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House of the Dragon Season 3 Adds Little Women Star in Key Role

House of the Dragon has found its Ormund Hightower.

James Norton in Little Women

Little Women star James Norton has been cast in House of the Dragon Season 3. According to Variety, he will portray the character of Ormund Hightower, who is the Lord of Oldtown. This will mark the first time Ormund will be seen on-screen, after previously being referenced through dialogue in House of the Dragon Season 2. During that second season, it was confirmed that Ormund was making preparations for a march out of Oldtown. Per the character description, he and his forces are en route to King’s Landing “to support his house against Rhaenyra.” Ormund is the nephew of Otto Hightower and cousin of Alicent and Gwayne Hightower.

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Outside of portraying John Brooke in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women adaptation, Norton has appeared in a variety of films and shows. He earned a BAFTA nomination for his turn in the TV series Happy Valley. Other notable credits include episodes of Doctor Who and Black Mirror.

HBO recently confirmed House of the Dragon Season 3 will not premiere until at least mid-2026. As fans wait for the show’s return, another Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will debut this year. It is unknown when House of the Dragon Season 3 will begin production.

House of the Dragon Season 2 ended with a cliffhanger, concluding the final episode before a major battle between the Black and Green factions starts. As one of the key members of the latter faction, Ormund should have an intriguing role to play on the show as the civil war heats up. In particular, it will be fascinating to see if there are any deviations in his portrayal when compared to the source material. House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, but there are some key differences between the two. Last year, Martin made headlines when he criticized House of the Dragon for changing the book’s “Blood and Cheese” sequence and suggested there would be “more toxic butterflies to come” as the show continued. Perhaps Ormund’s role in the narrative will be one of those changes, but it’s too early to know for sure.

Norton’s casting could mean House of the Dragon Season 3 will start rolling cameras in the near future. If the show is to return next year, principal photography will almost have to take place at some point this year, giving the creative team plenty of time to handle post-production responsibilities such as extensive visual effects shots. It’ll be interesting to see if there are any other actors who join Norton as newcomers to the show’s stacked ensemble.