House of the Dragon co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik has revealed that he is set to step down from the Game of Thrones spin-off series before its second season.
Sapochnik will continue to serve as an executive producer on the prequel – which is currently two episodes into its first 10-part run – but Ryan Condal will now serve as the show’s sole showrunner.
He will continue to work closely with A Song of Ice and Fire author George RR Martin, while Alan Taylor – who helmed seven episodes of Thrones – will join to direct several instalments of the second season.
“Working within the Thrones universe for the past few years has been an honour and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon,” Sapochnik said in a statement, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
“I am so proud of what we accomplished with season 1 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.”
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He added that he was, “deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series”, describing him as “someone I’ve known and respected for a long time”.
For his part, Taylor – whose most recent directing credit was The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark – said, “It’s a pleasure and an honour to be back at HBO, immersing myself in the world of the Targaryens.
“I look forward to working closely with Ryan as House of the Dragon grows into its second season,” he added. “Ryan, Miguel and George have launched an extraordinary story, in a rich and fascinating world. Returning to Westeros will be a huge undertaking and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Meanwhile, Sapochnik has agreed a new first-look deal with HBO that will see him develop new projects at the network – with HBO saying that it was “thrilled to have his ongoing collaboration in this new creative capacity”.
A statement from the network read: “Miguel Sapochnik has done amazing work on the first season of House of the Dragon, establishing its signature look and feel. This series simply could not have come together the way it did without him.”
Read more on House of the Dragon:
- House of the Dragon: Targaryen family tree explained
- What is Old Valyria, the Doom and High Valyrian in House of the Dragon?
- Why doesn’t House of the Dragon have a title sequence?
- When do Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy appear in House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon continues Mondays on Sky Atlantic and on NOW – sign up for Sky TV here. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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