The prequel is coming.
Nearly a year after HBO announced it would create a Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, the series has cast its leading man.
The show will take place 300 years before Game of Thrones and follow members of House Targaryen (home of Daenerys) over 10 episodes.
The network revealed on Monday, Oct. 5, that Paddy Considine will play King Viserys Targaryen, who is "chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal."
His character is described as a "warm, kind, and decent man." The network further noted, "Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather's legacy, but as we've learned from Game of Thrones, good men do not necessarily make for great kings."
Considine, 47, has previously appeared on HBO's The Third Day and The Outsider, as well as on Peaky Blinders and How to Build a Girl. The Staffordshire native has won two BAFTA Awards.
House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, and it is co-created by Martin and Ryan Condal.
It's expected to premiere in 2022, and other characters will include Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Queen Alicent Hightower, Prince Daemon Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen.
A separate GOT prequel starring Naomi Watts was canned in October 2019, before House of the Dragon was announced. "After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward to series," HBO revealed at the time.
The original fantasy series took home 12 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, for its final season in 2019. Emilia Clarke, who portrayed Daenerys, was nominated four times for playing the Mother of Dragons.
The actress confessed in May that the ending of GOT "annoyed" her, along with millions of fans. "When the show did end, it was like coming out of a bunker," Clarke said. "Everything felt really strange. Then obviously for it to have the backlash it did."
Despite fans' outrage over the ending, they were delighted to see the cast reunite at the 2019 Emmy Awards and the 2020 SAG Awards earlier this year.
Since then, the GOT family has only gotten bigger, as star Sophie Turner gave birth to a baby girl with Joe Jonas in July, and GOT alums Kit Harington and Rose Leslie revealed in September that they are expecting their first child.