Actor Behind Hated Game of Thrones Character to Finally Return in New TV Series

Six years after retiring from acting due to the hate he received for his role on HBO's Game of Thrones, actor Jack Gleeson is returning to television. According to a new report from RadioTimes, the actor has been cast in Out Of Her Mind, an upcoming comedy from BBC that "aims to subvert" traditional sitcoms by coming eccentric characters and animation. Gleeson is joining Fiona Button, Adrian Edmondson, Navin Chowdhry, Sean Filder, Tom Stuart, Jumayn Hunter, and Sheila Reid on the show.

To date, Gleeson is best known for his role as Joffrey Baratheon, the one character most couldn't wait to see kick the bucket. In 2014, the actor told Entertainment Weekly acting wasn't necessarily something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

"The answer isn't interesting or long-winded," Gleeson told the magazine back in 2014. "I've been acting since age 8. I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to. And now there's the prospect of doing it for a living, whereas up until now it was always something I did for recreation with my friends, or in the summer for some fun. I enjoyed it. When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it. It's not like I hate it, it's just not what I want to do."

In total, Gleeson ended up portraying Joffrey in 26 episodes from 2011 to 2014 before being killed off during his second wedding ceremony. Gleeson's time on the series might be well over, but that's not stopping HBO from pushing forward with other series set in the franchise.

The premium cable network previously confirmed a prequel series — House of the Dragon — had been ordered straight to series and is expected to be released sometime in 2022.

"I expect to be involved in [the production of House of the Dragon] to some extent… and, who knows, if things work out, I may even be able to script a few episodes, as I did for the first four seasons of Game of Thrones," franchise creator George R.R. Martin shared on his blog. "But… let me make this perfectly clear… I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered Winds of Winter. Winter is still coming, and Winds remains my priority, as much as I'd love to write an [episode] of House."

Game of Thrones streaming is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Now.