“I’m never doing Thrones again”: Miguel Sapochnik Steps Down From House of the Dragon Citing Exhaustion, Alan Taylor to Replace Him in Second Season

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Gaining more than 25 million views and an IMDB rating of 8.9/10, with the release of just two episodes, House of the Dragon has been on top with all these achievements. The prequel to the popular show, Game of Thrones, has broken multiple records in the previous series. Not just having a high ranking itself, House of the Dragon has even managed to cause a rise of 30% in Game of Thrones rankings. 

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House of the Dragon, HBO Max
House of the Dragon

Amid all this, the creator of the show, Miguel Sapochnik, has decided to leave the show and hand it to the co-creator Ryan Condal. Alan Taylor will also join the team and has said that he is looking forward to working with Ryan Condal as House of the Dragon grows into its second season.

Read More: House of the Dragon Theory: Otto Hightower is Working With the Maesters To Kill King Viserys

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Miguel Sapochnik Steps Down From House of the Dragon 

Ryan Condal will be the director of the series from now on and will work along with co-creator, George RR Martini. The production has also hired a veteran Games of Thrones producer, Alan Taylor, to direct multiple episodes in the Season 2 of House of the Dragon. HBO has already announced a second season for House of the Dragon.

Game of Thrones FandomWire
Miguel Sapochnik

About leaving the show, Sapochnik has said that it has been an honor and privilege working on the Game of Thrones universe for five years. He also said that he was honored for working with the amazing cast and crew of House of the Dragon for the last two years.

Miguel Sapochnik said, “I am so proud of what we accomplished with season one 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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Read More: ‘He’s really angry…super ambitious’: House of the Dragon Star Steve Toussaint Hints Corlys Velaryon Could Be the First Black Man To Sit on the Iron Throne

Miguel Sapochnik is comforted with Alan Taylor Joining the Show

The director of the series also said that he is deeply comforted knowing that Alan Taylor will be joining the show, as he knows and respects him for a long time, and believes that the series could not be in safer hands. 

Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor

He also said that he is glad to remain a part of the HBO and House of the Dragon family. Miguel Sapochnik also wished the best to Ryan Condal and his team for the ongoing season one and season 2 and further seasons as well.

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Alan Taylor, who will direct multiple episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2, has also said that he is honored to be back at HBO and get immersed into Targaryens’ world once again. 

Alan Taylor Praises Creators of House of the Dragon

Alan Taylor also praised Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, and George RR Martin for launching the extraordinary story in a fascinating world.

About joining the Thrones universe once again Taylor said, “Returning to Westeros will be a huge undertaking and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

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The series has already marked its place and is planning to keep it that way. Alan Taylor directed a total of seven Game of Thrones episodes and seems like he is excited to make an impact on House of Dragon season 2 as well. He is currently working on the prequel of SopranosThe Many Saints of Newark.

Daemon Targaryen House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon

HBO also released a statement saying, “While we would have loved to have Miguel continue in the same role, we are thrilled to have his ongoing collaboration in this new creative capacity.”

The series still has two more episodes, that are directed by Sapochnik, which are episode 6 and episode 7. 

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Miguel Sapochnik will Continue as an Executive Producer 

Before working with Games of Thrones, Sapochnik directed the 2010 film Repo Men and episodes of Fox’s Fringe and House. He started his career as a storyboard artist in the 1996 Trainspotting

Sapochnik Condal 2 House of the Dragon
Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal

Sapochnik, who has worked on the show for the past three years, has entered a first-look deal with HBO. He will be working on developing new projects with HBO and will continue as an executive producer for House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon premiers one episode a week on Sunday. House of the Dragon Episode 3 will be available on September 4 on HBO and HBO Max.

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Source: Twitter

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Written by Laxmi Rajput

Articles Published: 2094

Laxmi Rajput is a writer at Fandomwire. She finished her Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism and worked as a Business News writer for a year. But her interest in entertainment and pop culture compelled her to find a way towards Entertainment Journalism. She has worked across various fields and has 2 years of experience in content writing. She likes reading, music, movies, and traveling. She aspires to become a fiction writer in the future.