As House of the Dragon continues to make waves, a shake-up in the production of the series has been announced. According to The Hollywood Reporter, co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik has elected to step down from his role.
Sapochnik has served as showrunner alongside Ryan Condal for season one of House of the Dragon; the duo also worked together in order to develop the spin-off from the get-go. The series was recently renewed for a second season, and as of the end of season one, Sapochnik will no longer be a showrunner alongside Condal.
Sapochnik will, however, stay on as an executive producer on the show. It had previously been reported that Sapochnik was reluctant to sign on to House of the Dragon, but was convinced by George RR Martin to join the production. Sapochnik, however, is not parting on bad terms with the show, saying in a statement that the decision was "incredibly tough" to make. He further stated that he was "deeply comforted" to know that he was leaving the series in highly capable hands - such as Alan Taylor's, who will be replacing Sapochnik as co-showrunner.
Taylor previously worked on Game of Thrones and seemed enthusiastic to be a part of the franchise once again. Taylor praised the world constructed by Condal, Sapochnik, and Martin in House of the Dragon, saying, "It’s a pleasure and an honor to be back at HBO, immersing myself in the world of the Targaryens." In addition to working on shows such as The Sopranos and Mad Men, Taylor directed seven episodes of Game of Thrones throughout its run - the latest of which was season 7's "Beyond the Wall", the episode in which Jon Snow leads an expedition beyond the wall to capture a wight.
While the move to replace Sapochnik could be seen as potentially worrying for the future of the show, it appears that Sapochnik stepped down of his own accord. It's understandable that Sapochnik would step down when he was hesitant to return to the franchise in the first place - some of the episodes he directed for Game of Thrones were known to have had the particularly grueling production cycles. Among these episodes is "The Long Night", which filmed over 55 night shoots in 11 weeks. Running a show as monumental as House of the Dragon is likely very time-consuming, and as he's stepped down as co-showrunner, HBO has offered him a first-look deal to develop new projects for the network and allowed him to stay on as an executive producer on the show. It's an attractive deal, and one Sapochnik seemed keen to take.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter