House of the Dragon Season 3 Castings Point to a Bloody Battle

House of the Dragon season 2 had a bit of a climax issue. As has been extensively covered at Den of Geek and by the Militant Geek Industrial Complex of the internet at large, the second season of HBO’s first Game of Thrones prequel just kind of ends.

House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 “The Queen Who Ever Was” puts in some admirable legwork to set up no fewer than three major incoming battles and then doesn’t get around to depicting them. While the show has its reasons for cutting things off prematurely, season 2’s anticlimax does put a lot of pressure on season 3 to bring the bloody action. Thankfully, HBO revealed today that not only is House of the Dragon season 3 officially in production, but it’s also cast two prominent roles that point to some armed conflict to come.

Here are the relevant details on the two new characters and the actors who play them.

Tommy Flanagan as Ser Roderick Dustin

Ser Roderick Dustin is the Lord of Barrowton and the head of House Dustin, which is sworn to House Stark of Winterfell. If you recall, Lord Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor) swore The North’s allegiance to Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and her Black faction at the beginning of season 2. As such, Ser Roderick is one of many Northmen marching south towards the Neck to assist the dragon queen.

Another thing you might recall from season 2 is that Lord Cregan can’t necessarily afford to send his youngest, best, and brightest to battle at the moment – you know, with winter coming and all. Still, Lord Cregan promises that even the elder Northerners will be fierce fighters for Queen Rhaenyra. Ser Roderick is great evidence of that.

Known as “Roddy the Ruin,” Ser Roderick Dustin is an absolute beast on the battlefield despite his advanced age. He is the general who Lord Cregan has entrusted with leading an army of 2,000 “Winter Wolves” to support Rhaenyra’s claim. Ser Roderick will eventually lead the charge into a battle known as the “Butcher’s Ball” – a particularly blood event (even by Westerosi standards).

Playing Ser Roderick is Tommy Flanagan, a Scottish actor best known for his role as Chibs in Sons of Anarchy and for his genre work in projects like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gotham, and Westworld. He also just happens to have distinctive facial scarring that will give Ser Roderick an extra dimension of badassery.

Dan Fogler as Ser Torrhen Manderly

Ser Torrhen Manderly is a member of House Manderly, which just happens to be one of my personal favorite families from the Game of Thrones mythos. A long time ago in the Age of Heroes, House Manderly was cast out of its homestead in the Reach by King Gwayne III Gardener. They traveled the continent of Westeros, searching for a new home and ultimately being granted lands in The North by House Stark. The Manderlys’ gratitude for this offering has lasted for thousands of years making them one of House Stark’s absolute ride-or-dies. Manderly men also tend to be both very brave and very rotund, hammering home the story’s themes that heroism can come in any form.

Ser Torrhen is currently riding down with Ser Roderick and the Winter Wolves. He will have a major role to play in incoming battles and their subsequent diplomacy and negotiations. Playing Ser Torrhen is Dan Fogler. One of the few American actors to join the Game of Thrones universe, Fogler is best known for his roles in the Fantastic Beasts films, The Walking Dead, and for playing Francis Ford Coppola in Paramount+’s The Offer.

House of the Dragon season 3 does not yet have a release date but has been confirmed to contain eight episodes.

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