Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon casts two Targaryens and a Hightower

HBO has added three new cast members to the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith join the House of the Dragon cast as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen respectively, while Olivia Cooke has signed on to play Alicent Hightower.

Fire will reign.Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith join the cast of @HBO’s #HouseOfTheDragonFor the latest updates: https://t.co/ojAsdiyoWV pic.twitter.com/uKSyIGIJJUDecember 11, 2020

Rhaenyra Targaryen is a dragonrider and the first-born child of King Viserys I Targaryen. Rhaenyra's dispute with her younger half-brother Aegon II over her claim to the Iron Throne is what sparked the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, one of the central stories of George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel on which House of the Dragon is based.

Prince Daemon Targaryen is Rhaenyra's husband and uncle, and a supporter of her claim to the Iron Throne. Daemon is a key player in the Dance of the Dragons, a dragonrider, and the most skilled warrior of his time.

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Alicent Hightower is the daughter of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower. Of course, if you've read Fire & Blood you know she later becomes a lot more than daughter of the Hand, her experience and political acumen playing a pivotal role in the Targaryen civil war.

This is all to say that HBO just added three major cast members to House of the Dragon. D'Arcy is best known for her roles in Truth Seekers and Wanderlust. Cooke starred as Samantha Cook in Ready Player One and played a recurring role in Bates Motel. Smith is best known as the Doctor in the BBC's Doctor Who and Prince Philip The Crown. As we previously reported, Paddy Considine (HBO's The Third Day and The Outsider) was the first actor to be cast in House of the Dragons, as King Viserys I.

Can't wait to return to Westeros? Good news: House of the Dragon begins filming in "a few months."

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.