Scripts for House of the Dragon season 4 are done already

The fight for the Iron Throne is well and truly at fever pitch, with House of the Dragon Season 3 banging on to its halfway point. The Targaryen civil war marches on, and sorry to disappoint, but no one is getting that crown until Season 4, which HBO has already pegged for 2028. So, settle in – there’s a lot more fire and blood left to come.

Viewers are clearly obsessed, if the stats are anything to go by. Variety reckons 21.5 million people jumped into the Season 3 premiere within the first three days. Considering that’s just the opener, I wouldn’t put the kettle on during Season 4’s launch—those numbers are only going up from here.

Scripts Locked for Season 4

Now, how’s the story going to wrap up? That’s the million-gold-dragon question. Showrunner Ryan Condal has finally given a peek behind the curtain about how it’s all shaping up. Condal popped up on the ScriptNotes podcast, chatting to John August and Craig Mazin, and confirmed some proper news: the scripts for the finale season are actually done. Or, well, “done” in TV terms.

Here’s how Condal laid it out (pretend I’m doing my best grizzled writer impression):

“All of the scripts have to be done. Season 4, we have essentially written already. HBO will have all of the drafts this summer. First drafts, our first drafts that we’re choosing to share with the network. So, that’s probably like the sixth draft,” Condal said. “But we won’t start production until early next year, early 2027, because the schedule is such a Jenga tower. Everything is scheduled to, sort of, set and location and all that, and the schedule affects the budget.”

So, translation: all the writers’ work is being handed off to HBO for their first look (which, in TV, means several stabs have already been made at not embarrassing themselves), but tweaks and changes are still fair game. The scripts are called “first drafts” but don't let that fool you—these have gone through their fair share of spit and polish before HBO even lays eyes on them. Still, nothing’s final till someone yells “action,” and production won’t start until at least early 2027. Apparently, scheduling a dragon-heavy blockbuster series is about as delicate as balancing a crumbling Jenga tower. This marks a quick turnaround, considering Condal only said the writers’ room was getting underway back in January.

Where Things Stand in Westeros

Back in the story: last Sunday’s episode, ‘Rhaenyra Triumphant’, made it very clear that being Queen is a right pain in the neck. Rhaenyra’s victory lap fizzled out quickly—maintaining power is proving even harder than claiming it, with problems cropping up left and right.

• Alicent Hightower and Daeron’s Disappearance: The capture of Alicent Hightower—and the twist that Viserys’s youngest son, Daeron Targaryen, was actually a fake (part of a plot for Ormund Hightower to snatch Tumbleton)—has thrown an extra spanner in the works. Meanwhile, the real Daeron and his dragon Tessarion are neatly tucked away, far from the action for now.
• The High Septon’s Snub: Rhaenyra’s not exactly getting much love from the church, with the High Septon outright refusing to anoint her as Queen. Never a good sign for a hopeful monarch.
• Family Drama with Corlys Velaryon: Rhaenyra and Corlys went head-to-head over whether Allyn and Addam of Hull are legitimate, so there’s no shortage of scheming on the home front, either.

All this is piling on top of the growing number of ‘rats’ (both the literal kind scurrying around the Red Keep, and the more metaphorical sort whispering in the corridors), threatening Rhaenyra’s rule from every direction.