House of the Dragon season 2 trailer ignites a bloody war: 'Many will die'

"There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin — and no war so bloody as a war between dragons." So warns Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) in the first-look trailer for House of the Dragon season 2, which returns to HBO next summer.

The new footage from the fiery Game of Thrones prequel series surprised fans gathered in Brazil for the CCXP convention on Saturday. HBO beefed up the reveal by confirming a batch of actors who will play notable book characters from George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood.

Clinton Liberty (Normal People) will play Addam of Hull; Jamie Kenna (Children of Men) will play Ser Alfred Broome; Kieran Bew (Warrior) will play Hugh; Tom Bennett (David Brent: Life on the Road) will play Ulf; Vincent Regan (One Piece) will play Ser Rickard Thorne; and Tom Taylor (The Dark Tower) will play the hyped-up character of Lord Cregan Stark.

The sneak peek brings us to the depressing aftermath of the pivotal season 1 finale, which saw the death of Rhaenyra Targaryen's child, the young and gentle Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault), during a dragonback skirmish in the skies with Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell).

It's a different trailer than the footage shown to press in New York City for a 2024 lookahead presentation at the start of November. The grief is all too visible on the ash-stained face of Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) as the rightful queen of the Iron Throne looks out solemnly at Dragonstone castle. Meanwhile, her husband/uncle, the hot-headed Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), looks ready for revenge suited in his wartime armor.

"The war will be fought, many will die, and the victor will eventually ascend the throne," says Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).

House of the Dragon, from showrunner Ryan Condal, chronicles the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal years-long conflict from Westeros history that devastated the once-imperious Targaryen Empire. Season 1 laid the groundwork for the coming devastation: Rhaenyra was her father's chosen heir to the Iron Throne, but the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), and his supporters usurped the Westeros crown for his grandson, Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). The slaying of Lucerys, killed by the jaws of Aemond's mount Vhagar, was their "shot heard around the world." Now, war can begin.

For more on the trailer and casting, EW's official Game of Thrones podcast West of Westeros makes an off-season return to dissect all the footage and new intel has to offer. Stay tuned for the new episode, which launches Sunday.

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