House of Dragon Season 2 production unaffected by SAG-AFTRA strike. Here's why

It appears there is one big upcoming production that will not be affected by the strike announced by Hollywood actors' trade union, SAG-AFTRA. The production in question is HBO's House of Dragon Season 2. The reason? The actors in the show are British and are working under contracts governed by UK's Equity, the performing arts and entertainment industries in the region. Equity members are not being legally allowed to strike in solidarity with their American counterparts. Equity shared its recommended guidance for the strike with its 47,000 members on Thursday, just before the strike was officially declared by SAG-AFTRA, adding: “Equity U.K. will support SAG-AFTRA and its members by all lawful means."

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But then added, "A performer joining the strike (or refusing to cross a picket line) in the UKwill have no protection against being dismissed or sued for breach of contract by the producer or the engager. Likewise, if Equity encourages anyone to join the strike or not cross a picket line, Equity itself will be acting unlawfully and hence liable for damages or an injunction."

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What is House of the Dragon all about?

The show is a prequel to the epic fantasy TV series Game of Thrones which ended in 2019. The series is set about 200 years before the events of the original show. Like the story of Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, and others, 'HotD' also centres around a struggle for the Iron Throne, the seat of the monarch in the fictional continent of Westeros. But while the tussle for power in 'GoT' was between houses, in the new series it is among the Targaryens themselves. The ensuing conflict is called Dance of the Dragons, and was a civil war between different factions among the Targaryens that saw much of the realm reduced to ruin.

House of the Dragon cast

Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Milly Alcock, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, Olivia Cooke, Emily Carey, Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Jefferson Hall, Harry Collett, Leo Hart, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ty Tennant, Ewan Mitchell, Leo Ashton, Phia Saban, Evie Allen, Bethany Antonia, Shani Smethurst, Phoebe Campbell, Eva Ossei-Gerning star in the show's first season.

SAG-AFTRA strike is the second trade union strike in Hollywood this year

The Hollywood actors' strike organised by SAG-AFTRA comes in the wake of the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that began on May 3. Notably, this actors' strike is the first time both actors and writers will perform alongside each other since 1980.

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