House of the Dragon Season 3 Welcomes Happy Valley’s James Norton as Ormund Hightower!

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In the third season of the HBO series “House of the Dragon,” a new cast member has been announced – the star from “Happy Valley” will portray Ormund Hightower. According to Variety, Ormund is related to Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), and their father, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). As Alicent’s cousin, Ormund is also the second cousin of her Targaryen sons, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), who are currently in hiding. Ormund holds the title of Lord of Oldtown.

In this show, “House of the Dragon”, we find that Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Emma D’Arcy) represents one part or faction, often referred to as the “Green” side of House Targaryen. Meanwhile, another faction, the “Black” side, is headed by someone else within the house. The Season 2 finale has armies on both sides preparing for war and introducing a few new characters who can ride dragons into the conflict.

Following the demise of his father, Lord Hobert Hightower, Ormund assumes a significant position during the Targaryen civil war, also known as “The Dance of the Dragons.” His duties involve leading the Hightower forces from Oldtown towards Kings Landing, where it appears he will subsequently engage in conflict, most likely against Rhaenyra. A twist in the narrative is that Ormund is now responsible for a ward who was inherited from his father, Daeron Targaryen, and happens to be Alicent’s youngest son, who also has potential to ride dragons. Otto alludes to his nephew Ormund in Season 2, even though he does not appear on screen, paving the way for James Norton’s introduction in Season 3.

Apart from playing a key role in the British crime drama “Happy Valley,” which debuted in 2023 for its third season, this English actor has also made appearances in detective dramas such as “Grantchester” and “McMafia.” Additionally, he’s had stints on another show, “The Nevers,” produced by HBO. His connection to Game of Thrones is strengthened by his role in the 2016 miniseries adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War & Peace.” In recent news, he’s been mentioned among several potential candidates for the next James Bond.

What Does the Future Hold In Store for House of the Dragon?

The TV series titled “House of the Dragon” is derived from George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire and Blood,” and it unfolds approximately 200 years prior to the happenings in “Game of Thrones.” Co-creator and Season 2 showrunner for “House of the Dragon,” Ryan Condal, hinted that the series will span four seasons, although an official confirmation has not been made yet.

At an August 2024 press conference, Condal also verified that the scripting for House of the Dragon Season 3 was underway, with filming set to commence “somewhat in early 2025.” When asked if the third season would follow the same episode count as before, Condal responded affirmatively.

As of now, I haven’t talked about it with HBO. However, I expect the rhythm and narrative style of the series, focusing on drama, will remain consistent from Season 2 and beyond.

* The first season of House of the Dragon consisted of 10 episodes.
* George R.R. Martin mentioned in his personal blog that he believed it would take four seasons of 10 episodes each to tell the story of Fire and Blood on TV, but based on comments by Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon may have to settle for eight.
* The third season of House of the Dragon is expected to require most of the year 2025 to complete filming, indicating that new episodes will probably not air until summer 2026.

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2025-02-02 02:03