HBO is currently hard at work on House of the Dragon, a prequel to their enormous hit Game of Thrones. (Possibly the first of several, but that’s another story.) The series is set over 100 years before the original show and tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons, a Targaryen civil war that pit different branches of the dragon-riding family against each other. We already know a lot about the cast, but there are still many names yet to be announced. Like the mother series, House of the Dragon has a lot of characters.
And we may have found the man who will play one of them. As sussed out by Reddit, the Twitter page for the U.K. Actors Support Network recently posted that venerated English actor David Horovitch will appear in the show:
The 76-year-old Horovitch (he literally turns 76 today) has a long history on British TV, having appeared in stuff like Thriller, The New Avengers, Prince Regent, Piece of Cake and much more. He’s probably best known for playing Inspector Slack in Miss Marple, a role he reprised in several specials. He’s also a Shakespearean actor who’s taken to reading the bard’s sonnets on his YouTube page:
Who will David Horovitch play in House of the Dragon?
So who might Horovitch play on the Game of Thrones prequel? There are a couple older characters who play memorable roles in the Dance. He could be Bartimos Celtigar, the wealthy Lord of Claw Isle and the head of House Celtigar during the war. He could be Grand Maester Orwyle, who served King Aegon II Targaryen during the conflict. But the choice I like best is Lord Lyman Beesbury, because his story is very dramatic.
Lord Lyman Beesbury served as the master of coin on the small council for King Viserys I Targaryen, to be played on the show by Paddy Considine. The Dance of the Dragons is kicked off when King Viserys died and there’s conflict over who should replace him on the Iron Throne. His second wife Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) pushes for her first son by the king, Aegon II. But his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) — his only surviving child by this first wife — is certain the throne should pass to her.
When the small council gathers in Alicent Hightower’s chamber right after Viserys’ death, Lord Beesbury is the only one to espouse Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne. In response, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) kills him, although differ as to whether he slits his throat, locks him in the black cells, or tosses him out a window. Personally, I’m hoping the show goes with option #3.
Horovitch’s casting isn’t confirmed, but I’m into it. House of the Dragon premieres on HBO sometime in 2022.
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