‘House of Dragon’ casts King Viserys Targaryen, its first major role
By Mads Lennon
Game of Thrones prequel House of Dragons has cast The Outsider alum Paddy Considine in its first leading role, King Viserys Targaryen.
HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series, House of Dragons, has landed its first leading role. According to Entertainment Weekly, The Outsider alum Paddy Considine has landed the role of King Viserys Targaryen. The British actor has previously appeared in the Netflix series Peaky Blinders and films like Hot Fuzz and The World’s End.
In addition to the casting news, Considine’s addition to House of Dragons gives us more background on what to expect from the series. We know it will be set 300 years before Game of Thrones and focus on the Targaryen family’s history, based on George R.R. Martin’s Targaryen chronicle Fire & Blood. His casting comes with a character description, which discloses some hints for the highly-anticipated show.
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“The famed Dance of Dragons — the Targaryen civil war occasionally referenced in GoT that ripped apart Westeros — will be tackled during the series,” notes the publication.
House of Dragons: Who is King Viserys Targaryen?
The character description reported by EW says Viserys was chosen “to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen” by the Westeros lords. He’s described as a “warm, kind,” and decent man” that wants to “carry forward his grandfather’s legacy.”
He sounds a little like Eddard Stark from Game of Thrones Season 1. Let’s just hope he doesn’t wind up facing the same fate as the Stark patriarch.
The last line of the description is somewhat ominous, hinting that “good men do not necessarily make for great kings.” It sounds like Viserys will struggle to keep control of his kingdom and will undoubtedly face many threats to his kingdom and throne.
Aside from Considine’s role, other roles being cast are female characters Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, a dragon rider who became the first ruling Queen of Westeros and Queen Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra’s stepmother and Viserys’ strong-minded second wife.
Additional characters include Aegon II Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s younger half-brother. He ignites the civil war when he challenges his sister’s claim to the throne. We’ll also see Rhaenyra’s uncle Prince Daemon Targaryen, who doubles as a skilled warrior.
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Are you happy with Considine’s casting as a Targaryen king? Will you be tuning in to House of Dragons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
House of Dragons is expected to premiere in 2022.