HBO just said to keep my Starbucks, if you figured you'd never see a family more fucked up than the Lannisters.
On Friday, Game of Thrones tweeted out new casting details for its forthcoming prequel, House of the Dragon, announcing that House Targaryen's fresh new faces will be Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One), Emma D'Arcy (Truth Seekers), and Matt Smith (The Crown).
And take a good look, because, after this, there are not so many happy family reunions to come.
Maester Aemon once said in Game of Thrones, 'A Targaryen alone is a bad thing in the world.' Well, it turns out a bunch of them aren't that great either.
In the Targaryen civil war, the Dance of the Dragons, all the new characters are key: a gruesome, dragon-filled battle for the Iron Throne. War appears to be the series' biggest fight, and if you don't know something, Jon Snow, here's who's who.
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
In George R.R. Martin's books, she is the daughter of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, and becomes the second wife of King Viserys Targaryen, who Paddy Considine played in the film.
In its character description, HBO didn't explicitly mention the wife information, so maybe that won't happen until the series begins.
Alicent is an all-out troublemaker. The Dance of the Dragons takes place directly because of her acts, which we won't ruin.
Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
Rhaenyra is the first-born baby of King Viserys, a dragon rider and potential heir to the Iron Throne. But Westeros is a fairly misogynistic place, and not everyone is down with women ruling over it.
Interestingly, HBO's character summary states, "Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything with everything... but she was not born a man.” That definitely feels like Cersei's (Lena Headey) vibes.
(Warning spoiler! Stepmom Alicent and Rhaenyra probably won't get along.)
And finally......
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen
Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys, also a potential throne heir and... A creep of a sort?
The definition from HBO indicates he's not going to be a great dude. "It is said that the gods toss a coin in the air whenever a Targaryen is born," HBO says. That's the same reason that was used in Game of Thrones for Daenerys going insane queen.
The prince rode Caraxes the Blood Wyrm in Martin's tales, one of the fiercest dragons the kingdom has ever seen and the dragon was thought to be teased for the series in recent concept art.
In 2021, development starts. Brace yourselves: here come the Targaryens.
