We have a new casting announcement for House of the Dragon, HBO’s follow-up to Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin revealed that English actor Fabien Frankel will play the role of Ser Criston Cole, a knight of the Kingsguard and a key player in the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war at the heart of the show.
He is the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. FIRE & BLOOD readers him as Ser Criston Cole. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON viewers will know him as FABIEN FRANKEL. https://t.co/hnLdrf0myw pic.twitter.com/fuf6gIAzCr
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) April 15, 2021
Martin used to announce Game of Thrones castings way back in the early days of the show, but it’s been a long while since he’s done something like that. This is a fun blast from the past.
Who is Criston Cole in House of the Dragon?
Writing on his Not a Blog, Martin describes Cole like this:
"He is the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. He has no claim to lands or titles, all he has is his honor and his skill with sword and lance.He is a challenger, a champion, cheered by the commons, beloved of the ladies.He is a lover (or is he?), a seducer (or is he?), a betrayer (or is he?), a breaker of hearts and a maker of kings."
As the description suggests, Cole is a complicated character, or at least, we don’t have all the information about him. Readers will know him from the pages of Fire & Blood, Martin’s “fake history” book about the Targaryen dynasty. We know that he had some sort of relationship with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), one of two main claimants to the Iron Throne, but we’re not sure if it was romantic, sexual, platonic or otherwise. That part of the charm of the books; it’s working from multiple “sources” and leaves some things ambiguous. Does he reject Rhaenyra’s advances or is it the other way around, or something else altogether?
What we do know is that Criston Cole ends up hating Rhaenyra and siding with her half-brother Aegon Targaryen in the Dance of the Dragons, even crowning him king himself (we don’t know who’s playing Aegon yet). Also he kills a guy at a Small Council meeting for suggesting maybe they shouldn’t start a civil war, so he’s got layers.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the show does with Criston Cole, which could be a meaty part! We don’t know when exactly House of the Dragon will air, but filming should start soon, and HBO is eying a 2022 premiere date.
As for Frankel, he’s acted opposite Emilia Clarke in Last Christmas and is working with Maisie Williams on Danny Boyle’s Pistol, a miniseries about the Sex Pistols, so he’s already kind of Game of Thrones adjacent. This could be a big break for him. He joins a growing cast that also includes Paddy Considine (King Viserys I Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria), Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) and Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen).
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