The Targaryen family tree starts to fill out in reverse, and a daughter of the Hand of the King highlight the first casting announcement for the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series. It really does feel like forever since the flagship series ended, when in reality it has barely been a year. The focus now turns to the prequel series, House of the Dragon with the casting of three significant names.
First up is Matt Smith, who is no stranger to fans of Doctor Who or The Crown. Smith will play Prince Daemon Targaryen, King Viserys’ younger brother and heir to the throne. In the report from Variety, Daemon is described as, "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…"
Another family member that we'll meet is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D'Arcy. While D'Arcy is more well known to fans of the theater, she was also recently seen in Amazon's Truth Seekers. While Rhaenyra is the king's first born, and a dragonrider herself, not being a man is her biggest issue. Call it a hunch, but I don't think that will stop any ambitions that she might have. I'm guessing that runs in the Targaryen family.
Finally we have Olivia Cooke who will play Alicent Hightower. She is the daughter of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower. She has grown up close to the King's inner circle and is described as, "the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms." She also has "keen political acumen", so she is definitely one to keep an eye on. You likely recognize Cooke from Amazon's Sounds of Metal.
It was also announced that Clare Kilner, Geeta V. Patel and Greg Yaitanes have signed on to direct episodes in this first season. House of the Dragon will span 10 episodes on HBO. To learn more about the series, check out our original story.
Photo Credit: HBO