HBO announced today that Tony-winner Simon Russell Beale, GLOW alum Gayle Rankin, Slow Horses star Freddie Fox, and Raised By Wolves lead Abubakar Salim would be joining the cast of House of the Dragon Season 2. Beale and Fox will be playing members of the Strong and Hightower families, respectively, while Rankin and Salim will take on two lower born characters with pivotal roles to play in the Targaryen civil war known as the “Dance of the Dragons.”

House of the Dragon Season 1 ended with the Hightower loyalist faction known as the “Greens” working quickly to crown Alicent Hightower’s (Olivia Cooke) eldest son Aegon II immediately after Viserys I’s (Paddy Considine) death. When Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’arcy) discovers her birthright has been usurped in a coup, she dispatches her two eldest sons to ride their dragons to various noble houses to shore up support. The younger boy, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), and his dragon are killed mid-flight by his uncle Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). Lucerys’s death naturally will push the tense political situation into a full out war in Season 2.

Variety reports that Simon Russell Beale will play Ser Simon Strong, who will take over as Castellan of Harrenhal after his nephew Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) orchestrated the deaths of his own father and brother in Season 1. Harrenhal will be a strategic stronghold during the Dance of the Dragons.

Also at Harrenhal? Gayle Rankin’s Alys Rivers. Variety describes her simply as “a healer and resident of Harrenhal.” In George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, Alys Rivers is purported to be a witch of some sort, blessed (or cursed) with prophetic visions. She also gets very close to one of the Targaryens on Team Green…

Freddie Fox will play Alicent Hightower’s brother Ser Gwayne Hightower. This means Ser Gwayne is also the son of Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and the uncle to Alicent’s Targaryen brood. A version of Gwayne jousted in the tourney in the House of the Dragon series premiere.

Finally, Abubakar Salim, best known for playing the paternal, pun-loving android “Father” in HBO Max’s Raised By Wolves, is playing Alyn of Hull. Variety reports Alyn is “a sailor in the Velaryon fleet who served in the Stepstones campaign.” Book readers know that Alyn becomes a key power player on Team Black, thanks to his unique connection with House Velaryon. It’s unclear if fans will also meet Alyn’s heroic brother Addam of Hull, or if the two roles are being combined for the show.

House of the Dragon Season 2 officially went into production less than two weeks ago. Since then, HBO has also announced a second Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. House of the Dragon Season 2 is expected to premiere on HBO and the streaming service MAX sometime in 2024.