'Game of Thrones' Prequel Casts Paddy Considine as Lead Character

Paddy Considine, who starred in Peaky Blinders and The Outsider, was cast in the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. The English actor will play King Veserys I in the show, set about 300 years before the events in Game of Thrones. HBO ordered the show straight-to-series, and it was created by Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal.

House of the Dragon's first season will run 10 episodes. Considine's King Viserys Targaryen was picked to follow the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal, notes Deadline. The character is described as a "warm, kind and decent man" who wants to keep his grandfather's legacy going. But as anyone who watched Game of Thrones knows, good people do not get very far in Westeros.

The new show is based on Martin's Fire & Blood series, which centers on House Targaryen. Condal wrote the pilot script that landed the series order. He will work as showrunner with Game of Thrones veteran Miguel Sapochnik, who was hired to direct the pilot and other episodes. The three are executive producers with writers Vince Gerais and Sara Lee Hess.

Considine was previously seen on HBO in the first season of The Outsider, which is based on the Stephen King novel. He now stars in the limited series The Third Day, which also airs on HBO in the U.S. and co-stars Jude Law and Katherine Waterston. His other TV credits include Informer, Peaky Blinders, and The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher TV movies. His long list of films includes Cinderella Man, Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum, Submarine, The World's End, Journeyman, and The Death of Stalin.

House of the Dragons is HBO's second attempt at creating a Game of Thrones prequel series. The network first tired out Bloodmoon, which was developed by Martin and Jane Goldman. The pilot was even cast and shot, with Naomi Watts as the lead star. In October 2019, HBO chose to not move forward with the project.

Just before Bloodmoon fell apart, HBO started work on House of the Dragons. In October 2019, HBO picked up straight to series. Earlier this year, HBO said the show would not air until 2022 at the earliest. Just last month, a casting call reportedly leaked, giving fans an idea of who the characters will be in the new show.

One note calls for a male actor between 40 and 50 years old to play Daemon, who was described as "less methodical and more impetuous" than other Targaryen nobles. "Not to mention easily bored… stumbling from one distraction to the next with the subconscious yet singular obsession with earning the love and acceptance of his brother the king. Most of Daemon's joy is found at sword-point," the casting call allegedly noted. Other characters possibly involved in the show include Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Lady Alicent Hightower.