmy nominations have to meet certain criteria, including releasing said TV series before May 31 of any given year.
Based on Bloys’ comments, that suggests House of the Dragon season 3[9] won’t be released on HBO or HBO Max, aka one of the world’s best streaming services[10], before June 2026. That would mark two years since the GoT prequel program’s second season was released and just 14 months after filming began on its third season.
If House of the Dragon 3 arrives sometime in mid-2026, it’s likely to be a red hot summer (or winter, for those of you in the southern hemisphere). Indeed, after an uninspiring end to one of the best HBO Max shows[11]‘ second season, we’re bound to experience the Targaryen Civil War in full flow next season, meaning fire and blood will certainly reign.
Need to remind yourself what happened in last season’s finale? Check out my House of the Dragon season 2 ending explained[12] piece and then catch up on the latest information on its sequel via my dedicated guide to House of the Dragon season 3[13].
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References
- ^ Game of Thrones (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Variety (variety.com)
- ^ HBO Max (www.techradar.com)
- ^ A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (www.techradar.com)
- ^ dedicated guide on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (www.techradar.com)
- ^ March 2024 HBO Max TV show sizzle reel teaser (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Deadline (deadline.com)
- ^ House of the Dragon (www.techradar.com)
- ^ House of the Dragon season 3 (www.techradar.com)
- ^ best streaming services (www.techradar.com)
- ^ best HBO Max shows (www.techradar.com)
- ^ House of the Dragon season 2 ending explained (www.techradar.com)
- ^ dedicated guide to House of the Dragon season 3 (www.techradar.com)