Game of Thrones Prequel Cast Includes Naomi Watts, Josh Whitehouse and More

Don’t cry because Game of Thrones is ending this year, smile because the prequel set 8,000 years before the George R.R. Martin-penned novels-turned-HBO series is finalizing it’s cast.

Numerous newcomers join the previously cast leads Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse for the series unofficially known as The Long Night. Already, this ensemble appears to be much more diverse than Game of Thrones (an oversight for which the series has been heavily criticized throughout its eight seasons). Additionally, the showrunner, Jane Goldman, and director of the pilot are both women according to the Instagram Story of Georgie Henley, one of the new members of the cast. You’ve seen some of these actors before—in various franchises, like Harry Potter or Twilight—and you will undoubtedly become familiar with others for their upcoming appearances in Star Wars and more. Many characters have yet to be outlined for the general public, but Watts is slated to play a “charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret,” per previous announcements concerning the prequel.

Filming has yet to begin, yet one thing is clear—this prequel will be set so far into the past that the characters from Game of Thrones like Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, and Cersei Lannister have yet to be born. Previous reports are, of course, hush-hush about the HBO series, but what is known is that “the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour.” HBO has also revealed that “from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know.” Meet your rising stars of The Long Night, here.

Naomi Watts

No offense to anyone else, but Watts may be the most A-List name to ever join the Thrones franchise as a regular (a testament to the growing popularity of the show). A double Oscar nominee, she’ll play a socialite with a dark secret, which immediately makes us think she may be the Cersei Lannister of the prequel, but we’re sure producers have something in mind much complicated than that.

Josh Whitehous

The Brit-born Male model is a former face of a Burberry cologne, but more recently could be seen in a role on Poldark.

Miranda Richardson

The British Actress already as a BAFTA and two Golden Globes (in addition to two Oscar nominations), but perhaps she’ll earn an Emmy for her undisclosed role in the prequel. Of course, general fantasy audiences may know Richardson best as Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter films.

Denise Gough

Real theater heads know—Denise Gough has worked tirelessly for years to become a relentless performer on stage and on screen. People, Places, Things and Angels in America are just two of the most recent plays for which Gough has received critical acclaim. In 2018, the Irish actress also appeared as Keira Knightley’s love interest in Colette.

Naomi Ackie

Naomi Ackie might be familiar to you if you’ve seen the 2016 film Lady Macbeth (based on Nikolai Leskov’s short story, not the Scottish play), in which she played a 19th century housemaid named Anna. Last year, the 27-year-old actress also stole many scenes playing a bumbling millennial blogger in Hulu’s underrated comedy series, The Bisexual. Aside from her upcoming role in the Game of Thrones prequel series, she has also secured a (still to-be-disclosed) role in Star Wars: Episode IX, slated to be out later this year.

Jamie Campbell Bower

Jamie Campbell Bower has a taste for the franchise life—he’s played Caius in The Twilight Saga, Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and even portrayed King Arthur in the short-lived Starz series, Camelot. He also played Anthony Hope in the 2007 film adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and puts those pipes to use as the front runner of his London-based band COUNTERFEIT.

Sheila Atim

In 2018, Sheila Atim was the winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for her performance in Girl from the North Country. The 27-year-old performer also once attended the WAC Arts program in London, alongside Michaela Coel and Daniel Kaluuya. The actress and singer often performs in a style she calls “jazz-hop” and cites Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston, and grime as her inspirations.

Ivanno Jeremiah

Ivanno Jeremiah is best known for his performance as Max on the Channel 4 sci-fi series Humans and for appearing in the “Shut Up and Dance” episode of Black Mirror. Like many British actors before him, he also completed the rite of passage of appearing on an episode of Doctor Who in 2017.

Georgie Henley

It’s a big year for those former Chronicles of Narnia kids. Will Poulter made an appearance in Black Mirror‘s “Bandersnatch” episode, and now, little Lucy Pevensie—aka Georgie Henley—is all grown up (she’s 23 now) and starring in the Game of Thrones prequel. In between all of that, Henley graduated from the University of Cambridge, where she appeared in and directed numerous stage productions.

Alex Sharp

You know Alex Sharp from How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Netflix’s To the Bone, and for originating the Tony award winning role of Christopher Boone in Broadway’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time after he graduated from Juilliard in 2014. Aside from being cast in The Long Night, the 29-year-old British actor will appear in The Sunlit Night alongside Jenny Slate and The Hustle with Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.

Toby Regbo

Toby Regbo was made for royal and royal-adjacent period dramas. The 27-year-old starred as King Francis II of France on The CW’s Reign and as Æthelred on BBC Two’s The Last Kingdom. He also played Young Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, so he’ll be reuniting with Bower, an old Harry Potter extended universe pal on the set of The Long Night.

Marquis Rodriguez

Rodriguez has one of the lead roles in Ava DuVernay’s upcoming Netflix miniseries When They See Us, but he also had a recurring role on Netflix’s Iron Fist.

John Simm

A longtime veteran of British television, some fantasy fans are already well aquatinted with Simms. He played the role of “The Master” on seven episodes of Dr. Who and played the lead role on Life On Mars. He also played New Order and Joy Division bassist Bernard Sumner in 24 Hour Party People. More recently, he had a part in the British miniseries Collateral.

Richard McCabe

What we talk about when we talk about “serious theater actors” is people like McCabe. He’s an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has a Tony and Olivier Award. Though, he won’t turn down a recurring television role her and there. You can also see him on Poldark, Harlots, and as Winston Churchill on Peaky Blinders. More recently, he had a part in the British miniseries Collateral.

John Heffernan

Another British theater vet with a background in Shakespeare, though he’s also appeared on an episode of The Crown. More recently, he had a part in the British miniseries Collateral (we guess someone on staff just got done binging Collateral).

Dixie Egerickx

13-year-old Egerickx’s biggest role to date is as Mary Lennox in the upcoming remake of The Secret Garden.

Related: Game of Thrones Prequel Casts Josh Whitehouse — Here’s Everything Else to Know About the Upcoming Series