Sapochnik is a tenured film and TV director who was behind two of Game of Thrones’ most memorable episodes: “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Long Night”. Both racked up awards, with the former winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Drama Series. So, when HBO announced that Sapochnik had signed on as one of the showrunners for House of the Dragon, fans rejoiced. But, an HBO record, second season renewal, and two episodes later, Sapochnik is stepping down from his role. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Sapochnik is leaving House of the Dragon. But, don’t worry. It’s not due to anything negative at all. Apparently, Sapochnik had just signed a new first-look development deal with HBO. Basically, HBO is giving Sapochnik priority as well as creative freedom to develop whatever he feels like working on next. If nothing else, this is great news for those who’d like to see where Sapochnik’s talents will bring him. According to the report, Sapochnik will remain seated as an executive producer for House of the Dragon alongside Alan Taylor, who will be directing episodes in the next season of the show. HBO also confirmed that co-creator, Ryan Condal, will take over as the sole showrunner of House of the Dragon starting in Season 2. For what it’s worth, Taylor is an equally decorated filmmaker that has a fair few Game of Thrones episodes under his belt; his work on “Beyond the Wall” received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series nomination. Ultimately, fans can rest easy knowing that House of the Dragon is still in good hands. HBO is highly likely well aware of the anxiety surrounding House of the Dragon following what happened with the latter seasons of Game of Thrones. It’s worth noting that even George R.R. Martin regrets what happened and would have preferred for Game of Thrones to go on much longer. But, alas, this didn’t happen. However, so long as George R.R. Martin is in tow and has a direct say on how things go, House of the Dragon shouldn’t deviate much from the source material unless it’s otherwise greenlighted by the infamously procrastinator of an author.
