Filming has officially begun on the second season of House of the Dragon, HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series. When last we left off, Aemond Velaryon killed his nephew Lucerys Velaryon while they were in the air riding their dragons. Luke’s mother Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is battling Aemond’s brother Aegon for the Iron Throne, was not pleased. Until now, she’d been trying to keep a lid on outright violence. Not anymore. Here comes war.
Today, Variety reports on several new actors joining the cast for season 2. First up is Gayle Rankin, best known for playing Sheila the She-Wolf in the Netflix series GLOW, as Alys Rivers. Alys is a resident of Harrenhal, a mysterious woman who may be a witch. She has an interesting role in play, and Rankin definitely has the intensity to play her. I like this choice.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 13: In this image released on May 13, 2022, Gayle Rankin poses during IMDb exclusive portrait session at Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for IMDb)
Sticking to Harrenhal, Simon Russell Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, the castle’s castellan, aka the guy in charge of it while the actual lord — in this case Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) — is away. Simon is Larys’ great-uncle.
Beale is a veteran actor with tons of credits on the big screen, the small screen, and the stage. I’m sure he’ll kill it.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 12: Simon Russell Beale is seen in the press room after winning the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for ” The Lehman Trilogy” during the 75th Annual Tony Awards press room at 3 West Club on June 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Casting characters at Harrenhal is important, since there will be some important plots going down there in season 2. But now let’s head elsewhere.
Freddie Fox will play Alicent Hightower’s brother Gwayne
English actor Freddie Fox is Ser Gwayne Hightower, older brother to lead character Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
Interestingly, we’ve met Gwayne before, if obliquely; Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) tilted against him in the very first episode of the series, unhorsing him easily. He was wearing a helmet at the time, so they can get away with casting someone new.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 25: Freddie Fox attends the UK Premiere of “Mrs Harris Goes To Paris” at Curzon Cinema Mayfair on September 25, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Universal)
Freddie Fox is a lot younger than Simon Russell Beale but also has a lot of credits on the screen and the stage. He more than has the chops.
Abubakar Salim is Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon season 2
Finally, English actor Abubakar Salim will play Alyn of Hull, a key character in the story going forward. Alyn is the brother of Addam of Hull, who is an even more important character; we don’t know who’s playing him yet.
I won’t spoil much, but Alyn and Addam are both bastard children of (probably) Corlys Velaryon. As for Salim, he’s appeared in shows like Raised by Wolves and Vikings: Valhalla. He also got a BAFTA nomination for playing the protagonist in the 2017 video game Assassin’s Creed Origins.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 26: Abubakar Salim attends the 2018 British Academy Britannia Awards presented by Jaguar Land Rover and American Airlines at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 26, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for BAFTA LA)
Casting Salim is interesting, because he’s 30 years old whereas Addam is around 14 or 15 when the Dance of the Dragons breaks out. It looks like the show is going in a bit of a different direction with him.
We don’t have a firm release date for House of the Dragon as of yet, and there are still many characters yet to be cast:
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