In 2024, George R.R. Martin teased an upcoming stage play in London about one of the most momentous events in the history of Westeros. It promised to let A Song of Ice and Fire fans finally see what really the happened at the infamous Tourney of Harrenhal. That’s where Rhaegar Targaryen met Lyanna Stark, a romance that forever changed the Realm. That play was expected to premiere some time in 2025. It obviously didn’t. But don’t worry, this is not another The Winds of Winter situation. It’s really happening. Soon. Martin and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King will arrive in London on July 20, with shows through September 5.
What Story Does the Game of Thrones: The Mad King Play Tell?
Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a prequel set more than ten years before the events of HBO’s show/Martin’s first novel in the series, will showcase Westeros in a different manner – on a live stage. Tickets are already on sale at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s website.
The stage show, from playwright Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, will tell a story that has always been at the heart of A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s when Jon Snow’s parents met. That set off a war that changed the Realm forever. It also might have saved the world from the dead.
But as the title of the play suggest, that romance is only one part of this tale. It’s named after King Aerys II, the man who nearly destroyed his entire house forever. The Mad King, long a recluse, was in attendance because he suspected the tourney was really cover for something else. In a statement, Macmillan and Cooke teased the conspiracy that made the Tourney at Harrenhal dangerous even before an unlikely love bloomed. From the show’s official announcement:
A long winter has started to thaw and, for the first time in years, all the great houses come together for a tournament – destined to be the greatest of the age. It feels like a new dawn, full of hope and opportunity. But tournaments always have a darker purpose.
In his own statement, Martin said, “Duncan’s masterful script honours the world completely, and I am so excited for both fans of the series, and perhaps people who have never picked up one of my books, to experience this new story in a theatre.”
Who Will Star in Game of Thrones: The Mad King?
And now we know who will bring this legendary event to life. The RSC has announced the play will have a 36-person cast. Because whether on the page, on the screen, or on a stage, Westeros is a really big place with a whole lot of people.
The Royal Shakespeare Company additionally revealed the names of the 36 stars of its show. (Which we first heard about at Variety.) Among the most notable casting announcements are Michael Shaeffer playing the Mad King, Aerys II. Michael Abubakar stars as Eddard Stark. Noah Ritter joins him as Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince who fell in love with Harmony Rose-Bremner’s Lyanna Stark. She was the betrothed of Callum Woodhouse’s Robert Baratheon, the sister of both Luke Brady’s Brandon Stark and Miles Barrow’s Benjen Stark, and the daughter of Alexander Newland’s Lord Rickard Stark.
Maxim Ays will also play Ser Jaime Lannister. Daisy Franks stars as his twin sister and lover, Cersei Lannister. Marty Breen will play Catelyn Stark, Tanisha Spring stars as Ashara Dayne, and Islam Bouakkaz as Howland Reed.
Learn More About Game of Thrones’ Mad King
And those are just a fraction of the famous characters who will join the stage. Why are so many notorious figures from Game of Thrones involved? Not sure what to expect from this play? We have you covered. Read our pieces about The Mad King, Rhaeghar Targaryen, and his relationship with Lyanna Stark. Soon we’ll all find out together what has always been myth and what really happened. This play might have been delayed, but unlike some other projects in Westeros it really is coming soon.
Originally published February 18, 2026.