The Royal Shakespeare Company has confirmed the complete cast for Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a new stage play adapted from George R R Martin’s novels. The production is set to open at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in July 2026.

Game of Thrones: The Mad King will run at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 20 July to 5 September 2026, with an official opening night scheduled for 8 August. Adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, the play explores the final years before the events of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, beginning with a pivotal tourney set among the ruins of Harrenhal.

The extensive ensemble cast features Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Elizabeth Ayodele as Princess Elia Martell, and Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister. Other notable cast members include Michael Shaeffer as King Aerys II Targaryen, Daisy Franks as Cersei Lannister, and Noah Ritter as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. The company totals dozens of performers covering roles throughout the Stark, Martell, Lannister, and Targaryen families among others.

Director Dominic Cooke expressed enthusiasm about working with the cast and creative team, highlighting Duncan Macmillan’s script and George R R Martin’s imaginative world as central to the production. Martin himself praised the cast for their portrayal of the complexities within the story’s characters.

The production’s creative team includes Chloe Lamford on set design, Georgia McGuinness on costumes, Jon Clark handling lighting, and Will Stuart as composer. Puppetry and movement are directed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell for Lume, accompanied by a fight director, intimacy director, voice and text direction, and dialect coaching to support the ensemble’s work.

Game of Thrones: The Mad King represents a significant theatrical adaptation of Martin’s bestselling saga, focusing on a crucial chapter of Westerosi history. The RSC is co-producing the play in partnership with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures on behalf of HBO, alongside other industry collaborators.

As the RSC brings this vast fantasy world to the stage, the production promises to deepen the theatrical landscape for epic storytelling adapted from contemporary popular culture.