House of the Dragon‘s second season will go down as one of the most controversial in HBO history, but the prequel isn’t worried about the past. It’s moving forward with its next season.

James Norton has been tapped to portray Ormund Hightower in Season 3 of HBO's House of the Dragon, Deadline has learned.

Even though the second season hasn't matched the record-breaking numbers of the first season, which premiered with 9.986 million viewers in the summer of 2022, the continuous rise in viewership is a positive sign,

The third season of HBO 's popular series House of the Dragon has made a major casting decision. Actor James Norton, known for his work in Happy Valley and Restless, will play Ormund Hightower, Variety reported. The character was referenced in the second season but never appeared on screen.

James Norton has been signed for the role of Ormund Hightower in HBO's House of the Dragon in its forthcoming third season.

House of the Dragon ended Season 2 back in August with its strongest Game of Thrones connection to date, but the third season of the clash between the Greens and the Blacks isn't expected until well after the end of the 2025 TV schedule and into 2026.

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Variety has learned exclusively that James Norton will join the HBO show’s upcoming third season as Ormund.