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Matt Smith Cast As A Targaryen In Game Of Thrones Prequel House Of The Dragon

Matt Smith Cast As A Targaryen In Game Of Thrones Prequel House Of The Dragon

Paddy Considine will also feature in the series

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

It's impressive enough to have played Doctor Who, but now Matt Smith has added another of the world's biggest fantasy/SF series to his CV - he's been cast as a Targaryen in HBO's forthcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

Matt Smith has joined the cast of House of the Dragon.
PA

The 38-year-old actor - known for playing the Doctor, as well as Prince Philip in The Crown - will take on the role of Prince Daemon Targaryen, described by HBO as a 'peerless warrior and a dragonrider who possesses the true blood of the dragon'.

The character is also the younger brother of King Viserys Targaryen, who will be played by Paddy Considine.


Olivia Cooke will play Alicent Hightower, 'the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms', while Emma D'Arcy will take on the part of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the king's first-born child.

Based on George R.R. Martin's 2018 book Fire and Blood, the eagerly-anticipated project will be set 300 years before the events in Game of Thrones took place.

Over the course of 10 episodes, it will tell the story of the House of Targaryen - the house that produced Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, of course.

The show will go into production next year and will primarily be filmed in England.


A first look at the show was shared earlier this month by Warner Media CEO Jason Kilar, as part of a blog post explaining Warner Bros.' decision to debut all of its 2021 films on HBO Max and in cinemas at the same time.

Kilar said: "Principal photography starts on the next Game of Thrones series, House of the Dragon, in a few months.

"Look out for dragons overhead!"

According to The Wrap, a HBO spokesperson said the programme will be shot at Leavesden Studios in Watford, north of London.

Miguel Sapochnik will serve as showrunner and executive producer - which bodes very well indeed, as he was the one who brought us 'Battle of the B******s', 'Hardhome' and 'The Long Night', which were some of GoT's biggest and best episodes across its eight-season run.

It's not clear at this stage when we will be able to feast our eyes on the 10-episode series, but it certainly sounds like one to look forward to.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: TV and Film, Game of Thrones