House of the Dragon has been ramping up its promises of war and mayhem as its June return inches closer. And, yes, dragons and bloodthirsty Targaryens are never not entertaining. But the Westeros show that a lot of George R.R. Martin fans are really longing to see more of is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which wrapped up its delightful first season earlier this year.
Season two is happening—weather delays be damned—and HBO has already revealed casting for three key roles. Now, showrunner Ira Parker is teasing what the new characters will be bringing to the table. Martin readers who are familiar with “The Sworn Sword” already have impressions of Lady Rohanne, aka the Red Widow (who’ll be played by Lucy Boynton), Ser Eustace Osgrey (Peter Mullan), and Ser Bennis of the Brown Shield (Babou Ceesay), but seeing them come to life is an exciting prospect.
“She has a way of making Dunk uncomfortable, which is very good for us,” Parker said to Entertainment Weekly about Lady Rohanne. “Some of our other characters on season one did that very well, and that’s what we need from the Red Widow for a variety of reasons. This is essentially Dunk wading into politics. Maybe he’s gotten pretty good with a sword and pretty good riding a horse and being a sword for hire, but not so good at talking to highborn ladies or politicking in general. So somebody who can make him feel back-footed is gonna lead to good situations for us.”
Parker didn’t give any new details on Ser Eustace—Mullan, a veteran actor whose credits include Ozark and Westworld, seems an excellent choice for the slippery head of House Osgrey—but he had high praise for Ceesay (Alien: Earth) and his take on the character.
“He’s given us a really full, interesting Ser Bennis,” Parker told EW. “He’s a good foil to Dunk and also to Egg, which you’re always looking for. He has, I don’t know, just this way of making sense. Even in saying bad things, you sort of want him to be your friend.”
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season two is slated to arrive in 2027.
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