James Norton Surrenders to Daemon in Leaked ‘House of The Dragon’ Season 3 Scene
James Norton has officially stepped into the world of Westeros. The actor, known from shows like Happy Valley, was spotted on the set of House of the Dragon Season 3 for the first time.
He was seen filming an emotional scene alongside Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen. According to Splash News, Norton’s character, Lord Ormund Hightower, was seen surrendering his sword and kneeling before Daemon.
Dressed in full costume, Norton looked every inch the proud lord forced into submission.
James Norton has officially entered the fiery world of Westeros ⚔️🐉
— Splash News (@SplashNews) July 18, 2025
Norton was spotted on the 'House of the Dragon' set for the very first time, filming an intense and dramatic scene alongside Matt Smith.
Norton, who plays Ormund Hightower – the formidable head of House… pic.twitter.com/xn63iKrfIb
Norton was confirmed to have joined the cast back in January 2025, when HBO announced he would play Lord Ormund Hightower. Fans of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood will know that Ormund is the powerful head of House Hightower.
He’s also the nephew of Ser Otto Hightower, the former Hand of the King. In the books, Ormund fights for the greens in the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons. He carries a Valyrian steel sword called Vigilance and commands a huge army from the Reach. But not all lords of the Reach support him. Raids from people like Ser Alan Beesbury and Lord Alan Tarly, as well as attacks from Lord Owen Costayne, make Ormund’s campaign harder. Because of these losses, he chooses to wait for reinforcements from King’s Landing.
Norton isn’t the only new face joining the world of House of the Dragon this season. In March 2025, HBO confirmed that Tommy Flanagan and Dan Fogler were also joining. Flanagan will play Lord Roderick Dustin, while Fogler will appear as Ser Torrhen Manderly. Then in April, more names were announced: Tom Cullen as Ser Luthor Largent, Joplin Sibtain as Ser Jon Roxton, and Barry Sloane as Ser Adrian Redfort.
The third season of House of the Dragon has been filming since March 21, 2025, at Leavesden Studios in Watford. Filming is expected to continue until October. While HBO hasn’t shared any official trailers or clips yet, leaks like this one have already started building excitement.
As for the story, season 3 promises more battles and political drama. The ending of season 2 hinted at huge fights between Team Black and Team Green. Rhaenyra is gaining strength, especially with more dragons now on her side, after Daemon swore loyalty to her. According to showrunner Ryan Condal, there’s a massive battle coming right at the start of season 3.
Francesca Orsi from HBO told Deadline, “I’m really excited. I think you’re going to be in for a great surprise on how we start the [season] with an exciting battle.” This battle is expected to be The Battle of the Gullet.
Ryan Condal also teased something unusual for the new season. He said in the Happy Sad Confused podcast that there’s a “conceptual” episode that fans might not expect. “We got to have a little fun this season, and there’s a conceptual episode that I’m really excited about that [Sara Hess] wrote, and that’s all I’m gonna say about it,” he said. He added that it’s a character-driven story that’s a bit different from past episodes.
Fans might have to wait until 2026 to see Season 3, since no official release date has been given yet. HBO has already confirmed that the show will end with Season 4, but for now, there’s still plenty more of the Targaryen civil war to watch.
Even George R.R. Martin, the writer behind the world of Westeros, hinted at surprises ahead. In a deleted blog post, Martin said, “There are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…”
So far, fans know one thing for sure. There will be dragons, battles, and more betrayal on the way. As Emma D’Arcy joked in the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “The petition I’ve put in is I want a weapon. Like it’s getting ridiculous. I don’t even mind if it’s like a little dagger, a short sword. I don’t really care.”
For now, James Norton’s arrival in that leaked scene gives fans a taste of the drama coming in Season 3. And by the looks of it, Westeros just got a little more dangerous.
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