HBO renews 'House of the Dragon' ahead of Season 2 premiere

MANILA, Philippines — The epic-fantasy series "House of the Dragon" has been renewed for a third season by HBO, a few days before the second season premieres globally.

It is a big improvement from before as it took a week after "House of the Dragon" premiered for HBO to renew the "Game of Thrones" prequel for its upcoming second season.

Author George R.R. Martin, whose books the show is based on, previously said he was working with showrunner Ryan Condal and his team of writers about future seasons.

"We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart," said HBO executive Francesca Orsi in a statement, praising both Martin and Condal.

The Dance of the Dragons continues.#HouseOfTheDragon has been renewed for Season 3 on @StreamOnMax. pic.twitter.com/XnoaDEHfdH

"We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three," Orsi added.

"House of the Dragon" takes places 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones" and follows the story of the royal House of Targaryen and its familial battle for the throne during the Dance of the Dragons.

Returning for the second season are Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno and Rhys Ifans.

Season 2 of "House of the Dragon" premieres on HBO this June 16 (morning of June 17 in the Philippines).

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