House Of The Dragon production paused after positive Covid test

Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon is forced to pause filming after a production member tests positive for Covid

Production on House Of The Dragon has been paused after a person involved with making the Game Of Thrones prequel tested positive for Covid-19.

It is understood that the UK shoot has shut down for two days and is hoping to get back to work on Wednesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

The delay is the latest to hit the movie industry after work on Bridgerton series two also had to be stopped again on Monday amid positive coronavirus test results.

Delays: Production on House Of The Dragon has been paused after a person involved with making the Game Of Thrones prequel tested positive for Covid-19 (Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith pictured filming the series earlier this year)

A spokesperson for House Of The Dragon told the publication: ‘As part of the rigorous testing implemented for all production employees, a Zone A production member on House Of The Dragon tested positive for COVID-19. 

‘In compliance with industry guidelines, the production member is in isolation, and close contacts will be required to quarantine.’

MailOnline has contacted a WarnerMedia representative for comment. 

Although it is not known where the cast and crew are currently working, filming locations previously confirmed for the production include Leavesden Studios.

Off work: It is understood that the UK shoot has been shut down for two days and the team are hoping to resume production on Wednesday (pictured, the shoot in Cornwall in April)

The House Of The Dragon team were also seen shooting on the beach in Cornwall in April, with film crews seen on Holywell Bay beach and at St Michael’s Mount.   

House of the Dragon will take place around 300 years before the Game of Thrones series, which ended in 2019, and will feature a star-studded cast including Olivia Cooke.

Also announced as being part of the cast are Get Even star Emily Carey, 18, who will portray the younger Alicent Hightower, and Reckoning star Milly Alcock, 20, who will play younger Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Cast: The prequel boasts a star-studded cast including Olivia Cooke as Queen of Westeros Alicent Hightower with on-screen father Otto Hightower who is played by Rhys Ifans

‘The Sea Snake’: The House of Targaryen origin tale also stars Steve Toussaint (pictured), Paddy Considine, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, and Fabien Frankel

Non-binary actor Emma D’Arcy is portraying the 28-year-old version of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, whose uncle Prince Daemon Targaryen is played by Matt Smith. 

And Sound of Metal star Olivia Cooke portrays the 27-year-old version of Queen of Westeros Alicent Hightower, whose father Otto Hightower is played by Rhys Ifans. 

The show will depict the war of succession between Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestors Rhaenyra and Aegon II, two dragon-wielding heirs to the Iron Throne, in a civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

The Dance of the Dragons saw Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II fight over their father Viserys I’s throne in a war that lasted three years, and led to untold death and misfortune to the Targaryen line. 

She was declared the heir to her father Viserys I, but upon his passing Aegon II was hastily crowned and she swore revenge against him, and she was shortly crowned queen with their father’s stolen crown, thus leading to a power struggle between the two.

Rhaenyra wed her uncle Daemon following the death of her first husband Ser Laenor Velaryon, prior to the Dance of the Dragons, and he helped support her campaign against her half-brother.  

Casting began last year, and the prequel is due to be released in spring 2022. 

Fire is coming: The series will depict the war of succession between Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestors Rhaenyra and Aegon II, two dragon-wielding heirs to the Iron Throne

The news comes shortly after it was reported that Bridgerton has had to stall filming series two again, following another positive COVID-19 case on set – causing Netflix ‘an expensive headache’.

Due to a previous case, shooting had only just resumed again – but a day after cast and crew returned to the period drama things are once again on ice.

The likes of Phoebe Dynevor and Jonathan Bailey have had to cease work while various members of the production isolate. 

‘The demand for the second series is huge, so to stop filming again is a real headache,’ a source told The Sun. ‘This could lead to proper delays and it will be extremely costly for them.’

That’s a cut: It comes after it was reported Netflix are having ‘an expensive headache’ over delays on Bridgerton series 2… after another covid case was detected and filming was delayed

They added: ‘Filming will start again once it is deemed safe but for now it has been paused indefinitely.’ 

The series had been shooting at Wrotham Hall in ­Hertfordshire when the news was delivered concerning the new covid case.

The show is known for its glamourous ballroom and crowd scenes, as well as very intimate moments between the amorous characters.

With social distancing in place until so-called Freedom Day this week, testing among the cast and crew has been necessary for close-contact sequences. 

Backstage drama: Due to a previous case, shooting had only just resumed again – but a day after cast and crew returned to the period drama things are once again on ice

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