House of the Dragon season 2 adds Simon Russell Beale and more to cast

Simon Russell Beale, Gayle Rankin, Freddie Fox, and Abubakar Salim have joined the cast of House of the Dragon season 2.

Per Deadline: "Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys; Fox will play Ser Gwayne Hightower, son of Otto Hightower, brother to Queen Alicent, and uncle to King Aegon, Queen Helaena, and Prince Aemond; Rankin will portray Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal; Salim will portray Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones campaign."

The new season began filming earlier this month.

The returning cast includes Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.

House of the Dragon is based on Martin's book Fire & Blood, which tells the story of House Targaryen. Set nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series follows the civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and her former childhood best friend-turned-stepmother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) that became known as the 'Dance of the Dragons.'

Season 2 will reportedly consist of 8 episodes rather than 10, as showrunner Ryan Condal works on a "big-picture" view of the series.

House of the Dragon season two does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2023 and beyond.