Because the one-year anniversary of Home of the Dragon’s Season 2 finale looms, Season 3 isn’t anticipated to reach on HBO till effectively previous the tip of the 2025 TV schedule. That stated, there’s nonetheless information to get enthusiastic about because the weeks move with none new footage, and readers of George R.R. Martin’s Hearth & Blood can pay attention to the most recent casting.
None aside from a fierce warrior from the riverlands has been added for Season 3 quite than one other department of the Targaryen household tree, and whereas I gained’t get deep into spoilers for the sake of non-readers, I’ll say that it will get my hopes up a little bit greater that some very humorous Hearth & Blood Easter eggs make the minimize in Season 3.
Home Of The Dragon’s Latest Warrior
Crimson Skies actress Annie Shapero has been solid to play Alysanne Blackwood, a.ok.a. the archer and warrior Black Aly, for Season 3 of Home of the Dragon (per Deadline). With out getting too deep into spoilers from Hearth & Blood, Black Aly is Workforce Black and fights for Rhaenyra within the Dance of the Dragons, and can forge an necessary tie with Lord Cregan Stark when the North turns into extra closely concerned within the warfare.
Whereas I’d have mechanically anticipated Black Aly to be solid if Home of the Dragon was a trustworthy adaptation of Hearth & Blood, the present has more and more diverged from the supply materials, with George R.R. Martin himself itemizing his grievances with sure decisions. This specific ebook character has made the minimize (in contrast to a sure prince throughout Blood and Cheese), and Annie Shapero will reportedly seem in 5 of Season 3’s eight episodes, though she’s not billed as a collection common.
Relying on how faithfully HOTD adapts Alysanne’s story, I’d anticipate that she’ll have a task to play within the fourth and remaining season as effectively. Solely time will inform, however I’m selecting to take her casting as an indication that we may get to see extra of the riverlands in Home of the Dragon Season 3. And extra of that area may bode effectively for a want of mine.
Traditionally in each Sport of Thrones and HOTD, the riverlands are simply not a spot anyone would wish to be throughout a time of warfare, however I’m hoping that the addition of Black Aly – a Blackwood of the riverlands – might be an indication that one thing humorous is on the best way with that specific space. (Humorous for followers, at the least!)
George R.R. Martin’s Riverlands Easter Eggs
In Home of the Dragon simply as within the earliest seasons of Sport of Thrones, Home Tully had been the Lords Paramount of the riverlands area. The second season launched Oscar Tully, the younger lord of Riverrun after the loss of life of his father and grandfather. In Hearth & Blood, there are extra Tullys recorded by George R.R. Martin, and their names are humorous sufficient that I can forgive the writer for naming so many characters “Aegon.”
Key members of Home Tully within the Dance of the Dragons chapters of Hearth & Blood embody:
- Grover Tully
- Elmo Tully
- Kermit Tully
- Oscar Tully
Battle involves the riverlands by means of Sesame Avenue on this period of the historical past of Westeros, apparently! In all seriousness, I don’t know that George R.R. Martin was intentionally making an attempt to make readers affiliate Tully males with Muppets, and even needed any readers to choose up the pattern.
My idea has all the time been that the writer was bored with developing with Westerosi title after title after title for this part of Hearth & Blood, and easily picked ones that got here to thoughts simply to cross these Tullys off of his checklist. I can’t affirm, however why else title a bunch of characters after Sesame Avenue icons?
In fact, Grover and Co. don’t actually have a lot to do with Black Aly in Hearth & Blood aside from hailing from the riverlands, but when I can have fun that she’s been solid for Season 3, why not maintain onto some hope for the Seven Kingdom’s Muppets to make the minimize too? With a little bit tweaking to the Blackwood household tree, they may all be included within the present with a distinct line of succession than in Hearth & Blood.
In addition to, with out particulars about when to anticipate the third season aside from expectations of 2026, it’s enjoyable to latch on to one thing from Hearth & Blood that would make it to HBO. For now, you may all the time revisit the primary two seasons of Home of the Dragon in addition to the complete run of Sport of Thrones streaming with an HBO Max subscription.