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House of the Dragon: Beale, Fox, Rankin & Salim Join Season 2 Cast

Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin & Abubakar Salim have joined the cast of HBO/Max's House of the Dragon Season 2.

Earlier this month, we learned that production on the second season of HBO & showrunner Ryan Condal's House of the Dragon was officially underway at Leavesden Studios in the United Kingdom. Now, we're learning some of the new faces set to join the cast. Simon Russell Beale (Vanity Fair), Freddie Fox (Slow Horses), Gayle Rankin (GLOW) & Abubakar Salim (Raised by Wolves) have joined the cast of the "Game of Thrones" spinoff series. "'House of the Dragon' has returned. We are thrilled to be shooting again with members of our original family as well as new talents on both sides of the camera. All your favorite characters will soon be conspiring at the council tables, marching with their armies, and riding their dragons into battle. We can't wait to share what we have in store," Condal shared in a statement. Beale is set for Ser Simon Strong, Castellan of Harrenhal and great-uncle to Lord Larys; Fox will portray Ser Gwayne Hightower, son of Otto Hightower, brother to Queen Alicent, and uncle to King Aegon, Queen Helaena, and Prince Aemond; Rankin is set for Alys Rivers, a healer and resident of Harrenhal; Salim is on tap for Alyn of Hull, a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones campaign.

HBO's House of the Dragon Season 2 stars Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham. Based on author & executive producer George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," the prequel series is also executive produced by Condal, Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, and Vince Gerardis.

House of the Dragon Season 2: Fewer Episodes, Season 3?

Deadline Hollywood reported exclusively last month that the second season of the "Game of Thrones" prequel series would consist of eight episodes and not ten, unlike the first season. The reason? The report continued that the move was part of a "bigger picture" plan for the series that included HBO considering a third-season pick-up. Regarding the decrease in episodes, initial thoughts were that the move was a result of Warner Bros. Discovery's cost-cutting measure, but sources close to the production say that the move was for the sake of the story. With HOTD's creative team setting a 3-4 season course for the series, Condal reportedly worked with author/executive producer George R.R. Martin to establish a better overall sense of how the storylines should line up regarding which seasons they would take place, the battles that would be included, and more. As a result, Season 3 has reportedly been mapped out (with some plotlines & a major battle from Season 2 shifted to the third season), with HBO considering an early greenlight to get a head start on scripts, casting, and overall production plans.

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