HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has added a new actor to its cast: Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), who’ll play Ser Criston Cole, a member of King Viserys I Targaryen’s Kingsguard.
Deadline reported on the casting news, describing the character as a “common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. Cole has no claim to land or titles; all he has to his name is his honor and his preternatural skill with a sword.”
Author George R.R. Martin confirmed the news on his blog, saying that he’s “a challenger, a champion, cheered by the commons, beloved of the ladies.” From his common origins, he rose through the ranks and eventually became Aegon II’s Hand of the King, and played a larger role in the Dance of the Dragons conflict.
Frankel joins an already large cast for the series, which includes Paddy Considine (The Outsider), who’ll play King Viserys I, a successor for the Great Council, and who was involved in the Targaryen civil war, which took place between the family’s various factions. Other cast members include Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, Sonoya Mizuno, and Steve Toussaint.
The series will be based on the events in the world as seen in Martin’s “nonfiction” book Fire & Blood, a quasi-history of the events prior to the events of Game of Thrones. It’s expected to debut sometime in 2022, and it’s one of several shows that HBO is working on to continue the franchise, including a Dunk & Egg adaptation, an animated series, 9 Voyages / Sea Snake, Flea Bottom, and 10,000 Ships.
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