House of the Dragon’s Matt Smith is looking forward to riding dragons

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Game of Thrones may have come to an unsatisfactory conclusion in the eyes of many fans, but HBO will be returning to Westeros with House of the Dragon, a prequel series set 300 years before Game of Thrones based upon George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, a Targaryen history book which chronicles the history of House Targaryen, starting off with "Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and [going on] to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold the throne, all the way up to the civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons, that nearly tore their dynasty apart." Casting for the new series is well underway and it was announced earlier this month that House of the Dragon's Matt Smith (The Crown) was one of the new additions.

Matt Smith is slated to play Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is 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." While speaking during GalaxyCon's virtual Doctor Who panel, Smith said that he was looking forward to the series, but there's one particular element that obviously sticks out in terms of excitment — getting to ride dragons.

I think it’ll be a really exciting cast, I think it’s a wonderful legacy to be part of and it’s a great part. And without saying too much, I’m just sort of looking forward to riding a few dragons…if I get to. Who knows what goes on in this role, but yeah look – I’m just looking forward to getting started and I think, hopefully, with the people involved, it could be really exciting.

In addition to Matt Smith, House of the Dragon will also star Paddy Considine (The Outsider) as King Viserys Targaryen, "who has been chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen. A warm, kind and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandather's legacy, but good men do not necessarily make for great kings." Additionally, the series will also star Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal) as Alicent Hightower, who is "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," and Emma D'Arcy (Wanderlust) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, who is "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."

The ten-episode series was co-created by George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, with Condal slated to pen the script alongside Sara Lee Hess as well as serve as co-showrunner alongside Miguel Sapochnik. Additionally, it's also been announced that Greg Yaitanes (Banshee) has signed on as a director and co-executive producer, with Clare Kilner (Snowpiercer) and Geeta Patel (The Witcher) also set to helm episodes. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar recently revealed that principal photography on House of the Dragon will kick off early next year.