House of the Dragon: Paddy Considine will star in the cast of new Game of Thrones prequel - everything we know so far

The first piece of official casting news regarding the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel has finally been revealed, with Paddy Considine announced as King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

The series from HBO/Sky Atlantic will take place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

This is everything we know so far about the prequel.

What is House of the Dragon about?

House of the Dragon is based on another book by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin called Fire and Blood.

The series is a prequel to the Game of Thrones series, and explores the story of House Targaryen, the house from which mother of dragons Daenerys Targaryen descended.

Enthusiasts of the books and the show will remember that King Viserys Targaryen ruled over Westeros, and his children Rhaenyra and Aegon II ultimately descended into a bloody civil war over his throne, known as the Dance of Dragons.

Writing on his official blog, George R. R. Martin said: “House of the Dragon has been in development for several years (though the title has changed a couple of times during that process).

“It was actually the first concept I pitched HBO when we started talking about a successor show, way back in the summer of 2016.”

Martin said that he expected to be involved in the show to “some extent” and added: “Who knows, if things work out, I may even be able to script a few episodes, as I did for the first four seasons of Game of Thrones.”

The series will be spread out over 10 episodes.

Who is cast in it?

The latest House of the Dragon news has revealed that English actor Paddy Considine has been cast as King Viserys Targaryen.

According to HBO, King Viserys is “a warm, kind, and decent man” who was chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen.

Viewers will recognise Considine from his roles in TV shows like The Third Day, The Outside, Informer and Peaky Blinders, and films like Pride, The World’s End and Submarine.

So far that’s all the confirmed news in terms of actors cast in the series.

It’s unlikely that any Game of Thrones alumni will appear in House of the Dragon, as the show is set 300 years before the original series, meaning that none of the same characters would be around.

It’s more likely that viewers might meet some of the ancestors of their favourite characters in families like the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons and more.

Behind the scenes, the show was co-created by Martin and Ryan Condal (Colony, Hercules).

Miguel Sapochnik is one of the showrunners involved with House of the Dragon, and Game of Thrones fans will know Sapochnik for episodes for Game of Thrones.

Sapchnik won an Emmy and Directors Guild Association award for his episode Battle of the Bastards, and was nominated for further awards for his directing work on The Long Night.

When will it be released?

A release date for the Game of Thrones prequel is still set quite far in the future, with writing on the show only having just begun.

In an interview with Deadline, HBO president of programming Casey Bloys estimated that the show would premiere sometime in 2022, but said it was too early to be any more specific.

The 10 episode series will air in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV, the same as Game of Thrones.

Where can I catch up on Game of Thrones?

If you’ve never seen Game of Thrones before, or are itching to rewatch the series from the beginning, there are a few options you can pursue.

All the seasons of Game of Thrones, from one to eight, are available to watch on NOW TV.

You can purchase the NOW TV entertainment pass for £8.99 per month, which grants you access to a variety of Sky channels and boxsets, including Game of Thrones.

Alternatively, you can buy the series through a variety of channels - each season of the show is available to buy on Amazon. While the price for each season varies, it comes in at an average of £17.99 per season.

If you’d rather have the physical DVD’s, you can pick up the complete box set from Argos for £100, or £120 for the Blu-Ray editions.