Season 2

Season 2 of Game of Thrones consists of 10 episodes and began filming on 25 July 2011 and wrapped on 12 December 2011. Season 2 has a budget 15% higher than Season 1, putting it in the region of $69 million. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss returned as executive producers and show runners.

The season premiered on 1 April 2012.

Season 2 is mostly based on A Clash of Kings, the second book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin.

Plot
Season 2 spans several months on a world where the seasons last for years at a time. The Seven Kingdoms are at war, with the King in the North, Robb Stark, fighting to win independence for his people and those of the Riverlands. Robb decides that he must win the allegiance of the fiercely independent ironborn to his cause, and sends his best friend Theon Greyjoy to treat with his father, who is hatching plans of his own. Meanwhile, Joffrey Baratheon holds the Iron Throne with the backing of the powerful House Lannister, but his uncle Renly has also claimed the throne with the support of House Tyrell, whose armies are much larger. As they struggle for the throne, Tyrion Lannister arrives in King's Landing to take matters in hand, only to face opposition from his scheming sister, Cersei, now the Queen Regent.

However, there is another faction entering the picture. Stannis Baratheon, Robert's younger brother and Renly's older brother, has also claimed the Iron Throne. A proven battle commander and veteran of several wars, Stannis is known to be utterly without mercy to his enemies and will do what is right even if it destroys him. Advising him is Melisandre, an enigmatic priestess from the east, who believes Stannis is meant for a greater destiny, and Ser Davos Seaworth, an honest and honorable man uneasy with the shifts in power at Stannis' court.

Far to the east, Daenerys Targaryen has hatched the only three dragons in the world. Eventually they will grow into terrifying monsters capable of destroying cities at her command, but for now they are still hatchlings and vulnerable. With her khalasar gone, Daenerys and her small band of followers must find a way across a forbidding wasteland and find new allies to support her claim to the Iron Throne.

In the distant north, the Night's Watch has mounted an expedition beyond the Wall, searching for missing rangers and investigating rumors of wildlings gathering in the mountains. For Jon Snow this will be a rite of passage as he is asked to make difficult choices, for the realm and for himself.

Video recap
Season 1 - 2 

Production
Filming of Season 2 again took place in Northern Ireland, on location and at the Paint Hall studio facility in Belfast. Additional filming, for the Night's Watch storyline, took place in Iceland. Malta was not used for filming in Season 2, with the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia standing in for King's Landing instead and used for the new location of Qarth. The production considered filming in Spain but ultimately preferred Croatia for budgetary reasons.

Cast

 * Main article: Season 2 cast

Starring cast

 * Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister (10 episodes)
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister (9 episodes)
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister (4 episodes)
 * Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark (8 episodes)
 * Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen (8 episodes)
 * Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish (7 episodes)
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont (7 episodes)
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow (8 episodes)
 * Charles Dance as Lord Tywin Lannister (7 episodes)
 * Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth (6 episodes)
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Prince Bran Stark (7 episodes)
 * Richard Madden as King Robb Stark (6 episodes)
 * Sophie Turner as Princess Sansa Stark (7 episodes)
 * Maisie Williams as Princess Arya Stark (9 episodes)
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy (8 episodes)
 * John Bradley as Samwell Tarly (6 episodes)
 * Jack Gleeson as King Joffrey Baratheon (6 episodes)
 * Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane (5 episodes)
 * Stephen Dillane as King Stannis Baratheon (7 episodes)
 * Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre (4 episodes)
 * Natalie Dormer as Queen Margaery Tyrell (4 episodes)
 * James Cosmo as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (3 episodes)
 * Jerome Flynn as Bronn (7 episodes)
 * Conleth Hill as Lord Varys (6 episodes)
 * Sibel Kekilli as Shae (8 episodes)

Also starring

 * Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo ("Valar Morghulis")

Selected guest starring cast

 * Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin (7 episodes)
 * Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth (7 episodes)
 * Steven Cole as Kovarro (7 episodes)
 * Joe Dempsie as Gendry (7 episodes)
 * Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie (7 episodes)
 * Kristian Nairn as Hodor (7 episodes)
 * Natalia Tena as Osha (6 episodes)
 * Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar (6 episodes)
 * Amrita Acharia as Irri (5 episodes)
 * Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos (5 episodes)
 * Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle (5 episodes)
 * Esmé Bianco as Ros (5 episodes)
 * Oona Chaplin as Lady Talisa Maegyr (5 episodes)
 * Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett (5 episodes)
 * Ralph Ineson as Dagmer Cleftjaw (5 episodes)
 * Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell (5 episodes)
 * Mark Stanley as Grenn (5 episodes)
 * Roxanne McKee as Doreah (5 episodes)
 * Art Parkinson as Prince Rickon Stark (5 episodes)
 * Simon Armstrong as Qhorin (4 episodes)
 * Ian Hanmore as Pyat Pree (4 episodes)
 * Forbes KB as Lorren (4 episodes)
 * Rose Leslie as Ygritte (4 episodes)
 * Kerr Logan as Matthos Seaworth (4 episodes)
 * Michael McElhatton as Lord Roose Bolton (4 episodes)
 * Fintan McKeown as Ser Amory Lorch (4 episodes)
 * Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne (4 episodes)
 * Aimee Richardson as Princess Myrcella Baratheon (4 episodes)
 * Callum Wharry as Prince Tommen Baratheon (4 episodes)
 * Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy (4 episodes)
 * Ian Whyte as Ser Gregor Clegane / White Walker (4 episodes)
 * Andy Beckwith as Rorge (3 episodes)
 * Nicholas Blane as the Spice King (3 episodes)
 * Karl Davies as Ser Alton Lannister (3 episodes)
 * Maisie Dee as Daisy (3 episodes)
 * Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel (3 episodes)
 * Gerard Jordan as Biter (3 episodes)
 * Slavko Juraga as the Silk King (3 episodes)
 * Sahara Knite as Armeca (3 episodes)
 * Hannah Murray as Gilly (3 episodes)
 * Robert Pugh as Craster (3 episodes)
 * Eros Vlahos as Lommy (3 episodes)
 * Gethin Anthony as King Renly Baratheon (3 episodes)
 * Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant (3 episodes)
 * Eugene Simon as Ser Lancel Lannister (3 episodes)
 * Tony Way as Ser Dontos Hollard (3 episodes)
 * Dominic Carter as Lord Janos Slynt (2 episodes)
 * Edward Dogliani as the Lord of Bones (2 episodes)
 * Roy Dotrice as Hallyne (2 episodes)
 * Francis Magee as Yoren (2 episodes)
 * John Stahl as Lord Rickard Karstark (2 episodes)
 * Elyes Gabel as Rakharo ("The North Remembers")
 * Lucian Msamati as Salladhor Saan ("Night Lands")
 * Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister ("The Prince of Winterfell")
 * Wilko Johnson as Ser Ilyn Payne ("Blackwater")

Producers

 * David Benioff: executive producer & showrunner
 * D.B. Weiss: executive producer & showrunner
 * Carolyn Strauss: executive producer
 * Frank Doelger: executive producer
 * George R.R. Martin: co-executive producer
 * Vanessa Taylor: co-executive producer
 * Alan Taylor: co-executive producer
 * Guymon Casady: co-executive producer
 * Vince Gerardis: co-executive producer
 * Bernadette Caulfield: producer

Writers

 * David Benioff & D.B. Weiss: episodes 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, and 10
 * Bryan Cogman: episode 3
 * Vanessa Taylor: episodes 4 and 6
 * George R.R. Martin: episode 9

Directors

 * Alan Taylor: episodes 1, 2, 8, and 10
 * Alik Sakharov: episode 3
 * David Petrarca: episodes 4 and 5
 * David Nutter: episodes 6 and 7
 * Neil Marshall: episode 9

Deleted scenes
A scene was cut from "The Old Gods and the New" which would have depicted the theft of the dragons from Xaro's palace, and would have shown the death of Irri.

Marketing
HBO has released production featurettes through the Making Game of Thrones website. Cat Taylor took over writing responsibilities for the site from Bryan Cogman for the second season.

Media release
Season 2 of Game of Thrones was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on 19 February 2013, and in the UK on 4 March 2013. The set includes all 10 episodes of the second season and a large number of extras.

Blu-Ray only

 * The War of Five Kings: an interactive featurette which tracks the movements of the armies and the key characters involved in the conflict, listing the battles and their outcomes.
 * Histories and Lore: 19 animated featurettes expanding on the history of Westeros and Essos, narrated by key characters and featuring artwork by storyboard artist Will Simpson.
 * In-Episode Guide: in-episode resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations, and relevant histories while each episode plays.
 * Hidden Dragon Eggs: Find the hidden dragon eggs to uncover even more never-before-seen content.
 * DVD and Digital Copies: As well as all of the episodes on Blu-ray, there are additional copies of all the episodes on DVD, with them also available via digital download.

Blu-Ray and DVD

 * Creating the Battle of Blackwater Bay: 30-minute documentary focusing on the Battle of the Blackwater and how it was created, including interviews with producers, special effects personnel and actors.
 * Game of Thrones Inner Circle: a roundtable discussion about the shooting of Season 2. Moderated by producer-showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff and featuring actors Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Michelle Fairley and Liam Cunningham.
 * The Religions of Westeros: George R.R. Martin, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss the religions of Westeros and Essos and the impact they have on the characters.
 * Character Profiles: Profiles of seven characters as described by the actors playing them, including Renly and Stannis Baratheon, Robb Stark and Theon Greyjoy.
 * Audio commentaries: Twelve audio commentaries with cast and crew.
 * "The North Remembers": Commentary by producers/writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
 * "The Night Lands": Commentary by actors Alfie Allen and Gemma Whelan.
 * "What is Dead May Never Die": Commentary by writer Bryan Cogman and director Alik Sakharov.
 * "What is Dead May Never Die": Second commentary track by Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and Isaac Hempstead-Wright.
 * "Garden of Bones": Commentary by actors Carice Van Houten and Liam Cunningham.
 * "The Old Gods and the New": Commentary by actors Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, and writer Vanessa Taylor.
 * "A Man Without Honor": Commentary by producers/writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
 * "The Prince of Winterfell": Commentary by actors Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Michelle Fairley.
 * "Blackwater": Commentary by writer/producer George R.R. Martin.
 * "Blackwater": Commentary by actors Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey and director Neil Marshall.
 * "Valar Morghulis": Commentary by Rainer Gombos and Steve Kullback of the visual effects team.
 * "Valar Morghulis": Commentary by actor Emilia Clarke and director Alan Taylor.

Sales
The Game of Thrones second season box set set a new record for HBO first-day DVD and Blu-ray sales, breaking the record previously set by Season 1's release a year earlier. On its first day of release the box set sold 241,000 units, which is 44% higher than the first-day sales of Season 1. There were also 355,000 sales of episodes via digital download services, more than twice that for the first season.

Promotional video

 * Main: Season 2 Promotional video

Season 2 has been advertised through the release of numerous trailers and featurettes.

Image gallery

 * Main - Gallery: Season 2

HBO have released a range of promotional images and posters to market the second season.