Winter is coming--ironically this summer, according to series star Matt Smith--and "The House of Dragons" is returning, but don't expect to see all the familiar Westerosi faces this time around

"House of Dragons" Season 2 will further explore the "Dance of Dragons" succession war between Aegon II Targaryen and his half-sister Lenira over the throne of his father Viserys I

The show will also feature the return of the "House of Dragons" as the "House of Westeros" returns to the city of Westeros

But who won't be reuniting with the rest of the cast of the "Game of Thrones" prequel in Season 2, with casting information for "HOTD" as follows

When production on the second season of "House of Dragons" kicked off in spring 2023, fans saw that many of the popular cast members from season one would return for the second season

As showrunner Ryan Condor announced to Entertainment Weekly in April: "We are excited to be filming again with new talent on both sides of the camera as well as members of the original family It won't be long before your favorite characters will be plotting at the council table, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle We can hardly wait"

At the time of publication of this article, the "House of Dragons" cast members confirmed to be returning for Season 2 include:

For those not returning for "House of Dragons" Season 2, we are now solely dealing with the stories of adults Alicent Hightower and Lenila Targaryen Therefore, the young actresses who played these characters in their youth will not be returning: Emily Carey and Millie Alcock, respectively

As for whether Carey and Alcock will ever return to "House of Dragons," perhaps in flashbacks as younger versions of Alicent and Rainila, Condal told Variety, "I mean, look, I don't know" He added that the young princess and her former companions "are still not part of the story we're telling That's not what we're doing right now," he added

Also missing from the season 2 cast list is Graham McTavish, who played Sir Harold Westerling in the show's first season and was last seen in the final episode of season 1 McTavish previously spoke to TVLine about his character's possible fate in Season 2, saying But at the moment, there are a number of possible scenarios"

Sir Harold Westerling's role has been greatly expanded from Page, but it remains to be seen if he will return next season Until then, Tom's Guide will keep you posted on casting news for "House of Dragons"