House of the Dragon's season 2 current script status is clarified by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin as production continues on the series. The HBO prequel explores the reign and downfall of the Targaryen royal family, as the dynasty is thrown into war. Concerns surrounding the show's production were raised following the news that the Writers Guild of America had voted to go on strike in order to fight for fairer wages and protections for its members from Hollywood studios.
While dedicated viewers were concerned about whether House of the Dragon season 2 moving forward despite strike action could potentially harm the quality of the show's writing, Martin addressed the status of the show's script through a post on his personal website. Following confirmation that production was still ongoing, the author explained that each of the eight episode's scripts had been completed and been through multiple drafts months ahead of filming getting underway in April, stating that no further revisions would be needed and now the fate of the show was in the hands of the crew on-set. Check out Martin's full statement below:
Across the ocean, the second season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON started filming April 11 and will continue in London and Wales. The scripts for the eight s2 episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began, Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions. The writers have done their jobs; the rest is in the hands of the directors, cast and crew… and of course the dragons.
How The Writer's Strike Could Impact House of the Dragon Season 2's Ongoing Filming
As incredibly popular shows like House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Andor press on with their productions amidst the Writers Strike, audiences online have discussed how the ongoing strike action would affect each show's filming when compared to prior season's productions. Per the Guild's guidelines, the writers of House of the Dragon won't be present on-set throughout the foreseeable future as the strike continues.
As such, although Martin states that the scripts have been completed and reworked multiple times, there are still concerns about whether unseen factors could hinder the show's quality. In a standard show's production period, writers being part of the ongoing process can help filming by adjusting scenes to work better on-screen after gauging the cast's performances and chemistry with one another or working around issues surrounding the stage direction or physical locations. While Martin may have written the source material and oversaw House of the Dragon's adaption into the television format, any unforeseen factors that could hinder production could still have a noticeable impact on the final cut of the show without having the writer's involvement to alter things.
As writers place their pens downs and take a stand for fairer pay and guaranteed protections amidst a changing industry, many viewers have paid attention to voices involved in the profession for how their favorite shows may be impacted. The 2007-2008 strike lasted for 100 days, and saw a noticeable impact on both film and television projects in terms of quality. As such, while Martin has stated that House of the Dragon's scripts are complete, it remains to be seen how season 2's production could be impacted.
Source: georgerrmartin.com