New cast confirmed for Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon

Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Matt Smith will star in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, according to reports.

The three actors will star in a new HBO series directed by Greg Atanis (Banshee), Claire Kilner (Snowpiercer) and Geeta Patel (The Witcher TV series), which will be set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tell the story of House Targaryen.

Smith played the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who. He will play the "Prince Ranger" Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. He is the younger brother of Viserys Targaryen I and the heir to the throne. He is an "unparalleled warrior and dragon rider" and the "owner of the blood of the true dragon."

Cook played the heroine Samantha in Ready Player One in 2018. In this drama, she plays Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms. Hightower grew up in the Red Castle, was close to the king and his inner circle, and had an elegant temperament and keen political sensitivity.

Darcy, who has starred in the TV series "Wanderlust," plays Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in "House of the Dragon." She is the eldest daughter of the king and has "pure Valyrian blood." Like her uncle Daemon, she is also a dragon rider.