With the Blacks and Greens now locked in a brutal struggle for power, the battle for the Iron Throne is set to consume the Seven Kingdoms in a devastating conflict that promises fire, blood, and unimaginable consequences. Season Three is shaping up to be the most ambitious chapter yet, plunging audiences deeper into the political intrigue, shifting alliances, and all-out warfare that define George R.R. Martin’s richly imagined world.

The arrival of the new season also coincides with the launch of HBO Max in New Zealand, a milestone made even more exciting by the arrival of House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint. Best known for his commanding performance as Lord Corlys Velaryon, the legendary Sea Snake and Lord of the Tides, Toussaint journeyed to Auckland to help celebrate the launch, bringing a touch of Westeros to Kiwi shores.

We were fortunate enough to sit down with Steve to discuss everything that awaits fans in Season Three, and the result was a fascinating conversation packed with insight, enthusiasm, and a genuine love for the craft of storytelling.

Check out our full interview below:

During our discussion, Steve reflected on the immense scale of the upcoming season, including the much-anticipated Battle of the Gullet, one of the most significant events in the lore of Westeros. From the physical preparation required to bring such a monumental conflict to life, to the extraordinary level of detail that goes into the series’ world-building, Steve offered a compelling look behind the curtain of one of television’s most ambitious productions.
The conversation also explored the enduring appeal of fantasy storytelling, the responsibility of portraying a character as beloved and formidable as Corlys Velaryon, and the values embodied by House Velaryon and its proud words: “The Old, the True, the Brave.”

Throughout it all, Steve proved himself every bit as engaging off-screen as he is on it, offering thoughtful reflections on the series, the character, and the creative process that has helped make House of the Dragon a global phenomenon.

The launch of HBO Max in New Zealand marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for local audiences, bringing with it an extraordinary catalogue of premium entertainment led by the return of one of television’s most talked-about series.

House of the Dragon Season Three premieres on HBO Max on Monday, 22 June, promising breathtaking spectacle, ruthless political manoeuvring, devastating conflict, and enough fire and blood to satisfy even the most devoted fans of Westeros.

Winter has already come to Aotearoa New Zealand, but the Dance of the Dragons is about to ignite in spectacular fashion.

Learn more about HBO MAX here.

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HBO Max has officially launched in New Zealand, opening the doors to one of the most celebrated libraries of film and television ever assembled. From the blood-soaked battlefields of Westeros to the halls of Hogwarts, and from award-winning prestige dramas to blockbuster cinematic spectacles, Kiwi audiences now have a new streaming destination to call home.

The launch comes at a particularly exciting time for fans, with HBO Max becoming the exclusive New Zealand home of some of the world’s most talked-about entertainment. Leading the charge is the highly anticipated third season of House of the Dragon, which premieres on Monday, June 22, day-and-date with its United States debut.

To mark the occasion, Steve Toussaint, the actor behind the legendary Lord Corlys Velaryon, arrived in Auckland to help celebrate the launch, bringing a touch of Westeros to New Zealand ahead of the series’ return.

A Library Built on Prestige

For years, HBO has been synonymous with groundbreaking television, and HBO Max brings together decades of acclaimed storytelling under one roof.

Subscribers can dive into iconic HBO Originals including The Last of Us, Succession, The White Lotus, Euphoria, The Sopranos, The Wire, and True Detective, alongside acclaimed Max Originals such as The Pitt and And Just Like That….

Fantasy fans are particularly well served, with Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms all available within the expanding HBO universe.

Blockbuster Entertainment at Scale

Beyond television, HBO Max arrives with an impressive catalogue of Warner Bros. films and beloved franchises.
Subscribers can explore everything from Oscar-winning cinema to major blockbuster releases, while fan-favourite franchises including Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and DC’s expanding universe of heroes and villains provide countless hours of entertainment.

Classic comfort viewing is also firmly on the menu, with favourites such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and Rick and Morty joining the service from day one.

A Massive 2026 Ahead

If the launch library wasn’t enough, HBO Max has already unveiled an ambitious slate for the remainder of 2026.

Upcoming releases include the DC Studios series Lanterns, the comedy spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Sharon Horgan’s Youth, and the fourth season of The Gilded Age.

But perhaps the most anticipated project of all is HBO’s new television adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which is set to debut this Christmas and promises to usher in a bold new chapter for the Wizarding World.

Streaming for Kiwi Audiences

Warner Bros. Discovery says New Zealand audiences have long embraced HBO and Warner Bros. content, making the launch a natural next step for the company.

Available across smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices, HBO Max launches with both Standard and Premium subscription tiers, giving viewers access to ad-free entertainment, offline downloads, and high-quality streaming options.

• Standard Plan:  Launch price offer of $10.99 per month for the first six months, or $109.99 for the first year.
• Premium Plan: Launch price offer of $15.99 per month for the first six months, or $159.99 for the first year.

With dragons taking flight once again, Hogwarts preparing to reopen its gates, and a deep catalogue of acclaimed entertainment ready to explore, HBO Max has arrived in New Zealand with a clear message: the next great binge-watch starts now.

Image: HBO MAX

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The Green Lantern Oath conjures images of the Universe’s most powerful warrior corps, a group of interplanetary peace keepers made up of species from across the entire spectrum of the universe ready to face down evil, and now HBO Max’s Lanterns is tready to shake things up in an intense tale of psychological complexity as two heroes must conqueror their greatest fears.

Check out the all-new teaser trailer for Lanterns below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

Stepping into the fight against evil are Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Hal Jordan, a legendary Green Lantern, and fresh faced recruit John Stewart who are thrust into a brooding psychological mystery thriller that finds a sinister extraterrestrial presence on Earth, and this is definitely not the series fans had anticipated when they saw that Lanterns was arriving on HBO Max.

With it’s boots on the ground rawness, Lanterns smashes together superhero intensity, with a brooding psychological character study, and right from the heart both Jordan and Stewart make for a volatile presence, but they’ll need each others’ support if there to stop whats coming.

Joining Chandler and Pierre in the series are Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones, while the first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct.

Both Chandler and Pierre look great together on-screen and there’s an almost Butch and Sundance swagger that the pair deliver to the screen. Mixed in further is this exploration of both of their character’s’ military backgrounds, Jordan, a former Air Force test pilot, and Stewart, a former Force Recon Marine, and you can sense that this series will look to explore the presence and plight of veterans in today’s America.

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With its gripping character driven narrative story, Lanterns is set to be an intriguing watch when it arrives on HBO Max on August 17.

Image: HBO Max

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So marks the dawn of a brand new chapter of the Dance of Dragons in Season Three of House of the Dragon, and an all-new fiery trailer has arrived in anticipation of this next chapter of the narrative debuting on June 22, and all Westeros is about to burn.

Watch the brand new trailer for Season Three of House of the Dragon below:

Set to arrive on the newly launched HBO MAX, which hits screens on Monday 16 June, Season Three of House of the Dragon will follow in quick succession with it’s premiere Episode debuting on Monday 22 June, and will deliver an eight episode third season, with new episodes airing weekly, before Season Three is tapped off by a tumultuous and explosive season finale on August 10.

Following the massive cliffhanger of ‘The Queen Who Ever Was’, where the armies of the both the Greens and the Blacks were amassing for a devastating fight, Season Three of House of the Dragon takes us into the calamitous fight between these two great hosts, as both Westeros burns, and the ambitions, egos, deceptions and destinies of these characters clash with one another as each vies for power in the Game of Thrones.

This new trailer offers up an intriguing new taste of what is to come, showcasing both dramatic scheming and brutal combat and offering us a look at characters such as the ‘Rogue Prince’ Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), alongside new character including the authoritative and commanding Lord Ormund Hightower (James Norton).

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Impressive in both scope, scale and sheer intensity, Season Three of House of The Dragon is shaping up to be an utterly impressive watch that will take audiences by storm when it arrives on the newly launched HBO Max on June 22, and this season, the fires will rage!

Image: HBO MAX

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