Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon casts first lead role

House of the Dragon has found its Targaryen king.

Paddy Considine is the first actor to be cast in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series, EW has learned. The British actor is known for his work in another HBO drama, The Outsider, as well as Netflix's Peaky Blinders. He's appeared in the films The World's End and Hot Fuzz, and was nominated for a Tony last year for his work in the Broadway play The Ferryman.

Considine will play King Viserys I Targaryen. There's also a new character description for the role that gives the first intriguing hints of the show's story line: "King Viserys Targaryen is 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."

(Pictured: Considine, except presumably blonder).

House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin's House Targaryen chronicle Fire & Blood and set 300 years before Game of Thrones. The famed Dance of Dragons — the Targaryen civil war occasionally referenced in GoT that ripped apart Westeros — will be tackled during the series.

Some other key figures in the Targaryen civil war who are also being cast:

—Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen: King Viserys' chosen heir, a dragon rider who grew up expecting to become the first ruling Queen of Westeros.

—Queen Alicent Hightower: Viserys' ambitious second wife and Rhaenyra's stepmother, who had children of her own with the king.

—Aegon II Targaryen: Princess Rhaenyra's younger half-brother who challenges Rhaenyra's claim to the throne, igniting a civil war.

—Prince Daemon Targaryen: Rhaenyra's uncle, an experienced warrior.

House of the Dragon is from Martin and co-showrunners Ryan Condal (Colony) and Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones). The show replaces HBO's previously announced prequel project starring Naomi Watts, which filmed a pilot and then was scrapped in 2019 (the series has been referred to as Bloodmoon, which was a code name the production put on signage when filming in Northern Ireland but was not going to be the title of the show).

Also new in this update: Sara Lee Hess (Orange Is the New Black) has joined the House of the Dragon writing-producing team. She was previously on the other GoT prequel.

House of the Dragon is slated to land in 2022.

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