House of the Dragon – Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith join the Game of Thrones prequel

The story of House Targaryen will be told. House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, is coming to HBO and HBO Max.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, the series will tell the story of House Targaryen and take place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Paddy Considine (HBO’s The Third Day and The Outsider), Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Emma D’Arcy (Truth Seekers) and Matt Smith (The Crown, Doctor Who) have signed on for the series.

• Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen. Viserys was 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 as we’ve learned from Game of Thrones, good men do not necessarily make for great kings.
• Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower. She’s 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. The younger brother of King Viserys and heir to the throne, Daemon is a peerless warrior and a dragonrider who 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…

Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony, Hercules) will serve as co-creators on the series. Miguel Sapochnik and Condal will be showrunners, and the pair will also serve as executive producers along with Martin, Vince Gerardis, Sara Lee Hess and Ron Schmidt.

Sapochnik, whose directing credits include six Game of Thrones episodes, won Emmy and DGA honours for “Battle of the Bastards.” He was nominated for another Emmy in 2019 for directing “The Long Night” and won the Emmy for Best Drama Series as an executive producer for the final season.

Clare Kilner (The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, The Wedding Date) and Geeta V. Patel (Meet the Patels, The Witcher) will also direct the series. Greg Yaitanes (Banshee, House) is director and co-executive producer.