'House Of The Dragon' Reportedly Began Casting, So Things Are *Happening*

It's been a year since Game of Thrones ended, and nearly a year since the pilot for the show's spinoff, referred to as Bloodmoon, was rejected. But that doesn't mean HBO is letting sleeping dragons lie. Somewhere far away, a new spinoff was in the preliminary stages. Announced as House of the Dragon, this upcoming series has been all quiet on the Westeros front for months since the title was revealed. But it seems House of the Dragon reportedly began casting recently, and fans are going wild with speculation about what the upcoming Targaryen-focused series will look like.

HBO has been pretty hush-hush on House of the Dragon details. The confirmed fact on the ground so far is that it is a prequel based on George R.R. Martin's already-published volume Fire & Blood, which covers the first 150 years of Targaryen rule from Aegon's Conquest through the civil war, Dance of the Dragons.

On top of that, fans have some ideas of what it won't cover. For instance, unlike Game of Thrones and the canceled prequel, it will not be Stark-centric. Further, there are rumors it won't include the conquest of Westeros by the Targaryen clan, and instead will focus on the Targaryen civil war.

Now, Entertainment Weekly confirms casting has begun for the series, which is expected to arrive in 2022. But true to form, there is no word yet on *which* roles are being cast, as that would give away exactly what the show will cover.

But that hasn't stopped the speculation. The lack of details merely encourages fans to theorize who the show is keeping under wraps. The two most significant players fans have focused on are Aegon II Targaryen and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.

There have been serval Aegons in Targaryen history. Game of Thrones viewers are doubtlessly familiar with Aegon I, aka Aegon the Conqueror, who founded King's Landing and the Targaryen dynasty alongside his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys. They may also know Aegon V, who stars in the Dunk & Egg stories. Known as Aegon The Unlikely, he was brother to Maester Aemon, and the last Targaryen of his name to rule. And (of course) there's Aegon VI Targaryen, better known as Jon Snow, star of Game of Thrones.

Aegon II is a lesser-known Targaryen for a good reason: He was not supposed to inherit the Iron Throne. His older half-sister, Rhaenyra, was the chosen heir of their father, Viserys I Targaryen, as the only surviving child from his first wife, Queen Aemma of House Arryn.

Rhaenyra was all set to be Westeros' first queen. But Viserys' second wife, Alicent Hightower, was a ruthlessly ambitious woman, determined her son would rule after his father. She even named him for the Conqueror himself, to show he was a worthy successor to the crown.

It was this civil war for the Iron Throne among Targaryens that began the Dance of the Dragons. If the series plans to start in this part of the histories, Aegon and Rhaenyra would be the primary roles the series would be currently casting for, alongside Viserys and Alicent.

Hopefully, HBO will announce those cast for the series soon. House of the Dragon is expected to start filming in 2021 for a 2022 debut.