House of the Dragon cast: who stars in Game of Thrones prequel with Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy?

Filming for the series, set 300 years before Game of Thrones, began this week as cast members were seen dressed in costume at Holywell Bay in Cornwall
Actors Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy were reportedly pictured in constume near Newquay (picture: Twitter/ @T__MOVIEDUDE)Actors Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy were reportedly pictured in constume near Newquay (picture: Twitter/ @T__MOVIEDUDE)
Actors Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy were reportedly pictured in constume near Newquay (picture: Twitter/ @T__MOVIEDUDE)

Game of Thrones fans rejoice, a prequel to the eight-season-long fantasy drama series is in the making, and filming has begun in Cornwall, it is believed

House of the Dragonis set 300 years before the events of GoT and is based on George R.R. Martin's 2018 novel, Fire & Blood, which follows the lives of the Targaryen family.

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The spin-off is one of many Game of Thrones themed projects US streaming service HBO has commissioned, including a stage show for London's West End, which is also in production.

So, what is it about, who is in the cast and when will it be released? This is everything you need to know.

What is House of the Dragon about?

The new 10-series episode will be directed by co-showrunners Ryan Condal (Colony) and Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones), with input from the saga’s author, George R.R. Martin.

It tells the story of the Targaryen family in Westeros in the aftermath of the “Dance of the Dragons” civil war.

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On 5 October, the official trailer for the series, dropped.

Who is in the cast?

It has now been confirmed that several GOT actors will return.

Back in April, HBO teased the cast with a picture of a socially-distanced table read.

The snaps showed actors Paddy Considine, Steve Toussaint and Olivia Cooke among others, looking over the script while sitting at individual tables in a conference room setting.

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House Targaryen members are said to include Considine (Dead Man’s Shoes, Hot Fuzz) as King Viserys Targaryen and Matt Smith (The Crown) as his younger brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen.

Emma D’Arcy (Truthseekers, Wanderlust) will star as Viserys' daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Cooke (Sound of Metal) and Rhys Ifans (Nottinghill) will play daughter-father duo Alicent Hightower and Otto Hightower.

Sonoya Mizuno (Crazy Rich Asians) will star as Mysaria, the family’s unlikely ally.

Toussaint (Flight of Fury) is expected to play the role of Lord Corlys Velaryon alongside Eve Best (The Homecoming) as his wife, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon.

Where was House of Dragon’s filmed?

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While the latest series is a prequel to the award-winning show, it will not be shot at the same locations in Northern Ireland.

Instead, producers have opted to use the English countryside as a backdrop and filming has already begun in various locations.

In mid-April, film crews and medieval-style props which are thought to be related to the show were seen at St Michael's Mount, near Penzance in Cornwall. The sets included erected stone archways with Velaryon crests.

Photos have also emerged of crews and cast members, thought to be leading stars Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy, in costume at Holywell Bay near Newquay.

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According to Radio Times, HBO confirmed last year that the show's production headquarters would be at Leavesden Studios in Watford. The studios were previously used in the making of Harry Potter films.

When will House of the Dragon be released?

House of the Dragon is set to be released for US viewers on HBO in 2022, however a specific release date has yet to be confirmed.

There has been no confirmation of when the prequel might be out in the UK either.

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