The SAG-AFTRA strike has officially started, throwing Hollywood into even greater turmoil amid the ongoing Writer Guild of America work stoppage. But for House of the Dragon, which is currently filming its second season, it's business as usual.
Variety reports that House of the Dragon will continue filming in the U.K. despite the recently-announced strike. That's because the cast is mainly composed of British actors, meaning they aren't part of SAG-AFTRA, which is an American actor's guild.
Instead, they are part of Equity, which is legally unable to strike in solidarity. Equity promises to support SAG-AFTRA and its members "by all lawful means," but also warns that its members have no legal protection from being fired for refusing to cross a picket line.
This loophole will potentially result in more American studios basing their productions out of the U.K., especially as existing content begins to dry up.
House of the Dragon Season 2 has been filming in Spain and England since Aprill, with principal photography expected to wrap in December 2023. It will try and replicate the success of Season 1, which was one of the biggest shows of 2022. The first season received eight Emmy nominations, though it was surprisingly shut out of all the major drama categories save for Outstanding Drama Series.
The SAG-AFTRA strike as announced July 13 after the Hollywood actor's guild walked away from the negotiating table as its contract expired. The strike means that members cannot attend premieres, do interviews, go to awards shows, or work on any projects.
"We are being victimized by a very greedy enterprise," SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said. “At some point you have to say, 'No, we’re not going to take this anymore.'"
Similar to the writer's guild, the union is seeking higher wages, improved residual payments, and protections against artificial intelligence.
But while the strike figures to heavily disrupt Hollywood, plenty of productions will continue, including House of the Dragon. Its second season is slated to release in 2024.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
