Announced in 2019, House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, has been a long time in the making and has kept fans eager for their journey back into the fantasy universe created by author George R. R. Martin. House of the Dragon is based on Martin’s novel Fire and Blood and takes place roughly 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones.
House of the Dragon will center on the Targaryen family and is set during the Dance of the Dragons, a Targaryen civil war that affected all of Westeros. The series has been created by author Martin and screenwriter Ryan Condal, who will also act as showrunner together with Miguel Sapochnik. Sapochnik has directed six episodes in Game of Thrones, including the Emmy-Award winning “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Long Night.”
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Official casting news for the show began arriving in October 2020, with viewers receiving constant casting news since then. The principal cast of House of the Dragon includes Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Sonoya Mizuno, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Fabien Finkel.
Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen
HBO
Actor Paddy Considine has been cast as King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon. The HBO character description for Considine’s Viserys reads:
Based on HBO’s description of the character, it is safe to assume that the reign of King Viserys is not going to be all that peaceful. Despite being a kind-hearted, decent man intending to take forward his grandfather’s legacy, the probable downfall of Viserys is foreshadowed by HBO’s ominous warning that “good men do not necessarily make for great kings.” Indeed as mentioned, Game of Thrones has made viewers well aware that warmth, kind-heartedness, and decency cannot ensure a successful reign.
Viserys was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy, but as we’ve learned from Game of Thrones, good men do not necessarily make for great kings.
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen
HBO
Matt Smith has been cast to portray Daemon Targaryen, the younger brother of King Viserys Targaryen. HBO describes Smith’s character as:
However, HBO goes a step further to create mystery and speculation by adding:
The younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon.
The foreboding manner in which HBO has chosen to describe and conclude the character of Daemon makes one assume that Smith’s character may be somewhat unpredictable. Daemon rides the dragon Caraxes and is the uncle of Rhaenyra, although he later goes on to marry her. Daemon also harbors a grudge against his brother, the King, as Viserys does not allow him to gift a dragon egg to Mysaria, his lover.
But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
Playing the lover of Daemon Targaryen is Mizuno’s character Mysaria. She is described as having no royal lineage. Her character description reads:
The character description of Mysaria, and the affinity that she is reported to have for secrets, brings to mind Varys the Spider in Game of Thrones.
She came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall, and she could have wilted… but instead she rose to become the most trusted – and most unlikely – ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.
Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
Emma D’Arcy plays the character of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the firstborn of King Viserys Targaryen. As per HBO:
A dragonrider, riding the dragon Syrax, Rhaenyra is the heir to the throne. Although supported by her uncle and later her husband, Daemon Targaryen, and mother-in-law from her first marriage, Rhaenys Velaryon, her claim to the throne is not supported by everyone. Based on HBO’s description, one can assume that this is purely due to her being a woman.
…She is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man
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Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
Cooke plays the role of Alicent Hightower. Alicent is:
Alicent goes on to become the second wife of King Viserys Targaryen and supports the claim of her son, Aegon, to the throne during the Dance of Dragons. Being described as a character with “courtly grace” and “keen political acumen,” viewers will probably be able to draw many similarities between Alicent and characters in Game of Thrones, such as that of Cersei.
…the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower
Ifans has been cast as Ser Otto Hightower, the father of Alicent Hightower. Otto’s role is that of the Hand of the King. As per HBO:
Although less power-hungry than many other characters, Otto does his part to ensure that a path to the Iron Throne is created for his daughter, Alicent, and grandson, Aegon.
…Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king’s brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
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Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon & Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon
Toussaint and Best play the characters of Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake,” and Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. As husband and wife, Toussaint’s character is described as:
Best’s character description reads:
The lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Best’s Rhaenys being passed over as heir sets the precedent of male-heir succession in Westeros.
A dragonrider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Queen Who Never Was” was passed over as heir to the throne at the Great Council because the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole
Playing the character of Ser Criston Cole, Frankel’s character is of Dornish descent and is born to the steward of the Lord of Blackhaven. Ser Criston’s description reads:
Ser Criston also forms a part of Viserys’ King’s Guard in House of the Dragon.
…He has no claim to land or titles; all he has to his name is his honor and his preternatural skill with a sword.
The long-awaited House of the Dragon is set to premiere on August 21, 2022.
