HBO has announced five new cast additions for the forthcoming Game Of Thrones prequel, set thousands of years before the main show.
Doctor Who and Life On Mars star John Simm is one of the new series regulars, joining alongside Marquis Rodriguez (When They See Us) and Richard McCabe (Wallander, The Duchess).
The other two new additions are John Heffernan (The Crown) and 13-year-old Dixie Egerickx (The Little Stranger).
These newly announced cast members join Naomi Watts, Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, Toby Regbo and Miranda Richardson.
Penned by screenwriter Jane Goldman and Game Of Thrones author George RR Martin, the untitled prequel takes place thousands of years before the main show’s events.
An official synopsis for the series reads: ‘Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game Of Thrones, the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age Of Heroes into its darkest hour.
‘And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know.’
Production is set to begin on the pilot in ‘early summer’, with a release date expected at the earliest in 2020.
Game Of Thrones season 8 kicks off on 21 April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.
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