House of the Dragon season 2 and White Lotus season 3 get new dates, and it's mixed news

Lord Corlys Velaryon charges into battle with his giant ax in House of the Dragon episode 3
(Image credit: HBO)

We've got some good news and bad news about the new season of White Lotus, the prequel series to Stephen King's It, and more House of the Dragon. White Lotus season 3 and the It prequel have both been moved to 2025, but House of the Dragon season 2 now has a release date: it's coming in summer 2024.

Let's start with House of the Dragon. Season 2's summer 2024 release date was confirmed at a press event on November 2, during which HBO network head Casey Bloys showed a trailer to reporters. Unfortunately for us, the content of the trailer – which is set 200 years before the events of the original Game of Thrones – is currently under embargo so nobody's allowed to tell you what's in it. Bloys also told reporters that the Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight will begin shooting in early 2024, having been delayed by the strikes. So it's good news all around about the progress of shows for GoT lovers.

The news about White Lotus season 3 and the It prequel was also revealed at the same event, and unfortunately that news wasn't so welcome.

What's happening with the White Lotus season 2 and the prequel to It?

As Variety reports, Bloys told reporters that the writers' and actors' strikes had affected HBO's plans for some of its most anticipated shows. "White Lotus’ season 3 probably would have been in play for 2024, it’s 2025," Bloys said; the show was in the early stages of production before having to shut down completely. 

The It prequel, Welcome to Derry, has been delayed too. "Welcome to Derry, we had that scheduled for Halloween of 2024," Bloys said. "That's likely 2025". Set in the same universe as Stephen King's original novel It, the show's details are being kept under wraps but promises to expand on the stories told in the films It and It Chapter Two. Like White Lotus season 3, the show was in production earlier this year before having to pause production. 

One of the reporters covering the event was Meghan O'Keefe of Decider, who posted details of HBO/Max's 2024 slate on Twitter. Some of the highlights include season 4 of True Detective and season 12 of Curb Your Enthusiasm in January; Kate Winslet's The Regime, Pretty Little Liars Summer School, Hacks season 3 and Sex Lives of College Girls season in the spring; Industry season 3 and My Brilliant Friend season 4 in the summer; and The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy and The Franchise in the fall. As expected, season 2 of The Last of Us is not scheduled until 2025.

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Carrie Marshall
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

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