'Game of Thrones' Fans Flip After Prequel's Lead Character and Actor Revealed

The Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, cast its first lead actor on Monday: Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen. The role is critical for the place where the story will begin and sets the tone for where it will go for years to come. So far, it looks like fans are loving Considine for the role.

Considine may be familiar to fans who watch other HBO series, or other prestige TV shows in general. He has had roles in The Outsider and The Third Day at HBO, and on Peaky Blinders, Informer and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, among others. He has appeared in movies as well, ranging from comedies to action thrillers. All of this should add up to a regal, dragon-riding scion of the last great house of Valyria, if all goes well.

Viserys I is a significant role for House of the Dragon, which will tell the story of a Targaryen civil war about 170 years before the main events of Game of Thrones. The story was hinted at in the main novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, and George R.R. Martin detailed it in his 2018 book Fire & Blood. The book is written as an in-world history book from the perspective of a Westerosi maester, and this story, "The Dance of the Dragons," takes up about a third of it.

Spoiler warning: The story centers around a war of succession waged when Viserys I dies. However, that does not mean Considine's time on the series will be short, depending on where it starts. In the book, Viserys publicly acknowledges his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra as his heir, but later has two sons in his second marriage. The war comes when Rhaenyra goes to war with her stepmother and her half-brothers over the Iron Throne.

This saga is perfect for a new HBO TV show since it is the time in Martin's books with the most dragons and dragon-riders all living at the same time. If all goes well, fans will see Considine and several others on dragon back when the show premieres some time in 2022. In the meantime, here is how fans are reacting to news of Considine's casting.