Game Of Thrones Prequel Series Casts Josh Whitehouse In Lead Role

A new player has joined the game of thrones. Well, technically, the man in question is entering the world that ends up creating the game of thrones, but still — exciting casting news is here. 

Deadline has confirmed that HBO cast Josh Whitehouse on the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series written by Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service co-producer Jane Goldman and co-created by A Song of Ice and Fire series author (and Thrones mastermind) George R.R. Martin. 

Whitehouse joins the recently cast Naomi Watts for the Game of Thrones prequel, which centers around Westeros' descent from its Golden Age of Heroes into the long, dark night that shapes the land's history forever. While Watts is set to portray a "charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret," HBO didn't divulge any further details regarding Whitehouse's character, apart from the fact that the actor will take on a "lead role."

Set 8,000 years before the events of the David Benioff and D.B. Weiss-ran Game of Thrones, the prequel series is said to "feel very different" due to its setting and timeline, and won't provide closure for any loose threads Thrones might leave hanging. However, fans of the fantasy drama shouldn't write off the forthcoming show simply because it's something new in the television world they love so much. According to HBO president of programming Casey Bloys, the Thrones prequel may feel different, but it's still very much Game of Thrones. Expect twists and turns, characters with sinister motivations and tragic backstories, sword fights and backstabbings, deadly creatures and mystical men and women, and lots (and we mean lots) of bloodshed. 

"Josh Whitehouse" probably isn't a name American audiences have heard before, but the British actor has made quite the name for himself overseas, starring in the 2014 British musical drama film Northern Soul and on the BBC One historical drama series Poldark. Whitehouse also just completed filming on The Happy Worker, the Duwayne Dunham-directed feature executive produced by Twin Peaks creator David Lynch, and will next appear in Valley Girl, the upcoming musical adaptation of the 1983 coming-of-age classic. 

For Thrones, HBO cast both seasoned and up-and-coming actors from all over Britain, and then introduced them to a global audience. The network appears to be making the same moves with the prequel series, meaning that Whitehouse will likely become a household name just as his fellow Brits Richard Madden, Alfie Allen, and Kit Harington did when Game of Thrones premiered back in 2011. Get ready for the big times, Whitehouse. 

HBO hasn't set a release date for the prequel series just yet, but with the network making two big casting announcements within hours of one another, it seems likely that we'll hear more information in the very near future.