House of the Dragon had its season 1 finale on Sunday, but fan favorite star Milly Alcock had her last appearance weeks ago in episode 5. In a handful of episodes, her strong-willed, occasionally cheeky portrayal of the younger version of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen stole the show.
More Milly Alcock is welcome on screen, especially in the Game of Thrones universe. How can that happen? Not via a surprise jump back in time in future seasons of House of the Dragon, but via the less harmful side of deepfake technology.
Thanks to deepfake YouTube channel stryder HD, we can see Alcock in place of Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen, who would have been Rhaenyra’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter. See her talking with Jon Snow in the Iron Throne room in the season 8 finale.
Set about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, HBO’s House of the Dragon chronicles the turmoil within House Targaryen over whether a woman should ascend the throne.
Entering the mainstream in 2019, deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to make it look as if a person is doing or saying something they aren’t. Aside from entertainment purposes, deepfakes are increasingly being used in cyberattacks, according to a report released in August.
