Miguel Sapochnik quits as 'House of the Dragon' co-showrunner ahead of S2

Los Angeles: Miguel Sapochnik is leaving "House of the Dragon" ahead of the second season of HBO's "Game of Thrones" spin-off series.

Sapochnik served as the showrunner on the season one, which premiered last month on Disney + Hotstar, along with co-creator Ryan Condal.

According to entertainment website Deadline, Condal will now serve as solo showrunner on the next installment.

Sapochnik, who helmed “Game of Thrones” episodes such as ‘The Battle of Bastards’ and ‘The Winds of Winter', will continue to serve as the executive producer on "House of the Dragons".

"Working within the GoT universe for the past few years has been an honour and a privilege, especially spending the last two with the amazing cast and crew of 'House of the Dragon'. I am so proud of what we accomplished with Season 1 and overjoyed by the enthusiastic reaction of our viewers,” Sapochnik said.

“It was incredibly tough to decide to move on, but I know that it is the right choice for me, personally and professionally. As I do so, though, I am deeply comforted to know that Alan will be joining the series. He’s someone I’ve known and respected for a long time, and I believe this precious series could not be in safer hands,” he added.

Condal will work closely with series co-creator George RR Martin and the rest of the producing team for the second season, which was announced days after the premiere of the first installment.

The show is based on Martin's book "Fire & Blood", a history of House Targaryen set 300 years before the events described in “Game of Thrones”, which ended its eight-season run in 2019.

Alan Taylor, a "Game of Thrones" veteran, will also join as a director and executive producer on the second season of the show.