As House of the Dragon ramps up towards filming, there’s some high-profile casting. 

According to Variety, James Norton is to join the Game of Thrones prequel series playing the character of Ormund Hightower.

Previously mentioned in season 2, Ormund is allied to his cousin Queen Alicent’s faction. The character’s official description places him as “… presently leading the Hightower host in a march on King’s Landing to support his house against Rhaenyra.”

Production on season 3 begins in the coming months with the show is expected to conclude after a fourth run – although that has yet to be confirmed.

James Norton is no stranger to swords and armour, having taken a lead role in the forthcoming King & Conqueror. Playing Harold, Earl of Wessex, we’ll see him pitted against opposite former Thrones‘ star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William of Normandy. He also appeared in 2014’s Northmen: A Viking Saga too.

Most recently, he was on our screens in the child swap thriller Playing Nice.

We’ll keep you posted on House of the Dragon season 3.