HOUSE OF THE DRAGON sends out casting call for Daemon Targaryen and announces filming dates

HBO's House of the Dragon, their prequel spin-off to Game of Thrones, is looking to cast the role of Daemon Targaryen.

Daemon Targaryen is the younger brother of King Viserys I Targaryen. Unlike his diplomatic brother, Daemon is a man of action and determination who prefers to solve problems with his sword and the fire of his dragon, Caraxes. His ambition and ruthlessness vexes his brother, whom is often left to clean up the mess left by Daemon's intemperate actions. Daemon was initially insulted and angered when his brother declared his daughter Rhaenyra to be his heir rather than his brother, but more recently Daemon has come to show his niece more affection; both are united in their dislike of the king's second wife, Alicent Hightower, and her poorly-concealed ambitions for her son, Prince Aegon.

HBO is looking for an actor aged between 40 and 50 for the role, available to film between January and December 2021. This matches their plan to get the show on air sometime in 2022.

The show is also looking to cast Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen. If production is really going to start in January (pandemic permitting), I'd be expecting to hear some roles being confirmed fairly soon.

House of the Dragon is based on the book Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, and will chronicle the multi-sided civil war known as the Dance of Dragons, which takes place 170 years before the events of Game of Thrones, a civil war in which all sides are armed with dragons. Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik are executive producers and showrunners, with Sapochnik also serving as main director and Condal as the main writer.

GAME OF THRONES spinoff confirms Dance of Dragons setting

HBO's House of the Dragon, a prequel spin-off from Game of Thrones, has started its casting process, sending out information to casting agencies for the actors they are looking for. These confirm that the TV series will be based (at least initially) on the Dance of Dragons, a brutal civil war between two competing branches of the Targaryen family.

The casting sides are for the two matriarchal figures who initiate the war: Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the oldest daughter and child of King Viserys I Targaryen, and Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, the second wife and widow of the king. When Viserys dies, Rhaenyra claims the Iron Throne, a role she was groomed for by her father for life, whilst Alicent instead supports the claim of her son Aegon II Targaryen. The Seven Kingdoms are split down the middle, declaring for the "blacks" (Rhaenyra's party) or "greens" (Alicent's party). The war is particularly horrifying and brutal because both wings of the family still have their dragons, leading to dragon-on-dragon warfare in the skies over Westeros, the burning of entire towns and so forth.

The story will be adapted from the narrative of the Dance as explored in George R.R. Martin's book Fire and Blood. It also sounds like the story will expand on the preamble to the war, including the misadventures of Prince Daemon Targaryen (Rhaenyra's uncle and lover).

Reportedly early work for the show is being done under the codename "Red Gun," as the previous spinoff project The Longest Night was done under the codename "Bloodmoon" before it was cancelled. Although I suspect this might now be changed given it's leaked and House of the Dragon has been given a greenlight and full season commitment by HBO.

House of the Dragon will be executive produced by George R.R. Martin, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, with no involvement from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The show will start shooting in 2021 on location in the UK and Spain, and will air on HBO in 2022.

GAME OF THRONES: THE DANCE OF DRAGONS gets official pilot order at HBO

As per Hollywood insider Michael Ausiello, HBO has low-key given a formal pilot order for a second Game of Thrones spin-off series. Earlier today it was confirmed that the first spin-off, The Long Night, had been dropped after an unsatisfying pilot was produced.

This second spin-off is based on the Dance of Dragons, the civil war within House Targaryen for control of the Iron Throne, set about 130 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Unlike The Long Night, which was a lower-budgeted character drama set in a much more primitive setting, The Dance of Dragons (not confirmed as the final title) will be a full-blown war epic, featuring pitched battles, political intrigue and several significant dragon-on-dragon battles and duels.

The new project draws heavily on Fire and Blood, George R.R. Martin's history of the early Targaryens, which was published in 2018. Ryan Condal (Colony) is serving as showrunner, executive producer and head writer on the new project, which is expected to shoot in 2020.