A showrunner for House of the Dragon has left, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Miguel Sapochnik, who was best known for directing some episodes of Game of Thrones, like the epic Battle of the Bastards, has exited the position after the show got renewed for season 2. He will remain as an executive producer while co-showrunner Ryan Condal becomes the sole person filling the position.
Sapochnik has decided to leave behind being a showrunner for House of the Dragon to pursue other HBO projects. As part of his first-look deal, he has plenty of opportunities to expand with the premium cabler.
A showrunner of House of the Dragon has left
Following the news of the showrunner of House of the Dragon leaving, another Game of Thrones alum enters the fold. The director of the season 1 finale and season 2 premiere of the original series, Alan Taylor, comes on board for the prequel series as a director for season 2 and an executive producer. He is a major go-to director for HBO as he has directed other shows like Oz, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, and The Sopranos film, The Many Saints of Newark.
Despite a sour taste in fans’ mouths after the finale of Game of Thrones, its prequel has had a strong start. Between critics praising its first episodes, it has had over 10 million viewers between its first two episodes. Through this early success, HBO took a bet that it could maintain this by renewing it for a second season.
The previous House of the Dragon showrunner has had quite the career before and after Game of Thrones. Starting as a story board artist for 1996’s Trainspotting, he went onto directing with Repo Man, Fringe, House, and most recently Finch with Tom Hanks. Besides Battle of the Bastards, he also directed fan-favorite episodes Hardhome and The Winds of Winter.
