“House of the Dragon” director Loni Peristere has opened up about the making of the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet sequence, revealing how the production built two full-scale ships and what lies ahead following the death of Jace Velaryon.
The massive naval battle, which opens Season 3, pits Rhaenyra Targaryen’s forces against King Aegon II’s loyalists in one of the franchise’s most ambitious action sequences to date. To bring the conflict to life, the production constructed full-scale versions of Corlys Velaryon’s Queen Who Never Was and Lohar’s Bitchfist, using both dry and wet tanks alongside extensive visual effects.
“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,” Peristere said.
The director said the cast rehearsed with real naval personnel to ensure authenticity. “We rehearsed all of this work with real naval people who were on those decks so that everybody in the background is doing the right thing,” he said.
Peristere also discussed the emotional weight of Jace’s death. “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,” he said.
Looking ahead, Peristere hinted at darker times for Rhaenyra. “We literally watch Emma D’Arcy become queen, king in that moment,” he said, adding that the story leads into “the start of what canonically is going to become a bit of madness.”
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