Henry Cavill Doesn't Feel Like He Belongs In House Of The Dragon
Perhaps the biggest success of the 2022 television year is "House of the Dragon," the "Game of Thrones" spinoff that defied expectations and went on to bring in over 9 million viewers during its chaotic finale. The lovechild of "Game of Thrones" fan-favorite director Miguel Sapochnik, writer Ryan Condal, and "A Song of Ice and Fire" writer George R.R. Martin, the prequel series is set some 200 years before Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) vied for the Iron Throne.
"House of the Dragon" is just the latest work of fantasy that has dominated the larger culture. In the wake of HBO's success with "Game of Thrones," several networks and streamers decided to jump on the bandwagon. Amazon's Prime Video dropped a billion dollars to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth to life with "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," while Disney is tapping into its rich catalog to bring "Willow" back with an upcoming series. Netflix, which boasts over 220 million subscribers (via The New York Times), went ahead and adapted Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher" in the wake of the popularity of the video game franchise of the same name.
To play Geralt, the titular monster-hunting Witcher, Netflix tapped Henry Cavill for the role. A fan of the series, Cavill was praised endlessly for his role in the fantasy series, now one of Netflix's biggest franchises. Cavill has his fingers all over geekdom, and seeing as he's already dipped his toes in the world of fantasy, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to imagine him as a nefarious Targaryen in "House of the Dragon." Cavill, who has hands full more than ever, has a different view on appearing in the "Game of Thrones" spinoff.
There's no place in Westeros for Henry Cavill
Rumors began to swirl earlier this year suggesting that Henry Cavill would be joining "House of the Dragon" alongside Marvel star Elizabeth Olsen (per FandomWire). Fans wanted just as much, with NME compiling several instances of online chatter hoping to manifest into real casting. While there wasn't much weight to these rumblings — reputable outlets steered clear from discussing them — the pair are inspired casting choices, especially Cavill, whose British heritage makes him a perfect contender for the fantasy spinoff. Unfortunately, Cavill has no plans to join the Targaryens in their brewing civil war.
In the wake of Cavill announcing his return as Superman, Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz asked the star if he was aware of the rumors regarding his "House of the Dragon" appointment. "To be fair, when I was watching 'House of the Dragon', I was like 'I feel like a lot of these guys could make really good Witchers,'" the actor replied. Cavill has portrayed the titular character in "The Witcher" for two seasons and intends on returning for a third season before passing the sword over to Liam Hemsworth. Horowitz continued by pressing Cavill to comment on the rumors, to which the actor replied with a resounding confirmation that he has no plans to join the HBO series. "I think it would be cool to be in Westeros, I really do. I don't think there's a place for me in there, though," the actor said.