‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ Begins Production in the UK

HBO series focuses on House Targaryen, the family that Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys belonged to

“Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon” has officially begun production in the U.K.

On Monday, HBO released a photo of the cast at the show’s first table read, which you can see below:



Fire will reign #HouseoftheDragon is officially in production. Follow @HouseofDragon for all updates. pic.twitter.com/lc3dhIcm5u

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) April 26, 2021

Expected to premiere in 2022, “House of the Dragon” takes place 300 years before the events of HBO’s fantasy epic based on George R.R. Martin’s books. The 10-episode show is set in the early days of Westeros and focuses on House Targaryen, the family that Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys belonged to, along with her brother Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and nephew Aegon Targaryen, aka Jon Snow (Kit Harington). The series is based on Martin’s “Fire & Blood” book, which details the lineage of the Targaryens.

See below for the full cast and character descriptions for “House of the Dragon” below, courtesy of HBO:

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*Paddy Considine* *as King Viserys Targaryen*, 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 good men do not necessarily make for great kings.

*Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, *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.

*Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, *the king’s first-born child, 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.

*Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, *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…

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*Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake” *- 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.

*Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower* – The Hand of the King, 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.

*Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon – *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.

*Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria* –  Mysaria came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall.  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.

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*Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole*, of Dornish descent, the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. Cole has no claim to land or titles; all he has to his name is his honor and his preternatural skill with a sword.

While Martin is credited as the show’s co-creator and executive producer, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik will handle the showrunning. (Condal is fellow co-creator, writer and executive producer; Sapochnik is directing the pilot and other episodes, and is an executive producer.)

Other executive producers include writer Sara Hess and non-writers Vince Gerardis and Ron Schmidt. Additional directors include co-executive producer Greg Yaitanes, Clare Kilner and Geeta V. Patel, who do not get producing credits.