After an extensive casting search, Paddy Considine has been tapped to lead the cast of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
Written by Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood series. Set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series tells the story of House Targaryen, rich in the dragonlord ancestors of Daenerys.
Showrunner Ryan Condal is working on House of the Dragon alongside Game of Thrones veteran Miguel Sapochnik, who will be directing the pilot and additional episodes. The series has received a ten-episode order from HBO.
Considine will play King Viserys Targaryen, 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 great kings.
Fans of the books will recall that Viserys I ruled over Westeros around 100 years after Aegon’s Conquest. His children, Rhaenyra and Aegon II, would ultimately fight a civil war over his throne that became known as the Dance of Dragons.
The show is executive produced by Martin, Condal and Sapochnik, with Vince Gerardis and Sara Lee Hess who has joined Condal as a writer on the series.
English actor Paddy Considine is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He came to prominence in the early 2000s with a string of performances in independent films that prompted The Observer to describe him as the best-kept secret in British movies.
Considine worked on HBO’s drama series The Outsider and is currently starring in the limited miniseries, The Third Day. His credits also include Journeyman, Peaky Blinders, Hot Fuzz, Dead Man’s Shoes, In America, and The Ferryman.
