“House of the Dragon” is already a hit for HBO after just two episodes but now the series has lost one of the co-showrunners ahead of season 2…
“House of the Dragon” has just been dealt its first loss since the show debuted to massive ratings and an early season 2 renewal by HBO.
Miguel Sapochnik — who served as co-showrunner on the “Game of Thrones” prequel alongside Ryan Condal — has decided to leave the series before production on the second season can begin. Sapochnik became a fan-favorite director while leading several popular episodes of “Game of Thrones” including the action packed “Hardhome” episode in season 5 as well as “The Battle of the Bastards” episode in season 6.
Alan Taylor, who also directed numerous episodes of “Game of Thrones” in the past, will be stepping in to help with production leading into season 2 alongside Condal and series creator George R.R. Martin.
According to multiple reports, Sapochnik decided to leave the series after an exhaustive few years behind the scenes working to develop “House of the Dragon” before the show actually debuted in August.
“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 one 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.
“As I do so, though, I am deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series. He’s someone I’ve known and respected for a long time, and I believe this precious series could not be in safer hands. I am so glad to remain a part of the HBO and House of the Dragon family and, of course, I wish Ryan and his team success and all the best with season two and beyond.”
The shake up comes after “House of the Dragon” became an instant hit for HBO with more than 25 million viewers tuning into the debut episode in the first week of its release. The second episode actually saw a slight uptick in overall ratings, which is a rarity in television.
Sapochnik was actually hesitant to sign on as a co-showrunner even when the series was first in development, although he eventually decided to stay on the project after working with Condal to bring the show to life. Now he’ll exit “House of the Dragon” before season 2 production gets underway.
As for Taylor, he’s an experienced producer and director after first cutting his teeth on the critically acclaimed HBO series “The Sopranos” and he also directed the recent prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark.” He’s also worked on series such as “Mad Men” and “Rome” as well.
“House of the Dragon” currently airs on HBO on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. but there’s no word on when the second season will get into production yet.
