‘House of the Dragon’ Director Breaks Silence on That Major Death and the Battle That Changed Everything
The long-awaited Battle of the Gullet finally arrived in the Season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon, bringing one of the biggest and most expensive action sequences ever seen in the series. According to director Loni Peristere, the goal from the very beginning was to make the sea battle feel real and truly epic.
Speaking to Variety, Peristere explained that he wanted the battle to capture the scale and danger of historic naval warfare. He and cinematographer P.J. Dillon looked at famous references, including paintings of the Battle of Trafalgar and the 2003 film Master and Commander, to help shape their vision.
“We need to go back to what epic means for battles at sea,” Peristere said.
The Battle of the Gullet was originally planned for Season 2 but was delayed because of budget limitations. For Season 3, the production team finally had the chance to bring it to life. The battle features a major clash between Rhaenyra Targaryen’s forces and the Greens loyal to King Aegon II.
To make the battle feel authentic, the crew built full-scale versions of two ships, the Queen Who Never Was and Bitchfist. The ships were designed to work in both dry and wet filming environments. The production also used huge amounts of water, hundreds of extras, practical effects, and visual effects for the dragon battles.
Peristere told Variety that realism was a major priority, even with blue screens and CGI surrounding much of the set.
“There was a really big desire from all of us, despite being surrounded by blue screens, to put it all on the deck. Even though we’ve got land, sea and air, we wanted everything that was on the deck to be legitimate and real and present,” he said.
The actors also went through extensive preparation. The cast rehearsed with real naval experts to learn how sailors would move and work during a battle. According to Peristere, everyone on set needed to understand their role to make the scenes believable.
The production required detailed planning. Peristere even created a 186-page guide for department heads that covered everything from weather conditions to blood effects.
“Even though we have a decent budget, we’re not a $300 million motion picture. So everything we had to do had to happen on the day. We’re not Marvel,” he said.
While the action is the main attraction, the episode also delivers one of the season’s most emotional moments with the death of Jace Velaryon. The character is killed during the battle after being hit by arrows and falling into the water alongside his dragon, Vermax.
Peristere praised actor Harry Collett for his performance in the difficult scene.
“Even when the arrow comes, Jace is like, ‘I’m a god, I’m a dragon rider.’ And when I pop up and I take that gasp of breath, even though I’ve lost my dragon and I’m heartbroken, I never once think I’m going to die. Baela is going to pick me up,” Peristere explained.
The director said the battle was designed to leave viewers with a sense of loss rather than victory. By the end, ships are destroyed, lives are lost, and the cost of war becomes clear.
The fallout from Jace’s death will have major consequences for Rhaenyra. Peristere hinted that the tragedy pushes her toward a darker path as the season continues.
“We literally watch Emma D’Arcy become queen, king in that moment,” he said. “It leads us right into Episode 2, which Claire brilliantly directed, and honestly, the start of what canonically is going to become a bit of madness.”
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
