'Games of Thrones' Prequel: One of the Main Characters Reportedly Revealed

Another casting call from the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, has reportedly [...]

Another casting call from the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, has reportedly leaked, giving fans a glimpse at another lead character. HBO is seeking a star to play Prince Daemon Targaryen, also known as The Rogue Prince. Fans who have read George R.R. Martin's prequel book Fire & Blood are well aware of the infamous anti-hero.

The casting call was published by The Illuminerdi, a fan blog and YouTube channel. It calls for a male actor between the ages of 40 and 50 years old to play Daemon, describing him 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 posting went on.

"But even as the most experienced warrior of his time, he vacillates between vile and heroic, making him the true rogue of the series," it concluded. The alleged casting call noted that the actor taking on this role must be prepared to be a series lead in high demand and that filming is currently scheduled to begin in January of 2021.

This posting lines up a report from Entertainment Weekly, which claimed that casting for House of the Dragon began in earnest in July of 2020. It also follows on the heels of another casting call leak, which sought actresses to play Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Lady Alicent Hightower. All three of these characters are central to a story from Martin's Fire & Blood, a fictitious history book about Westeros.

This report adds to the plentiful hints that House of the Dragon will concern the "Dance of the Dragons," a Westerosi civil war that takes up about a third of Fire & Blood. The story begins roughly 170 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys I Targaryen died and his descendants squabbled over his throne. The story is perfect for a TV adaptation since it contains more dragons and dragon riders than any other part of Martin's writings.

For many fans, Prince Daemon may be the most compelling part of this story, described by The Illuminerdi as the Jaime Lannister of his age. Fire & Blood follows Daemon from his birth to his death, tracing his evolution from an arrogant, ambitious young man to a self-sacrificing warrior. Considering the age range for the casting call, it sounds like House of the Dragon will find him already part-way through that transformation.

House of the Dragon comes from different writers and producers than those that worked on Game of Thrones and is sourced from complete works by Martin. The show is scheduled to begin filming in January in parts of Europe, including many of the sets where Game of Thrones was made. It is not expected to air until some time in 2022. In the meantime, fans can pick up Fire & Blood in print, eBook and audio formats wherever books are sold.

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