Some Fan Favorite Actors Just Joined The Game Of Thrones Prequel

Get ready to journey back to Westeros. The final season of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones wrapped up back in 2019, and given how the show became a cultural juggernaut, it only made sense that we'd soon see more adventures take place in this bloody, fantastical world. While numerous spin-off series have tried to get off the ground, we finally have some more momentum on one that looks like it's prime to come out in the near future. The project is a prequel series set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones centered around the Targaryen lineage, tentatively titled House of the Dragon. 

Fans are already well-acquainted with two members of the House of Targaryen: Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Viserys (Harry Lloyd). Daenerys came awfully close to ascending to the throne before being taken out by Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who turned out to be a Targaryen prince all along. There's much about this family fans would no doubt love to learn, and things finally seem to be picking up steam. Several high-profile actors have come on board, and if these announcements are anything to go by, House of the Dragon is set to have an absolutely stacked cast. 

News dropped back in October that Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, The Girl With All the Gifts) had joined the cast of House of the Dragon as King Viserys Targaryen, who's described as a good man trying to do the right thing with all the power bestowed upon him. Thanks to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, we now have a better idea of which other actors will join him.

Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown) will join the cast as Prince Daemon Targaryen, whom The Hollywood Reporter describes as 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. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air."

Smith will be joined by Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One, Sound of Metal) as Alicent Hightower, whom HBO describes as "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."

The report also says Emma D'Arcy (Wanderlust, Truth Seekers) will play the king's first-born child, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is "of pure Valyrian blood" and "a dragonrider," with the description adding, "Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything ... but she was not born a man."

Things should begin moving forward on the production front soon, with the Game of Thrones Twitter account recently announcing that production for House of the Dragon is set to begin in 2021. Once filming can commence, it's likely the 10-episode season will debut a year later in 2022. With this cast at its disposal, things are certainly heating up with House of the Dragon.