House of the Dragon showrunner likens Ormund Hightower to Tywin Lannister

House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal says audiences should prepare for the arrival of Ormund Hightower. "He's the Lord of the Hightower, basically the Tywin Lannister [Charles Dance] of this world," Condal tells the latest issue of SFX. Condal notes Ormund is the richest man not sitting on a throne, commands the largest standing army left in Westeros and has a dragon, which will "introduce a big old wrinkle into this." He adds that Ormund began as "really a sketch in the book" and the team had fun "diving in and creating a really deep, complex and three-dimensional character." On screen, Ormund is first cousin to Alicent Hightower and nephew to Otto Hightower.

In the books he is head of House Hightower and Lord of Oldtown during the Dance of the Dragons; in the show his fate is left to speculation, as many characters meet tragic ends. James Norton plays Ormund; he is perhaps best known for his leading role in the British crime drama Happy Valley (and, as the piece notes, for playing John in Greta Gerwig's Little Women).

ormund hightower, tywin lannister, ryan condal, james norton, house hightower, oldtown, alicent hightower, otto hightower, westeros, dragon