'Poldark's' Josh Whitehouse Heads to Westeros for 'Game of Thrones' Prequel

It looks like Demelza is finished with the memory of Hugh Armitage for good, because actor Josh Whitehouse is officially leaving the world of Poldark (and the BBC) behind. It was announced this week he will be joining Naomi Watts as the first two significant actors of note to take roles in the upcoming prequel for HBO's Game of Thrones, entitled The Long Night.

The Long Night represents a new chapter in HBO's programming, as it is the first TV show spinoff of a successful series on the cable channel. Prior to this, when a show ended on HBO, that was it. Rome didn't get a spinoff called Gaul; The Sopranos didn't have a sequel called Meadow. Oz didn't make a prequel about how all their characters landed in jail. But Game of Thrones is different. It's the series that defines this current era of prestige fantasy television, and regularly gives HBO ratings of a magnitude never seen before. The network was so determined to make this work, they originally commissioned no less than five test scripts, one of which made it to the pilot filming stage. It is being written and directed by Jane Goldman of theKingsman movie franchise, along with original A Song of Ice & Fire author George R.R. Martin.

The good news is, much like the original series, HBO is looking to cast a mix of actors for The Long Night, both known and unknown, and much like the first series, they're drawing heavily on the BBC and ITV stables, as well as a few big screen names. Game of Thrones originally cast everyone from Sean Bean (Sharpe), Charles Dance (The Jewel In The Crown), and Rose Leslie (Downton Abbey). Watts was the first to be cast, as "a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret." Now Whitehouse, fresh from Cornwall and Poldark, will be joining her.