"House of the Dragon" is back again. Bigger, more powerful – with accelerating family feuds. But the creator behind the universe has taken a step back.
Ryan J Condal, who writes the scripts and produces the Max series "House of the Dragon", reveals that author George RR Martin is still kept updated on what's happening with the series – but that he doesn't really have time for anything else than his writing.
For the first season, I worked closely with George Martin. Now, for season two, I make sure to keep him informed all the time, but we don't have constant contact, he's a busy man, says Condal.
In the second season of "House of the Dragon", which premieres on Max on 17 June, Olivia Cooke returns in the role of Queen Alicent Hightower. She believes that viewers will regard her character in a new light this time.
We see her in a new light now. She was trained to have power, now she feels diminished. Who is she, if she can't lead and guide from the shadows?
Risked being killed
"House of the Dragon" is a prequel to "Game of Thrones", where the story deviated from George RR Martin's book towards the end and all characters risked being suddenly killed. That's not the case here.
No, we have the book "Fire and Blood", we've all read it, and the series follows it. So we all know what's going to happen to our characters, says Olivia Cooke.
Ryan J Condal emphasizes how important Martin's book has been during the process.
"Fire and Blood" is our Bible, we follow it. But at the same time, this is an interpretation of the original, so sometimes we have to make deviations, but we're very cautious.
"Tolkien for adults"
Like "Game of Thrones", "House of the Dragon" contains explicit violence and sex, although it's toned down compared to its predecessor.
George Martin called it "Tolkien for adults". We have violent scenes when it serves the story, we don't indulge in it. At the end of the first episode of the new season, there's a horrific murder, we discussed whether we should show it, but decided it would have been going too far, says Condal.
As season two is released, Condal has started writing a third season.
We know where we're going to end the series, we know where the curtain will fall for this part of the saga. There's still a lot to tell about Westeros after that.
Name: Olivia Cooke.
Age: 30 years old.
Occupation: Actress.
Previous roles in selection: "Slow Horses", "Bates Motel", "Ready Player One", "Vanity Fair".
Olivia Cooke's favourite film: Cooke thinks that Ali Abbasi's "Border" is one of the best films made. "'Border' is fantasy and horror cemented in reality", she says.
Currently in: "House of the Dragon" season two, which starts streaming on Max on 17 June.
Name: Ryan J Condal.
Age: 44 years old.
Occupation: Producer, screenwriter.
Previous works in selection: "Hercules", "Colony", "Rampage".
Currently in: "House of the Dragon" season two, which starts streaming on Max on 17 June.
