Game of Thrones spin off cast revealed

Winter is coming and the end of Game Of Thrones is nigh - but fans can take heart from the latest announcement about the eagerly awaited prequel.

HBO has revealed details of cast members, with a host of young rising stars confirmed for early Westeros - including Star Wars actress Naomi Ackie, Olivier award-winner Denise Gough and Fantastic Beasts star Jamie Campbell Bower.

The as yet unnamed series takes place thousands of years before the events in Game Of Thrones, with HBO saying it "chronicles the world's descent from the Age Of Heroes into its darkest hour".

Other newly announced additions are Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp and Toby Regbo, and British director SJ Clarkson has been confirmed to lead the pilot episode.

Fans are advised to forget any preconceived ideas, with this message in a HBO teaser: "From the horrifying secrets of Westeros's history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one thing is for sure: it's not the story we think we know."

 Little else has been revealed about the prequel of Game of Thrones or the characters, but we do know the new cast members join Hollywood star Naomi Watts - who will play a lead role as a "charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret" - and Poldark's Josh Whitehouse, who were revealed last year.

The prequel was created by British screenwriter Jane Goldman, alongside the author of the novel series, George RR Martin.

The eighth and final season of Game Of Thrones, which stars Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage, will be broadcast in April.

Game Of Thrones fans - here's a bit more on the faces soon to be filling your TV binges.

Naomi Ackie

Rising star Ackie has a lead role in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX film, starring Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, also appeared in Idris Elba's Yardie and was critically acclaimed for her debut in 2016's Lady Macbeth.

Denise Gough

Irish actress Gough appears in 2018's Collette, starring Keira Knightley, and Juliet, Naked, starring Chris O'Dowd and Rose Byrne, and has also performed on stage in The Painter and Messiah V: The Rapture.

Jamie Campbell Bower

Campbell Bower has quite an impressive CV already, playing the young Gindelwald to Johnny Depp's elder version in 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald.

He also appeared in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, RocknRolla and the Twilight and Harry Potter film series. Sharing the Game Of Thrones news on social media, he said: 'I'm shaking with joy to able to share this news with you. A real pinch me moment. x'

 Sheila Atim

Atim, who has appeared in the TV series Bounty Hunters, announced the news of her casting on Twitter, posting details of the news with the caption: 'Happy New Year! '

Ivanno Jeremiah

Best known for Humans, Jeremiah has also appeared in episodes of Dr Who and Black Mirror.

Georgie Henley

Henley is best known for playing Lucy in The Chronicles Of Narnia film series, and also played a young Jane Eyre in the 2006 TV series. Announcing her addition to the prequel of Game of Thrones cast, she said: 'This still does not feel real but wow am I excited and grateful, holy moly '

Alex Sharp

Sharp was the lead in the stage adaptation of the best-selling novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, and recently starred in How To Talk To Girls At Parties and Marti Noxon's To The Bone.

Toby Regbo

You can see Regbo in Netflix series The Last Kingdom - and like Campbell Bower, he also appeared in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, as the young Albus Dumbledore to Jude Law's elder version.