AceShowbiz - The dragons are back in action. HBO has announced that production of "House of the Dragon" season 2 has officially begun. Making use of social media, the "Game of Thrones" spin-off shares the exciting news with fans.

"It's time to return to King's Landing. Season 2 of #HouseoftheDragon is now in production," the official Twitter and Instagram account for the hit series confirmed on Tuesday, April 11 in a post. The post featured a picture of the coveted Iron Throne.

Ryan Condal, co-creator, showrunner and executive producer of "House of the Dragon", expressed his excitement for the medieval drama's return. "House of the Dragon has returned," he said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera. All your favorite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle. We can't wait to share what we have in store."

Returning for the sophomore season are Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney and Rhys Ifans. Season 2 will not feature Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, who portrayed the younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent respectively in the first half of the first season.

Meanwhile, one character's return to the second season may come as a big surprise for fans. The upcoming season will see Sonoya Mizuno reprising her role of mysterious Mysaria. At the end of season 1, it was suggested that Mysaria died after her house was set on fire. Now that she's returning to the new season, it's safe to say that it's not the case.

While plot details for season 2 of "House of the Dragon" are still unknown, the new season reportedly will be shorter than the first one. It was said the hit HBO series would return with eight new episodes for its sophomore season, two episodes fewer than season 1.

According to Deadline, the shorter season was a story-driven decision that would allow HBO to create a long-term plan for the series instead of working season by season. It's also said the network is planning to greenlight a season 3, with an eye already on an even further-off season 4.

Centering on House Targaryen, "House of the Dragon" is set 172 years before the events of "Game of Thrones". The first season of "House of the Dragon" ended when Princess Rhaenyra gave birth to a stillborn daughter. She was getting crowned queen when she learned that her middle son, Lucerys, had been killed by Aemond Targaryen and his dragon.