‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Casts James Norton as Ormund Hightower (EXCLUSIVE) – Variety
By
Joe Otterson
TV Reporter
“House of the Dragon” has found its Ormund Hightower.
Variety has learned exclusively that James Norton will join the HBO show’s upcoming third season as Ormund.
The official description for the character states that he is “Otto’s (Rhys Ifans) nephew, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Gwayne’s (Freddie Fox) cousin, and the Lord of Oldtown. He is presently leading the Hightower host in a march on King’s Landing to support his house against Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy).”
The character had previously been reference during Season 2 of “House of the Dragon” but has never been seen onscreen.
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Norton is perhaps best known for his roles in the British TV shows “Happy Valley” and “Grantchester,” though he has also starred in series such as “McMafia” and the 2016 miniseries adaptation of “War & Peace.” Norton also previously starred in the HBO series “The Nevers” and he received a BAFTA nomination in 2015 for his role in “Happy Valley.” He has starred in films such as 2019’s “Little Women,” “Bob Marley: One Love,” “Nowhere Special,” and “Joy.” He is repped by The Artists Partnership, WME, and Tapestry London.
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“House of the Dragon” is based on the George R.R. Martin book “Fire and Blood,” telling the tale of the Targaryen civil war in Westeros that came to be known as The Dance of Dragons, roughly 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones.”
Martin co-created the series with Ryan Condal. Along with Condal, who served as the showrunner for Season 2, and Martin, the show is executive produced by Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere and Vince Gerardis. Production is expected to begin on Season 3 within the next few months.
Speaking at a press conference in August 2024, Condal confirmed that the plan is for the show to conclude with a fourth season, though Season 4 of the series has yet to be formally greenlit.
The cast of the series includes Matt Smith, Cooke, D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Ifans, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
Note: An earlier version of this story stated that “House of the Dragon” had already been renewed for Season 4. The error has been corrected.
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