House Of The Dragon Season 3 Trailer Signals Full-Scale Targaryen War

The first trailer for house of the dragon dropped Thursday, and it frames Season 3 as the moment the Targaryen civil war explodes into open battle.

Trailer opens on a divided House Targaryen

The new footage opens with a stark declaration from Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell): “The king has abdicated the throne. A new line is coming. A new line of unsullied kings. ” That line anchors the trailer’s message that the dynasty has splintered, and it tees up the brutal conflict known as the Ballet of the Gullet.

Ballet of the Gullet moves into Season 3

The trailer makes clear the Ballet of the Gullet will be a central set piece in Season 3, picking up directly after Season 2 and tracing the civil war the series says was triggered by the death of Prince Lucerys Velaryon at the end of Season 1. Producers had intended the major battle scene for Season 2 but moved it to Season 3 when Season 2’s episode count was cut from ten to eight episodes.

Cast, directors and creative leads confirmed

Season 3’s returning ensemble includes Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint and Rhys Ifans, among others, while newcomers named for the season include Tommy Flanagan as Lord Roderick Dustin and Dan Fogler as Ser Torrhen Manderly; James Norton had previously been announced as Ormund Hightower. Directors set to helm Season 3 episodes include Clare Kilner, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Andrij Parekh and Loni Peristere, and Ryan Condal and George R. R. Martin are listed as co-creators and executive producers, with Condal serving as showrunner.

The trailer’s combination of spoken declaration, quick cuts of armor and fire, and the promise of the Ballet of the Gullet frames house of the dragon’s next season as the point where political fracture becomes all-out war, and it highlights the heavier focus on large-scale battle sequences.

What viewers can expect next

Season 3 is slated to premiere in June 2026, a confirmed date window that follows the trailer drop Thursday and gives the production time to stage the shifted battle sequences and integrate the new cast. The trailer and the announced creative team set clear expectations for a season built around the civil war and the contested line of succession inside House Targaryen.