Production on House of the Dragon Season 3 is underway, and HBO is celebrating the milestone with an updated list of new cast members.

The network announced that the Targaryen-centered Game of Thrones spinoff had begun work on its third season today, revealing all of the familiar names set to make a return alongside a batch of new names, too. No release date for House of the Dragon Season 3 has been announced quite yet, but HBO says that, like Season 2, it is expected to run for eight episodes. The face of dragon queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy, helped kick off day one of filming with a celebratory video for fans.

The fight for the Throne is far from over.

S3 of #HOTD is now in production. pic.twitter.com/NUe4POwIJM

— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) March 31, 2025

D’Arcy will be joined by series veterans Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), and more as Dragonstone and King’s Landing continue their war for the hearts of Westeros – and the Iron Throne.

Joining them for House of the Dragon Season 3 are newcomers Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) as Ser Roderick Dustin and Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Ser Torrhen Manderly. James Norton, who was previously announced as another fresh face for Season 3, has been brought onboard as Ormund Hightower.

Directors for the third season include House of the Dragon familiars Clare Kilner, Andrij Parekh, and Loni Peristere, as well as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Supernatural veteran Nina Lopez-Corrado.

House of the Dragon will continue its television adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood where Season 2 left off. That means Westeros remains on the brink of war despite a few revelations shared between Alicent and Rhaenyra in the last batch of episodes as peace becomes all the more unlikely. We gave Season 2 a 7/10 in our review.

Previous comments from showrunner Ryan Condal have revealed that House of the Dragon is planned to run for at least four seasons. For more on how the Game of Thrones show has fared thus far, you can read up on some changes to the source material that Martin wasn’t in love with, as well as our closer look at whether or not the show has gone too far. You can also learn more about another upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).