House of the Dragon season 3 was renewed by HBO on June 13, 2024, ahead of the season 2 premiere, reported Deadline. The fantasy drama series takes place 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones and focuses on the House Targaryen's internal dispute for control of the Iron Throne.The prequel series, co-created by Ryan Condal and George R. R. Martin, premiered on August 21, 2022, to rave reviews. It is a loose adaptation of Martin's 2018 novel, Fire & Blood. Karen Wacker, Angus More Gordon, Alexis Raben, Gabe Fonseca, and Kevin Lau share producing credits for the fantasy drama series.A look at the latest developments in House of the Dragon season 3An image from the HBO series House of the Dragon (Image via Instagram/@houseofthedragonhbo)House of the Dragon season 3 is currently in production and will return to HBO sometime in 2026. The series has added new cast members for the third season, which is poised to showcase the highly anticipated civil war, Dance of the Dragons.Variety reported on January 31, 2025, that James Norton was cast to play Ormund Hightower in the upcoming season. The character's official description states:"(Ormund is) Otto’s (Rhys Ifans) nephew, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Gwayne’s (Freddie Fox) cousin, and the Lord of Oldtown. He is presently leading the Hightower host in a march on King’s Landing to support his house against Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy)."Another report by Variety, dated April 23, 2025, announced that Joplin Sibtain, who recently starred in the hit Disney+ series Andor, will join the cast as Ser 'Bold' Jon Roxton. He's the head of the Roxton family and will support the Greens in Aegon II Targaryen's fight for the Iron Throne.The article also announced the casting of Downton Abbey star Tom Cullen and The Sandman actor Barry Sloane. Cullen will essay the role of Ser Luthor Largent, a knight of the City Watch, while Sloane will play a member of the Queensguard named Ser Adrian Redfort.Furthermore, Tommy Flanagan and Dan Fogler were also confirmed to play Lord Roderick Dustin and Torrhen Manderly, respectively, by Deadline on March 31, 2025. Ryan Condal shared at a recent press conference that Prince Daeron Targaryen, the youngest child of King Viserys and Queen Alicent, will also make an appearance in season 3.What to expect from House of the Dragon season 3? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostOn August 29, 2025, actress Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower, teased fans with an exciting update about House of the Dragon season 3. She told Collider's Therese Lacson that the upcoming season will open with a "bang" before adding:"Well, I think I can say for the show that it is, you know, it starts off with a bang. The first two eps were essentially supposed to be our finale last year. So you can just imagine coming into that sort of energy. It’s bigger and more ferocious than ever before, I think is what I can say."House of the Dragon season 3 will reportedly feature eight episodes and include four major events from Martin's novel Fire & Blood, including the Battle of the Gullet. The Green faction, led by Aegon II Targaryen, and the Black faction, led by his half-sister Rhaenyra Targaryen, will descend into civil war, called the Dance of the Dragons, to find the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.The show's second season ended with the Green and Black factions heading into the Battle of the Gullet. The bloody sea battle culminates with the death of Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and his dragon, Vermax, in the book. Condal told Radio Times on August 8, 2024, that filming the battle sequence is one of the biggest challenges of season 3:"That event will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling of House of the Dragon, and it should be – based on what we know now – it should be the biggest thing to date that we've pulled off, and we just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans and the way in the way it's deserved."Stay tuned for more news and updates from House of the Dragon season 3.