James Norton features in new trailer as House Of The Dragon roars back

By Georgia Bates, Press Association

James Norton can be seen wearing full armour while sitting on a horse in a newly released teaser trailer for the upcoming season of House Of The Dragon.

The Happy Valley actor is to star as Lord Ormund Hightower in the third instalment of the epic HBO fantasy series, which is a prequel to Game Of Thrones.

Based on George RR Martin’s series of novels A Song Of Ice And Fire, the show stars a host of British talent including Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke.

The dramatic trailer opens with Daemon Targaryen, played by Smith, 43, telling Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by D’Arcy, 33, that she now has “a power no man has ever wielded”.

He adds: “You will have an empire unassailable, Rhaenyra. And our children will rule it forever and a day.”

Another clip shows Steve Toussaint’s Lord Corlys Velaryon telling Rhaenyra that it is for “you to decide what you want from this war” before Cooke’s Queen Alicent Hightower can be seen telling the character: “You will do things that your heart would have recoiled from before you came to the throne.”

During the trailer, Norton, 40, can be heard telling a crowd “we act with holy purpose to restore a rightful king” just moments before it cuts to Smith’s Daemon sitting in a throne.

As Norton speaks, Smith can be seen with cuts across his face and a dragon in the distance behind him.

Scenes of battles, fire-breathing dragons, and characters screaming feature in the trailer, which ends by informing viewers that the series will be available to stream from June 22nd.

The trailer ends with Rhaenyra saying: “There will be no doubt who the gods have chosen to rule.”

Some eight episodes will air weekly, with the season finale on August 10th.

House Of The Dragon last aired in 2024 for its second series, which saw Westeros on the brink of a bloody civil war as the Green and Black Councils fought for King Aegon Targaryen and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively.