Following the success of HBO’s House of the Dragon, a spinoff called Aegon’s Conquest is currently in the works with The Batman Part II writer Mattson Tomlin. The upcoming project will serve as a direct prequel to the 2022 series which follows Aegon I Targaryen’s invasion of Westeros.
As the hype around the series grows stronger, so does the obsession of fans with The Witcher’s Henry Cavill taking on the titular role. For a long time, he has been a favorite fan cast due to his strong appeal and experience in fantasy shows. In this case, it’s time to burst that bubble and realize that Aegon the Conqueror deserves a more suitable actor than Cavill.
Henry Cavill Is Unfit To Lead HBO’s Aegon’s Conquest
Aegon I Targaryen was born in 27 BC to Lord Aerion of Dragonstone and Lady Valaena of House Velaryon. He was 25 years of age when he started his journey conquering Westeros, which means Aegon’s Conquest must cast an actor of the same age range. Henry Cavill is too old for the part since he is already in his 40s.
As the future ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Aegon I fought every battle with his sisters-wives at his side. He married Visenya, his older sister as part of the Targaryen tradition, though he also took Rhaenys, the younger one, because he was fond of her.
All three of them engaged in incestuous acts, something Cavill might find off-putting as he publicly dissed s*x scenes and called them “overused these days.” The show cannot remove these types of sequences as it is crucial to the narrative.
No actors have been attached to Aegon’s Conquest yet, though it is highly possible that casting the Man of Steel star in the show will only prevent other significant characters from thriving. Notice how House of the Dragon featured up-and-coming actors and they all equally made their marks in the show.
Cavill’s previous projects after Netflix’s The Witcher were not as stellar as fans hope them to be. The actor pretty much botched his career when he starred in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, and now, he’s starring again in another spy action film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The studio would not want his streak of flopped movies to affect the reputation of Aegon’s Conquest.
Henry Cavill’s Strict Adherence To The Books Might Cause Creative Issues
Another major aspect that HBO must take into consideration is Henry Cavill’s strictness when it comes to screen adaptations. The Witcher franchise basically ended up in a state of disarray after issues of creative differences emerged between the showrunner and the lead star.
Cavill very much plays by the book and prefers to stick to the material. House of the Dragon was praised for giving the characters a refreshing take that is different from yet respectful to the source. Even George R.R. Martin was happy with the outcome.
The showrunners would definitely want to inject a couple of their artistic choices into the show so they should cast an actor who is very open to creative changes. At this point, Cavill does not really look like a suitable choice to lead HBO’s Aegon’s Conquest.
