House of the Dragon has found its King Viserys Targaryen! HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series has cast renowned British actor Paddy Considine as the kind-hearted monarch, who was the distant ancestor of Daenerys Stormborn (Emilia Clarke).
Unlike certain other Targaryens who would go on to share his name, Viserys was said to be an honourable man and a wise, beloved ruler, and it sounds like his small screen counterpart will follow suit.
"Viserys was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal," reads the official character description."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."
Considine is probably best known for playing the unhinged Richard in Shane Meadows' Dead Man's Shoes, but he's also made impressions in the likes of In America, Hot Fuzz and Peaky Blinders. More recently, he appeared in HBO's Stephen King adaptation, The Outsider.
EW has also shared descriptions for some of the other key roles we can expect to see filled over the next few weeks:
—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 three 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 being developed as a 10-episode first season, co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony). Condal also wrote the script with Sara Lee Hess, and will serve as co-showrunner alongside Miguel Sapochnik. The latter will direct the pilot and additional episodes.
The show is on track for a 2022 premiere.