If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters on screen, in addition to the favorites who managed to survive season 1. I've always been a huge fan of casting speculation, so I'm channeling my excitement for season 2 into the start of a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the early favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.
Stannis Baratheon Art by Amoka
Stannis is the middle Baratheon brother, younger than Robert and older than Renly. He is mentioned in Game of Thrones, but never seen. When Jon Arryn died, Stannis was the Master of Ships and sat on the Small Council. By the time everyone makes it back to King's Landing from Winterfell, Stannis has left for his home on Dragonstone.Stannis is a major player in future installments of the series. For most of the Rebellion, he was under siege as the commander of the forces at the Baratheon's home and castle, Storm's End. When Eddard broke the siege, Stannis was sent to the last Targaryen stronghold, Dragonstone, to find the Queen & her two remaining children, Viserys & Daenerys. By the time he arrived, they had fled.
Robert installed Stannis as the new Lord of Dragonstone, and put him in charge of the navy. Stannis is the most somber and conservative of the Baratheon brothers, and he feels slighted that his younger brother Renly was given Storm's End. He is described as "broad-shouldered and sinewy with leathery skin and a pinched, narrow face. He has only a fringe of black hair remaining around his head and a close-copped beard covering a square jaw. He has dark blue eyes." (from Tower of the Hand)
Brian F. O'Byrne
Here's my realistic choice for Stannis. He was born in Ireland, even though he's been living and working out of New York City for the last 20 years, so he could actually work for the production without a bunch of red tape. He's about 4 years younger than Mark Addy, our Robert, so he fits in the right age range. He's 6'2, so he has the physicality to fit in with his brothers, but he's not as heavily built. He's been nominated for 3 Tony Awards, and won it in 2004. He's got an in with HBO, having just appeared in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. Best of all, he's somewhat familiar to American audiences, having appeared in the terrible ABC show FlashForward, and the under-rated Showtime series Brotherhood. Short of pulling a major movie star for the role, I think Brian O'Byrne is perfect for this part.NEXT TIME: I'm pretty sure my second post will be on Melisandre, the Red Lady.
I want Chris Eccleston! :(
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how feasible it is, whether he's been approached, expressed interest, or anything. I just picture him in my head whenever I think of Stannis.
While I have no problems with O'Byrne's acting, the only thing I've seen him in so far is FlashForward, and I just don't see the serious gruffness that I think Stannis needs.
I kind of love the idea of Eccleston, but I don't think he'd be willing to commit to Stannis. I've heard him make comments before where he seems to get claustrophobic if he's stuck in one role for very long.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know that he only agreed to play the Doctor if it was reserved to a single season. I guess my hope is that while Stannis is of vital importance to the story, he not as intertwined. I could totally see him actually being seen in only 3-4 episodes, at least in the 2nd season... who knows what's going to happen in later years, though.
ReplyDeleteStannis is a pretty big deal, and he stays that way up through the books we've received. I'd love for Eccleston to play some part, but I'm betting it would need to be something minor.
ReplyDeleteI guess I see Stannis's storyline as being a big deal, but the actual character sort of standing in the background glowering. It's more focused on Mel and on Stannis' troops, at least in the 2nd book. Don't get me wrong-- I'm one of the few people who actually LIKE Stannis and I kinda want him to win the Iron Throne when it's all said and done-- I just feel that the action sort of happens around him so far, without him actually being front-and-center very often.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Robert Carlyle? I saw his name was mentioned on this site in connection with Davos (which Carlyle could also pull off, certainly), but some pilot he's in had been picked up. Well, have hope: maybe his latest venture will fail, and fail quickly!
ReplyDeleteAh, I know, not bloody likely. Not in time for him to be cast, at least.
Still, I could see him as Stannis. He certainly has the presence to be believable as a would-be king. Plus, he's only a couple years older than Mark Addy (who looked pretty rough in this series, after all), so he could easily play the slightly younger brother. And his face is so perfectly hard-set ... even gaunt, at times, which would be ideal for the effects that the Red Lady's popping out of shadow babes seem to have on him.
Here's a recent picture of him which hopefully illustrates why he seems Stannis-esque, to me (if his hair was dealt with, of course): http://stargate.mgm.com/view/news/2525/index.html
Anyways. My two cents.
Later days.
Carlyle was definitely my pick for Davos. I thought he would be perfect. Unfortunately, his new show on ABC got picked up, so he's out for S2, but trust me, I'm keeping him in mind for S3 if Once Upon A Time tanks.
ReplyDeleteSeason 3 ... hmmm ... He might make a fine Tom O'Sevens, come to think of it, or maybe even Brown Ben Plumm, though both those roles are (thus far) pretty small ...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, thanks for the feedback on my feedback.
Or does Tom (and/or Ben) actually show up first in ACoK? I can never remember. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteRAY WINSTONE AS STANNIS BARATHEON PLEASE...
ReplyDeleteHBO needs a strong actor name to replace Sean Bean.
OH! GEOFFREY RUSH as BALON GREYJOY...
I think Ray Winstone is a no-go for GoT, he's got about 10 movies in pre-production according to IMDB.
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey Rush...I don't know. On the one hand, he's a pretty big name. On the other, he doesn't seem to have anything on the schedule, and he's actually done TV recently. He might be one to watch out for.
Ray Winstone is in his mid 50's and getting fatter every time, he's older than Mark Addy and fatter too! Not a good candidate for Stannis at all, maybe 10 or 15 years ago certainly. The perfect Stannis would be Mark Strong but he's far too in demand with movies. Dominic Purcell from the Prison Break TV series and Blade 3 wouldn't be a bad choice if he gets back to his shaved head look. He has a good steely gaze and the Stannis strong features that's required.
ReplyDeleteI think Mark Strong is probably too big of a deal right now to do TV, even HBO.
ReplyDeleteDominic Purcell is in the same boat. He's filming a movie right now, and he's got two more in pre-production.
Can't believe no one has mentioned Ray Stevenson.
ReplyDeleteMark Strong is the perfect Stannis. He was brilliant in Kick Ass and The Young Victoria, and looks exactly like Stannis is described.
ReplyDelete