House of the Dragon: Game of Thrones prequel adds Rhys Ifans & more to cast

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

HBO has added Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, and Sonoya Mizuno to the cast of its Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. They join previously announced stars Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith.

House of the Dragon will be set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and will track the beginning of the end for House Targaryen. The ten-episode series is 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.

According to their official descriptions, Toussaint will play Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake.” Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.

Ifans will star as Otto Hightower. The Hand of the King, Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king’s brother, Daemon (Smith), and his position as heir to the throne.

Best will enter the prequel as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon. A dragon rider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Queen Who Never Was” was passed over as heir to the throne at the Great Council because the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.

Last, but certainly not least, Mizuno joins the fantasy-action series as Mysaria. She came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall. She could have wilted… but instead, she rose to become the most trusted — and most unlikely — ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.

Another Game of Thrones project that's also in development at HBO is a series adaptation of “Tales of Dunk and Egg." Presented using a one-hour format, the show will be based on the series of fantasy novellas by the "favorite character killer" himself, George R.R. Martin. The series revolves around the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and a young Aegon V Targaryen (Egg), and takes place 90 years prior to the events of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

Martin has published three novels in the “Tales of Dunk and Egg” series so far: “The Hedge Knight” (1998), “The Sworn Sword” (2003), and “The Mystery Knight” (2010). In 2015, all three installments were combined and published under the title "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

For the moment, HBO has yet to assign a writer or other talents to the project, though it's to be understood that this is a high-priority project for the network, which for years enjoyed bathing in the spoils of its original Game of Thrones series.

What say you about House of the Dragon? Do you think Game of Thrones fans will fall in love with the franchise all over again when this show makes its HBO debut or has the dragon already lost its fire? Personally, I think a majority of fans will be willing to hop back aboard the GOT train, even if the more vocal members of the bunch will kick and scream about it online week in and week out. That said, maybe enough time will have passed since GOT's disappointing final season and audiences will be more than ready for more swords, sorcery, and monsters aplenty. Let us know where you're at in the comments section below.