Game of Thrones: Peaky Blinders star Paddy Considine cast in prequel series House of the Dragon
English actor is the first name attached to the highly anticipated spin-off
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paddy Considine has been cast as King Viserys Targaryen in the forthcoming Game of Thrones prequel, HBO has revealed.
The 47-year-old – who has previously starred in Dead Man’s Shoes, The Death of Stalin, Peaky Blinders, and The Outsider – is the first actor to sign on to the spin-off titled House of the Dragon.
According to Variety, the English actor will play the “warm, kind, and decent man” who was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King Jaehaerys Targaryen. Viserys “only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy”.
Fans of George RR Martin’s books will recall that King Viserys ruled over Westeros approximately 100 years after Aegon’s conquest. His children, Rhaenyra and Aegon II, will go on to fight a civil war over his throne.
The prequel will be based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood books, which are set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
Considine is currently starring in HBO’s drama miniseries The Third Day. The acclaimed actor has also written and directed a handful of feature films (Tyrannosaur, Journeyman) as well as music videos, including Coldplay’s "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" and Arctic Monkeys' "Leave Before the Lights Come On".
In October last year, HBO revealed that fans could expect a 10-episode “straight-to-series order” for a Targaryan-centric prequel show co-created by Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condol.
Sapochnik will direct the pilot as well as additional episodes throughout the series. The director is best known for his battle-centric instalments including the two most action-packed episodes of Game of Thrones's final season, “The Long Night” and “The Bells”.
There is no concrete news on when exactly House of the Dragon will air. Last year, the network’s programming president Casey Bloys said that his “guess” is sometime in 2022.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
House of the Dragon is one of four Game of Thrones spin-offs in the works at HBO. An untitled prequel starring Naomi Watts was not picked up by the network for a full series in October 2019.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments