HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series The Long Night has cast Josh Whitehouse (Poldark) as its lead, though his character remains a mystery for now. Writer Jane Goldman and the rest of the team are currently casting in London, and this reveal follows closely on the heels of Naomi Watts being cast as a "charismatic socialite."

Set 8000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, The Long Night will explore the first time that Westeros was beset by a long and terrible, during which the White Walkers and their wight army descended on the weakened, freezing, and starving population. The series is expected to begin filming in early 2019, ready to take over the franchise after Game of Thrones' eighth and final season.

Deadline reports that Whitehouse will play the lead role in The Long Night's pilot (which obviously doesn't preclude him being killed off at the end of season 1), but unlike with Watts, there are no details available as to what type of character he'll be playing. The show is set so far back in time that we don't know much about the world it's set in, other than stories about legendary figures like Azor Ahai and The Last Hero. Whitehouse could be playing either of those characters, or neither.

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