House of the Dragon actor Abubakar Salim is set to be a focal point in one of the series’ biggest ever battles. Excitingly, he also took inspiration from God of War for his upcoming performance.
Salim, who plays bastard child Alyn of Hull in the HBO series, found parallels with his seafaring character and that of the Ghost of Sparta ahead of his pibotal role in the third season’s Battle of the Gullet.
“Kratos is a man who has also been wronged by his father, who is trying to start anew with a family, who has only felt and seen rage and felt wronged by his lineage,” Salim told Polygon.
Salim, who portrayed Bayek in 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, added, “There’s a lot to unpack there and [find] similarities with Alyn. Alyn’s power comes from rage – this kind of unkempt anger – and I think it’s dangerous. In moments of crisis, or in moments of fighting, he taps into that.”
In case there was any doubt about the influence of Kratos on Alyn, Salim confirmed, “I was very much leaning into Kratos that whole time. It was like God of War. Pull this in. Kill whatever I can. It was really something.”
The Battle of the Gullet, one of the biggest naval battles in Westeros’ storied history, is one of the turning points in the civil war for the crown. Showrunner Ryan Condal described season 3’s premiere as “arguably the craziest episode of television ever made” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. No pressure, then.
Already, we’re getting flashbacks to Kratos’ explosive entrance way back in his first game, which saw the PlayStation icon take on a Hydra in its opening hour.
Kratos himself is also shuffling his way onto screen as part of Prime Video’s live-action God of War TV show, with Ryan Hurst playing the ashen deity. The first look was revealed earlier this year, though fans weren’t especially impressed. A new game, God of War Laufey, was confirmed at this month’s State of Play.
House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on June 21 in the US and on NOW TV, Sky and HBO Max on June 22 in the UK.
For more, check out the new TV shows currently in the works.
