House of the Dragon is experiencing a bit of a shakeup as it heads into Season 2.
Miguel Sapochnik, who served as co-showrunner on House of the Dragon Season 1, is bowing out.
Sapochnik was a Game of Thrones veteran before joining the spinoff.
Ryan Condal, the co-creator will continue on as the sole showrunner for the second season.
“Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honor and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon,” Sapochnik said in a statement.
“I am so proud of what we accomplished with Season 1 and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers.”
“It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally.”
Alan Taylor, who directed seven episodes of the original series is joining the second season as an executive producer.
He is also set to direct.
“It’s a pleasure and an honor to be back at HBO, immersing myself in the world of the Targaryens,” Taylor said in a statement.
“I look forward to working closely with Ryan as House of the Dragon grows into its second season.”
“Ryan, Miguel and George [R.R. Martin] have launched an extraordinary story, in a rich and fascinating world.”
“Returning to Westeros will be a huge undertaking, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
House of the Dragon bowed earlier this month to record premiere ratings for HBO and HBO Max, delivering nearly 10 million viewers.
The series inched up in week two, and the series premiere is now at almost 25 million views on HBO platforms.
HBO issued a renewal last week following the strong premiere numbers.
Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming said:
“We are beyond proud of what the entire HOUSE OF THE DRAGON team has accomplished with season one.”
“Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV.”
“A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with season two.”
Catch new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
