Casting Aegons Conquest: 10 Actors Perfect For The Game Of Thrones Prequel's Main Characters

HBO has announced a new Game of Thrones prequel centered around Aegon’s Conquest, and several actors would be perfect to fill out the main cast. Like House of the Dragon, the new series will explore an era of history in Westeros centuries before the events of Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book. Aegon the Conqueror was the first monarch to sit on the Iron Throne and rule the united Seven Kingdoms, which he conquered alongside his two sisters, who were also his wives. An Aegon’s Conquest series should be action-packed.

Given House of the Dragon’s success, it’s no surprise HBO has chosen another Targaryen-centric narrative for its next series. Given the widespread nature of events in Aegon’s Conquest, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly who the main cast would be. From the knowledge about Aegon’s Conquest in Fire & Blood and A Song of Ice & Fire, the most likely cast would be integral political players. Aside from Aegon and his companions, the main castings should be the heads of major houses in Westeros, who schemed together and against each other to withhold their independence from the Conqueror.

10 Aegon – Callum Turner

Masters Of The Air’s Callum Turner Is Perfect For The Strong, Young Targaryen King

While this prequel series will have a similarly large ensemble just as Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon do, Aegon I Targaryen will undoubtedly be the lead of the show. The man who created the Iron Throne and was the first to sit on it is seen as an enigmatic figure in Westerosi history. He is a determined warrior but also keeps to himself. He is brutal to his enemies but shows great kindness to those who bend the knee. House of the Dragon also revealed through Aegon’s dream that he is a conqueror with a purpose.

Movie stars like Henry Cavill and Charlie Hunnam have been repeatedly named fan-casts for Aegon the Conqueror, but at this point, both are too old to pass as 25-year-olds. Callum Turner may be 33, but his youthful appearance could pass as being eight years younger. Physically, Turner fits the bill for the tall, assertive appearance of the renowned Targaryen king, and he certainly has the acting chops to play the character. Most recently, he can be seen in Masters of the Air, where he plays a charismatic leader in wartime.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

9 Rhaenys – Anya Taylor-Joy

Anya Taylor-Joy Could Make Rhaenys As Iconic As Daenerys Or Rhaenyra

Not to be confused with Rhaenys from House of the Dragon, Rhaenys is the younger sister of Aegon the Conqueror. Between the two sister wives, Rhaenys is known for being kind and playful, though she still has her role in the conquest, conquering castles and lands for her brother. Rhaenys and her dragon also had a powerful relationship, as she had a sense of wanderlust and loved riding.

Anya Taylor-Joy became an enormously popular star in the 2020s, which could benefit a character with so much potential to be iconic like Daenerys and Rhaenyra in the previous shows. She is known for some of her more intense roles, such as Furiosa in the Mad Max prequel movie and Thomasin in The Witch. These characters show off the warrior spirit necessary for Rhaenys. However, Taylor-Joy’s roles in The Queen’s Gambit and Emma also show a playfulness and rebelliousness that are also key aspects of the character.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

8 Visenya – Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer Could Play A Character Very Different From Killing Eve’s Villanelle

Visenya is the second of Aegon’s sisters who was also another one of his wives. There is a darker reputation around Visenya as she was seen as a stern and unforgiving warrior. There were also rumors that swirled around Visenya that she practiced dark sorcery in secret and that she was known to experiment with poisons against her enemies.

Killing Eve star Jodie Comer could be perfect to play Rhaenys’ older sister, Visenya. Aside from sharing some physical resemblance to Anya Taylor-Joy, Comer would be particularly exciting to see as the warrior Queen, who famously rode Vhagar, one of the most powerful dragons still alive in House of the Dragon. Jodie Comer has played a stern, passionate woman in a period drama before, with a fantastic role in The Last Duel. Given the popularity of her role as the twisted Villanelle in Killing Eve, Comer would be playing against type, from what TV fans have seen.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

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7 Orys – Jack Lowden

Jack Lowden Is Just A Hair-Dye Away From Being A Believable Baratheon Warrior

House Baratheon’s founder should resemble the Baratheons in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Orys Baratheon was known for being a fierce warrior and a loyal follower of Aegon. He was considered the king’s best friend and one of the only people he confided in. However, Orys’ path eventually turned him into a bitter man filled with a desire for revenge after he lost his hand in battle. He became consumed with conquering Dorne in particular.

While Jack Lowden doesn’t have the signature black hair to immediately associate him with the role, he has the physicality to play a Baratheon warrior, standing at 6’1. Lowden isn’t difficult to picture as the right-hand man to Callum Turner. Not to mention, he’s had his fair share of experience in period dramas, such as Wolf Hall and War & Peace. His role in Slow Horses also shows him to be a determined heroic type.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

6 Loren Lannister – Jack Farthing

Jack Farthing Is Perfect For A Smug Lannister Lord

Loren Lannister isn’t as defined as the Lannisters in Game of Thrones, but his choices have implications that he was prideful and foolish. Not every Lannister is evil, but Loren doesn’t seem like he’ll be a particularly likable member of the family. He is remembered alongside Mern IX Gardener collectively as the Two Kings as they took up arms against Aegon and his invasion before ultimately bending the knee. Loren Lannister’s age is unknown, but art depicting the character generally portrays him as roughly 30-40.

Poldark and Spencer star Jack Farthing has the quintessentially smarmy Lannister look and has played characters with similar bratty demeanors to the Lannisters in Game of Thrones. It is possible to see Farthing pulling off certain aspects that would be seen in some of the later Lannister descendants, such as Tywin’s cunningness, Tyrion’s intelligence, and Cersei’s ruthlessness.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

5 Harren Hoare – Timothy Spall

Timothy Spall Could Make Harren One Of The Most Despicable Characters In The Game of Thrones Franchise

Harren Hoare, referred to in Game of Thrones as Harren the Black, was the last King of the Isles and the Rivers who ruled from Harrenhal. By the time of Aegon’s Conquest, Harren was an older man known for years of cruelty and evil in his reign. The brutality of his ways inspired countless stories that struck fear into the hearts of the small folk.

Actor Timothy Spall, who played Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films, is a fantastic actor who would be compelling in a small role as the hateable Harren. It’d be a vastly different character from the rat-like, cowardly Peter Pettigrew, though equally detestable. Spall is more than capable of playing a commanding authority figure like Harren the Black, as he proved with his performance as Winston Churchill in the Oscar-winning movie The King’s Speech.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

4 Torrhen Stark – Kyle Soller

Kyle Soller Could Play Against Type As A Stark In Aegon’s Conquest

Torrhen Stark is another character whose age is difficult to pin down, though art depictions tend to paint him as being older, experienced, and burdened by the weight of rule. Torrhen is remembered in A Song of Ice and Fire as a noble king who saved thousands of lives from bloodshed by bending the knee to Aegon. However, his reputation is also interpreted by some as being cowardly, and is mockingly referred to by some people as the King Who Knelt.

Casting Kyle Soller, who’s become recognizable for playing the malicious Syril Karn in Andor, would be an exciting way to play against type. Syril is a very different character in terms of their goals, but they are both intense and driven men contending with how the world sees them. The actor certainly has the Stark look and the chops to play a role that is unlike his previous characters.

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3 Mern IX Gardener – Neil Maskell

Neil Maskell Could Play A Proud Westerosi Lord

Mern IX Gardener, the last King of the Reach, marched alongside Loren Lannister to defend their lands against Aegon the Conqueror. He was said to be a formidable king and warrior who was nearly successful at pushing back the Targaryen host during the pivotal battle known as the Field of Fire. However, when Aegon and his sisters took to the skies on their dragons, Mern and his sons were burned alive, ending House Gardener.

Again, Mern isn’t the most defined character and would likely play a supporting role in the HBO series. Art commonly depicts him as middle-aged and burly, so an experienced actor like Neil Maskell, who’s played supporting television roles for decades, could be perfect. He is best known for playing hitman Jay in The Kill List and starring as the titular character in the thriller Bull. Maskell has played a wartime leader before, with a recurring role as Winston Churchill in Peaky Blinders.

Other Possible Casting Choices:

2 Meria Martell – Adriana Barraza

Adriana Barraza Could Play A Formidable And Sympathetic Antagonist In Aegon’s Conquest

The conquest of the Seven Kingdoms isn’t that big of a challenge for Aegon Targaryen. That is, except for Dorne, who held out for decades under the leadership of Meria Martell and future rulers. The success of Dorne during the conquest will surely be one of the key aspects of the series to demonstrate that the Targaryens are vulnerable. Meria was seen an older woman and nearly blind by the time the conquest started, yet she remained a wise and a keen strategist.

Known as the Yellow Toad, Meria’s physical description isn’t kind, though it would be interesting to see if that was due to history being written by the victors, as she was one of the Targaryen family’s most hated rivals. Actress Adriana Barraza has the chops to play a formidable antagonist, akin to Olenna Tyrell’s role in Game of Thrones. Barraza was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in Babel, and she has also appeared in Drag Me to Hell, Rambo: Last Blood, and Blue Beetle as the wise family matriarch.

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1 Argilac Durrandon – Richard Armitage

The Hobbit Star Could Be Menacing As An Aegon’s Conquest Antagonist

Argilac Durrandon, the last Storm King, would be one of the show’s central antagonists. In his youth, Argilac was a proven warrior. However, by the time the conquest begins, he is a warrior past his prime and beginning to show his older age. However, this did not diminish his boldness in openly challenging Aegon. However, Argilac was killed in single combat against Orys Baratheon, beginning the reign of the Baratheons in the Stormlands.

It’s hard to imagine a better fit to that description than Richard Armitage, who played the warrior king Thorin in The Hobbit trilogy. Contrary to his previously playing a dwarf, Armitage is 6′ 2″ and would have the physicality to make for a menacing ruler of the stormlands. After all, Game of Thrones proved the merits of casting actors with previous roles in fantasy/medieval dramas with stars like Sean Bean and Carice van Houten.

Game of Thrones

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Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.

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Emilia Clarke , Peter Dinklage , Sophie Turner , Kit Harington , Lena Headey , Maisie Williams , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Iain Glen , John Bradley , Alfie Allen , Conleth Hill , Liam Cunningham , Gwendoline Christie , Aidan Gillen , Isaac Hempstead-Wright , Rory McCann , Nathalie Emmanuel , Jerome Flynn , Rhys Ifans , Matt Smith , Graham McTavish , Fabien Frankel , Steve Toussaint , Eve Best , Emma D’Arcy , Matthew Needham , Olivia Cooke , Milly Alcock , Emily Carey

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