Jack Gleeson, King Joffrey on Game of Thrones, Snubs Hollywood for London Stage

Jack Gleeson has kept busy in the year since his hated character on Game of Thrones was dramatically killed off.

The Irish star, who played King Joffrey in the HBO drama, has taken a break from the silver screen to found his own theater company and is preparing to debut the off-beat comedy Bears in Space at London’s Soho Theatre.

Gleeson started the Collapsing Horse Theatre Company with friends he met while at university, quashing rumors that the star would retire after his grisly Game of Thrones exit.

“Offers [for blockbuster roles] came in, but I just had a lack of desire to do a big action movie. What I enjoy most is this kind of thing, where I can have fun with my friends,” Gleeson told the London Evening Standard.

His latest production is about the thawing of two cryogenically frozen bears and their subsequent romp through space. The play has been well-received and was deemed a “must-see” by a review in Edinburgh Festivals Magazine.

Bears in Space plays at the Soho Theatre from Aug. 3 to 22.