House of the Dragon, HBO’s upcoming prequel to the Game of Thrones, will be filming in a different location from the mother series.
The original show made Northern Ireland its home base, but it will reportedly not be the case for House of the Dragon.
Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the prequel will be moving to the Leavesden Studios in the north of England once production begins. The facility is currently where The Batman production with Robert Pattinson is taking place. It’s also where the Harry Potter movies were filmed.
The report further cited that the new location will be more weather-friendly to the cast and crew. Game of Thrones typically filmed in the winter months in Northern Ireland to take advantage of the cold. By comparison, however, London weather, especially inside the studio, would be warmer and drier.
Casting King Viserys I
The location change comes as House of the Dragon announced a major role’s casting in the series. Peaky Blinders actor Paddy Considine snagged the part of King Viserys I. The character is the grandfather of Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.
However, House of the Dragon takes place 300 years before the story of the original series, which means that King Viserys belongs to a whole other generation of Targaryens.
In the books by George R.R. Martin, King Viserys I was the fifth Targaryen king to sit on the Iron Throne. Regarded as a pleasant and warm king, this ruler was generous and often celebrated tournaments and feast.
The public loved King Viserys I, who is also a dragon rider just like his great, great, granddaughter Daenerys on Game of Thrones. But well-loved kings often do not make strong and decisive leaders.
Show details, plot, and other cast members
House of the Dragon is set in what would be a bloody and brutal period in Westeros. Martin teased that fans of his work must read the anthologies from his Dangerous Women and Rogues collaboration with Gardner Dozois.
One of the stories in this anthology contains the Dance of Dragons conflict, which sparked a civil war among Viserys’ family. The king named his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra, as the heir to the throne. But after his first wife died, he remarried Alicent Hightower and had four more children.
It’s these children who have challenged Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne upon King Viserys I’s death. With the help of a council, Alicent claimed that her firstborn son, Aegon, should be the heir.
Casting for these characters has not yet been revealed, but there are speculations Considine will experience the same fate as Sean Bean. His character, Ned Stark, died before the first season of Game of Thrones ended.
Meanwhile, it will take some time before fans of Game of Thrones could watch House of the Dragon. HBO president Casey Bloys said in an interview that they don’t expect the show to be ready until 2022.
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