Following the first character images from House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones spinoff has now released official descriptions for its leads.
HBO shared character details for the five of the lead characters of the show, though King Viseyrs was curiously missing—as he was from yesterday's House of the Dragon photo release. It's not clear if this means he will be a more minor player in the series, but we now know the five characters below will certainly be the most important.
Emma D’Arcy as "Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen": The king’s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man.
Matt Smith as "Prince Daemon Targaryen": The younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon. But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…
Steve Toussaint as "Lord Corlys Velaryon" ("The Sea Snake"): Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Olivia Cooke as "Alicent Hightower": The daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.
Rhys Ifans as "Otto Hightower": The Hand of the King, Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king's brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.
Though many of these details were known beforehand as the series will adapt George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book, the new descriptions do tease some of the political intrigue that will be present in the series, such as Lord Velaryon's power and prowess, Alicent's hidden talents and Daemon's potential to become another mad Targaryen.
The prequel series began production late last month, so expect more details to come ahead of the show's release next year.
Created by George R.R. Martin, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole. The series is expected to premiere on HBO and HBO Max in 2022.
Source: HBO