HBO expands GOT with Dragon S3 and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

HBO is expanding its Game of Thrones franchise on two fronts: House of the Dragon has begun production on its third season, and a new spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is due to premiere early next year with a markedly different creative approach. Production updates for House of the Dragon include the confirmed exit of the character Ser Criston Cole, while showrunners on the new series say it will shift the franchise’s focus away from dragons and palace intrigue to a grittier, ground-level view of Westeros.

House of the Dragon Season 3 will move the story deeper into the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. George R. R. Martin’s history of the Targaryen civil wars, Fire and Blood, describes a pivotal engagement called the Butcher’s Ball, in which the Greens suffer a crushing defeat after their commanders are ambushed. That battle culminates in the death of Ser Criston Cole, a turning point that the television adaptation appears set to dramatize. Reports indicate actor Fabien Frankel has completed filming his final scenes for the role and was given props associated with Cole as parting gifts from the production.

Cole has been a polarizing figure since his...