House of the Dragon season 3 will start with one of the bloodiest battles ever written by George R.R. Martin

Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon
(Image credit: HBO)

After House of the Dragon season 2 ended on a cliffhanger, HBO‘s head of drama series and films Francesca Orsi has confirmed that season 3 will kick off with the most devastating and brutal battle in Westeros history: The Battle of the Gullet.

"I’m really excited. I think you’re going to be in for a great surprise on how we start the [season] with an exciting battle," said Orsi to Deadline. We expected to see this at the end of season 2, but due to the season being trimmed down to 8 episodes, we were left with both Team Black and Team Green gearing up for said war instead.

But according to Orsi, the much-anticipated scene is well "worth the wait," and the move to season 3 was the right decision. "I don’t think we had the time at that point to do what it is that we’ve achieved now this season," she added. "It’s just so massive, we needed the time to build it."

In George R.R. Martin’s book 'Fire & Blood' The Battle of the Gullet sees the Triarchy (Team Green) and House Velaryon's fleet (Team Black) go to war on the water. Meanwhile, up in the sky, the dragons take flight. To avoid spoiling any more, we will stop right there. But just know that battle is often regarded as one of the most devastating and bloody fights in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.

In terms of the scale of the fight and the fact this battle takes place on water rather than on land – as we are used to seeing in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, the HBO series is in good hands. "One of the lead producers on it [Kevin de la Noy] actually worked on Titanic," added Orsi.

Although an official synopsis has yet to be revealed, House of the Dragon season 3 will likely welcome back Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen), and more.

House of the Dragon season 3 does not yet have a release date. For more see our list of the best shows on HBO Max, or keep up with other upcoming TV shows heading your way.

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Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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