Casting Game of Thrones - Season 3: Daario Naharis

HBO's Game of Thrones has closed out its second season to record numbers.  We were hoping the ratings might be so good that HBO would just go ahead and order Seasons 3 & 4 in one fell swoop, but we'll have to be content with just the one for now. We'll be getting 10 more episodes in the spring of 2013, covering some of the events of the third book, A Storm of Swords.  However, recent interviews with the showrunners have indicated that as they move forward they plan on adapting A Song of Ice and Fire as a whole, rather than trying to squeeze specific books into specific seasons. This will have the unintended consequence of making it much harder for me to know who needs to be cast for each season. :)


If you've read the books, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, in addition to  the favorites who managed to survive seasons 1 & 2. I've always been a huge fan of casting speculation, so I'm channeling my excitement for season 3 into a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And  don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Daario Naharis

Daario is the leader of the mercenary warrior crew The Stormcrows.  He is originally from Tyrosh, and follows that city's customs with his brightly dyed hair and ornate beard.  He is a lothario, and is immediately taken with Daenerys, even though he has been hired to keep her out of Yunkai, a city on Slaver's Bay.  Daario serves, in some ways, as the anti-Jorah Mormont in Dany's life.  He is not even slightly chaste in his affections, and is much more reckless in his suggestions.  Unless he is altered greatly from his depiction in the books, Daario should bring some romantic tension to Dany's storyline for the first time since the death of Khal Drogo.

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Aidan Turner

Turner hit the big time playing John Mitchell, the vampire on the original, BBC version of Being Human.  Before that, he starred as Dante Rosetti in the BBC miniseries Desperate Romantics.  He is currently wrapping filming on The Hobbit, in which he plays Kili, one of the thirteen dwarves who enlist Bilbo Baggins in their quest to retake Erebor.  Turner is Irish, so he'll be able to come home after an extended stay in New Zealand while still working.  He just turned 29, so he's older than Emilia Clarke without being so much older as to make a potential relationship skeevy (not that GoT has any problems with skeevy).  He'll probably get a big boost in popularity and recognizability once The Hobbit comes out, but the first once won't be released until this Christmas, so a recurring role in an HBO show would be the perfect thing to pass the time until he becomes "famous".  Finally he's available, and I would think he'd love to get in on the phenomenon that GoT has become while he's been toiling away in Middle-earth.




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Previous GoT S3 Casting Speculation:
Mance Rayder
Brynden Tully

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 3: Brynden Tully

HBO's Game of Thrones has closed out its second season to record numbers.  We were hoping the ratings might be so good that HBO would just go ahead and order Seasons 3 & 4 in one fell swoop, but we'll have to be content with just the one for now. We'll be getting 10 more episodes in the spring of 2013, covering some of the events of the third book, A Storm of Swords.  However, recent interviews with the showrunners have indicated that as they move forward they plan on adapting A Song of Ice and Fire as a whole, rather than trying to squeeze specific books into specific seasons. This will have the unintended consequence of making it much harder for me to know who needs to be cast for each season. :)


If you've read the books, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, in addition to  the favorites who managed to survive seasons 1 & 2. I've always been a huge fan of casting speculation, so I'm channeling my excitement for season 3 into a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And  don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.


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Brynden Tully

Brynden is the brother of Hoster Tully, the father of Catelyn (Tully) Stark and Lysa (Tully) Arryn.  After a disagreement with his brother in their youth, Brynden was nicknamed Blackfish, and it's stuck ever since.  Blackfish actually appears in the first book, and is Robb's main adviser in the second book, but he's been wholly absent from the HBO production to date.  Many book fans feared that he would he cut from the show permanently, but he's now been confirmed to appear in Season 3.  He's tall and strong, with once-red hair and beard turned grey and bushy eyebrows.  He never married, and in the books had spent the last 15 years as the Knight of the Moon in the Vale.












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Billy Connolly

My first memory of Connolly is his portrayal of "Il Duce" in The Boondock Saints, but he's been in the limelight for years.  Originally a folk singer, then a comedian known as "The Big Yin" in Scotland, Connolly is best known by my generation for his acting.  He was Professor Johnson in Timeline, Zebulon Gant in The Last Samurai, Father Crissman in The X-Files: I Want To Believe, and reprised his most famous role in The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day.  He's the voice of King Fergus in this summer's Brave, and he's currently shooting The Hobbit, where he'll play Dain Ironfoot.  Blackfish needs to look old enough to be Michelle Fairley's uncle while not looking silly in armor or wielding a sword.  When you're looking for British actors over 60 who can still be physically intimidating, the list is pretty short, and I think Connolly is at the very top.  You can believe that he was once a warrior in the same bracket as Barristan the Bold, but you can also believe that he was the Tully children's favorite uncle and confidante.  He's not too big for TV, and he should be done with The Hobbit well before he would be needed for GoT.



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Previous GoT S3 Casting Speculation:
Mance Rayder

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 3: Mance Rayder

HBO's Game of Thrones has closed out its second season to record numbers.  We were hoping the ratings might be so good that HBO would just go ahead and order Seasons 3 & 4 in one fell swoop, but we'll have to be content with just the one for now. We'll be getting 10 more episodes in the spring of 2013, covering some of the events of the third book, A Storm of Swords.  However, recent interviews with the showrunners have indicated that as they move forward they plan on adapting A Song of Ice and Fire as a whole, rather than trying to squeeze specific books into specific seasons. This will have the unintended consequence of making it much harder for me to know who needs to be cast for each season. :)


If you've read the books, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, in addition to  the favorites who managed to survive seasons 1 & 2. I've always been a huge fan of casting speculation, so I'm channeling my excitement for season 3 into a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And  don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.


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Mance Rayder

Mance is the King Beyond The Wall you've been hearing about from the Night's Watch and the Wildlings.  Basically, that just means he's managed to unite most of the Free People north of the wall into a loose confederation.  Mance was originally a Wildling, but was taken in by the Night's Watch as an infant.  He was a loyal brother until an he suffered an injury while ranging (I'll leave the specifics for the show to share).  He left the watch and traveled north to live with the Free People, and no one "civilized" seen him since. When he appears in the third book, he's middle-aged with greying dark hair.  He's a skilled musician, and he's obviously charismatic enough to build a coalition of people who, by their very nature, hate the idea of joining.  He'll be an important foil for Jon Snow throughout the third season (and beyond?).









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Dominic West

West is probably best known as Detective McNulty, one of the main character's on HBO's The Wire.  He played Fred Casely in Chicago, and the evil Spartan politician Theron in 300.  This summer he played Sab Than, the evil general, in John Carter.  He is currently starring in the BBC's The Hour, where he plays television host Hector Madden. West has worked with HBO before, and the producers have already gone to the Wire well when they cast Aiden Gillen as Littlefinger.  He's also willing to work in television, and with HBO in particular.  He's the perfect age for Mance, turning 43 this fall.  The biggest hurdle is probably his work on The Hour.  It has been commissioned for a second season, but I haven't seen when it will begin shooting.  The nice thing is that Oona Chaplin, Talisa on Game of Thrones, plays his wife in The Hour, and so I assume the shooting schedules won't completely overlap.  I think West has a great presence, and would bring a real gravitas to the scenes north of the Wall, which to this point have been most remarkable for their scenic beauty.

Casting The Hunger Games - Catching Fire: Beetee & Wiress

This is my second casting post for Catching Fire, so if you're wondering about Finnick and Johanna, you can find my take here.  You can also find Trey's spin on those characters here.  We're moving on to another set of former Victors, Beetee and Wiress.

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Beetee

Beetee is a former victor from District 3, which is responsible for most of the Capitol's electronics.  I would describe Beetee as an electrical engineer, though that term doesn't seem to exist in Panem.  He's definitely a tinkerer.  He's described as small, pale, and dark haired.  He wears ill-fitting glasses.  His age isn't specified, but I envision him as being at least a generation older than Katniss, though maybe not quite old enough to have a kid her age.  For casting purposes I decided to look for someone over 30 and under 40, but that's obviously a big range and not necessarily canonical.

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James Badge Dale

I first saw Dale as the star of the AMC series Rubicon.  He'll turn 34 next month, so he's in the age range I was shooting for.  He played Chase Edmunds in the third season of 24.  He was Robert Leckie, one of the three leads in HBO's The Pacific. He's already shot World War Z, and he's currently working on The Lone Ranger.  He plays Dan Reid, who was the Lone Ranger's nephew, but I'm guessing has been switched to his brother or cousin since Dale is actually older than Armie Hammer.  Dale just looks the part to me.  He played a writer in The Pacific, and he was an intelligence analyst on Rubicon, so I have no problem believing him as a guy who lives indoors and works with his hands.  He's also an amazing actor, and would bring a really interesting, understated aspect to a world with a lot of flamboyant personalities.

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Wiress

Wiress is from the same district as Beetee, and I've always seen her as similar in age to him.  She's supposed to have a similar appearance: small, pale, dark hair.  Wiress is much more notable for her personality.  She's crazy, but she's also crazy smart.  She can't speak in complete sentences, but she's probably more intuitively intelligent than anyone else in the books.  So, I'm looking for someone in her 30s who can play crazy, but with smart under the surface.

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Clea DuVall

I first remember DuVall from Can't Hardly Wait (go look at the IMDB page, it's crazy how many people you'd recognize are in that movie) and The Faculty.  She was in Girl, Interrupted with Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.  She was in the ensemble mystery thriller Identity with John Cusack, which is a great flick if you've never seen it.  She was also in The Grudge and Zodiac.  DuVall will turn 35 around the time Catching Fire will start shooting, so she's in the right age range.  She's 5'5", so while she's not tiny she will still be shorter than Katniss. She's got the right coloring, and she's definitely played crazy before.  I think she's a great character actor, and she'd fit right in with the rest of Panem.

Casting Fire: Trey's picks for Finnick & Johanna

I haven't read, nor do I plan on reading, the Hunger Games trilogy. Nothing against the books, I just have other stuff I would rather focus on. I did, however, see and enjoy the movie.  So, when Tripp asked me if I wanted to attempt this crazy casting experiment, I said "yes!" The question is, who will I choose to play characters without having read the series and based solely on what little description can be mined from the book?


So..here we go. First up is Finnick Odair.

The only descriptors I had to work with were: He's a 24 year old male who lives in the Fishing District and is "extremely handsome, tall, muscular, tan, bronze hair, sea green eyes."

Strangely, my first thought was "Namor should play Finnick." This is just one of many depressing signs that I have been reading too much Marvel recently because the obvious correct answer is actually Aquaman.

But, seeing as fictional characters cannot act in movies, I had to choose a living breathing human for Finnick. Eventually, I also (without knowing Tripp had already picked him) settled on Armie Hammer (The Social Network, The Lone Ranger). He fits all the physical descriptors and is a good actor, so this seems like a no-brainer to me. The unforeseen side effect is that I now want an Armie Hammer Aquaman movie to be made.

Next: Johanna Mason


Description: She's a female about 20-23 years old from the Lumber District with "wide-set brown eyes, short brown hair, small, petite".

No funny story here, I just compared those physical traits to a bunch of actresses that are the appropriate age for the character and settled on Emily Browning.

Casting The Hunger Games - Catching Fire: Finnick & Johanna

The Hunger Games is by far the biggest film, to date, of 2012, and I thought they did an outstanding job with the casting.  Jennifer Lawrence was the only person with any name recognition who I could imagine as Katniss. Lenny Kravitz was a surprisingly understated Cinna. I haven't heard any complaints from young female fans about Josh Hutcherson or Liam Hemsworth, and they both held up well acting against Lawrence.

So, for those that don't know, The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy.  I always knew we were going to see the rest of the story, but this opening leaves no doubt that Catching Fire will be put into production any day now, and it will be given every necessary resource to meet and surpass the successes of the first film.  The story is already there, though we should never downplay the art of adaptation.  Almost all of the actors from the first film are returning, so they don't have to start from scratch.  However, there are some very substantial new roles in Catching Fire, and they really need to nail the casting to maintain the Panem tidal wave.

I've decided to offer my assistance.  I'm not going to get into deep spoilers in the rest of this article, but if you don't want to know anything at all about Catching Fire, you should probably click on something else.

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Finnick Odair

I didn't go back and do a statistical analysis, but I'm pretty confident that Finnick is the largest new role, both in terms of lines of dialogue and pages on which he appears.  Finnick is about 24 years old, and from District 4, who's primary occupation is fishing.  He was the Victor of the 65th Hunger Games, and is probably one of the most recognizable and popular victors throughout Panem.  Katniss describes him as tall, muscular, athletic, and extremely handsome, with tan skin and long bronze hair.  His weapon of choice in the Games was a trident.

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Armie Hammer

I feel like all I really need for this one is the picture, but I'll continue.  Armie first hit the collective consciousness as the Winklevoss Twins in The Social Network.  He played the titular character's protege in J. Edgar, and he's currently starring as the Prince in Mirror Mirror.  He's 6'5, and he looks like a superhero stepped off the page of a comic book.  He would have been Batman in the Justice League movie if it hadn't fallen through.  He'll be 26 by the time shooting starts, so he's technically a few years older than Finnick, but that's inconsequential.  The biggest question mark is scheduling.  He's currently shooting The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp.  They started the first week of March, and most tentpole movies shoot for about six months, so they'll probably be done around the end of August.  Catching Fire is scheduled to release November 22, 2013, so they'll probably want to start shooting this November.  He wouldn't have much of a break, but he could make it work if he wanted to.

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Johanna Mason

Johanna is right behind Finnick in terms of "screen time" in the second novel.  She's from District 7, the Lumber district, and was the Victor of a Hunger Games "a few years ago".  Since her Games aren't specified, we don't know her exact age, but I've always assumed she's around Finnick's age.  Because of her lumberjack background, she used an axe in her Games.  She's very sarcastic, and Katniss describes her as having wide-set brown eyes and short brown hair.  I always got the vibe she was significantly smaller than Katniss, but I'm not sure that's ever spelled out in the novels.

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Kristen Bell

Bell is probably best known for the titular role in Veronica Mars.  She did half a season as Elle Bishop on Heroes, and is currently starring in House of Lies on Showtime.  She also has experience on the big screen, starring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Couples Retreat, and When In Rome.  She's obviously a blonde in her normal life, but she's been brunette for roles before.  She's great with sarcasm, so I'm confident she can pull of the character.  She's also 5'1, so if I'm right that Johanna is supposed to be smaller than Katniss she's perfect for that.  The only real hang-up is her age.  Bell will be 32 by the time shooting would start, so she might be as much as 10 years older than the character.  However, Jennifer Lawrence is four years older than her character, and Bell has always looked much younger than she is, so I don't think it's a problem.  House of Lies has also been picked up for a second season, and I haven't been able to find out when they're supposed to start shooting.

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That's it for this round, I'll be back in a few days with two more characters.  Let me know what you think in the comments.

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Xaro Xhoan Daxos

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Xaro Xhoan Daxos

No picture of this character, couldn't find a good one anywhere on the web.  Xaro is a new character Daenerys meets in A Clash of Kings.  He is a merchant from Qarth, whose people are called "Milk Men" by the Dothraki.  This is because the the Qartheen are very tall and very pale.  He is described as "bald with a jewel in his nose." - (from Tower of the Hand)


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Paul Bettany

This will probably be one of my most controversial picks, but I'm ok with that.  Paul Bettany is a great actor, and has worked strictly in movies for the last decade.  Unfortunately, none of his starring roles have been very successful to date.  He is probably best known as Silas from The Da Vinci Code, Dr. Maturin in Master and Commander, or Charles from A Beautiful Mind.  My favorite role of his is probably Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight's Tale.  He has recently starred in Creation, Legion, and Priest. 


I know some people will say he's much too famous to play a relatively minor part on a television show.  First, it's not TV, it's HBO.  Second, he doesn't seem to have any parts lined up currently, so there's nothing professionally keeping him from Ireland.  Third, he's worked with Mark Addy, so he has a personal connection who could tell him what a blast the first season was.  Finally, it couldn't hurt his image right now.  As I said, his starring roles haven't gone over well, and GoT is a dynamo right now.  This is the kind of fan base that will follow him to future roles simply because he was a part of "their show".  Bettany could put in a month in Ireland, have a blast, and be part of something really groundbreaking in television history.

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NEXT TIME:  Not sure who I'll go with next.  I keep hoping they'll announce an actress for Brienne, but maybe if they haven't by next week I'll break down and pick the Maid of Tarth.


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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy
Davos Seaworth
Margaery Tyrell
Balon Greyjoy
Ygritte
Jaqen H'ghar
Qhorin Halfhand

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Qhorin Halfhand

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Qhorin Halfhand

Art by Amok

Qhorin is a member of the Night's Watch. He lives at the Shadow Tower, one of the other two operational Watch castles, and is the lead ranger of the Shadow Tower's contingent sent to join Commander Mormont's expedition beyond the Wall.  The name Halfhand comes from a previous ranging, where a wildling's axe severed all the fingers on his right hand, save his forefinger and thumb.  He is described as "tall and clean-shaven with a long braid. He has gray eyes." - (from Tower of the Hand)




















James Purefoy

Purefoy has to be on GoT at some point.  He's British.  He's worked on HBO.  He's familiar to American audiences, but not a movie star.  He worked on British TV recently, but doesn't have anything lined up now that his most recent movie has finished filming.  You probably recognize him as Mark Anthony on Rome.  He also played the Black Prince in A Knight's Tale (with Mark Addy).  He was King Lot in the GoT-competitor Camelot's first season, and he recently finished shooting a major part in the forthcoming big-budget epic John Cater of Mars.  He's the right age to play Qhorin, and I think he can play a great cold-worn, courageous ranger of the Night's Watch.








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NEXT TIME:  I know I keep promising Xaro Xhoan Daxos, but I've been doing a re-read in preparation of A Dance With Dragons and I keep finding big characters that I forgot come into the picture in book 2.  Maybe we'll go with XXD next week.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy
Davos Seaworth
Margaery Tyrell
Balon Greyjoy
Ygritte
Jaqen H'ghar

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Jaqen H'ghar

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Jaqen H'ghar

Art by Amok

Jaqen is a convicted felon, and by the end of the first season of Game of Thrones he's already been turned over to Yoren to serve in the Night's Watch.  We just haven't met him yet. To recap, Yoren came to King's Landing at about the halfway point of the season and was the first to tell Ned Stark about his wife's capture of Tyrion Lannister. Yoren wasn't in town to deliver mail, he was there to get men for the Night's Watch, and Jaqen is one of his more...interesting acquisitions. He is originally from Lorath, one of the Free Cities, and is described as "slender and fine-featured. Half of his hair is red and the other half is white." - (from Tower of the Hand)

















Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen is a 42 year old Welsh actor who has only recently entered the consciousness of American audiences.  His first major role was Lucian in Underworld (and its sequels). He then played Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen, and journalist David Frost in Frost/Nixon.  He entered the Twilight Saga as the vampire Aro in New Moon, voiced the White Rabbit in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and played Castor in Tron: Legacy.

While some will say that he's too big of a name to appear on TV, I'm not so sure. He has yet to have a starring movie role, so I don't think he's really a "movie star".  From looking at IMDB and Wikipedia, he doesn't seem to have any confirmed roles coming up.  Besides, shooting a season of an HBO show is pretty close to shooting a movie in terms of the time commitment, especially if you're not one of the handful of really central characters.  As for his ability to play Jaqen, readers of the book series should note the varied roles he has played in his relatively short term on screen.


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NEXT TIME:  In doing some research for these blog posts, I realized that I hadn't even thought about casting any of the new Night's Watch recruits for S2, so I had to give it a go.  Xaro Xhoan Daxos has, sadly, been bumped to next week.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy
Davos Seaworth
Margaery Tyrell
Balon Greyjoy
Ygritte

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Ygritte

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Ygritte

Art by Amok

Ygritte is one of the first wildlings Jon Snow encounters in his travels north of The Wall.  The character is definitely a fan favorite, and she has one of the best-loved catchphrases from the books, "You know nothing, Jon Snow."  I don't want to get into much more character description to avoid major spoilers.  She is described as "short and bandy-legged with a round face, small hands, a pug nose, with shaggy bright red hair. Her teeth are crooked." - (from Tower of the Hand)



















Lily Cole

Lily Cole started as a model, but moved into acting in 2007 with the film St. Trinian's.  In 2009 she played the female lead in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  She recently appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, and has two films in post-production: There Be Dragons, set during the Spanish Civil War, and The Moth Diaries.  She's from England, so she shouldn't have a problem getting cast.  She just turned 23, so she's in the perfect range compared to the aging-up of the other young characters.  She's 5'10, which is definitely not "short", but I personally don't think Ygritte's height is a central character trait.  My bet is the biggest fan objection to this casting would be "she's too pretty".  First of all, I don't think the books ever say she's ugly.  She's just a wildling, so she doesn't brush her hair or wear make-up.  I feel like Lily has the kind of face that the GoT makeup artists could make virtually unrecognizable.  And can't you just see her saying "You know nothing Jon Snow" the second after this photo was snapped?


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NEXT TIME:  I keep thinking we're going to have real casting news, and I keep getting disappointed.  Right now, I've got a pretty good idea for Xaro Xhoan Daxos rumbling around in my brain, so I'll say that will be next week's post.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy
Davos Seaworth
Margaery Tyrell
Balon Greyjoy

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Balon Greyjoy

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Balon Greyjoy

Art by Amok

 Balon is the Lord of the Iron Islands, and Theon Greyjoy's father. Several years after Robert Baratheon's rise to power, Balon decided to test the power of the new dynasty by declaring himself King. Greyjoy's Rebellion was put down, and Balon two oldest sons were killed in the fighting, leaving him with his daughter Asha and his young son Theon.  Theon was taken by Ned Stark as a ward/hostage to keep the Greyjoys in line, and Westeros has known relative peace since. However, the Greyjoys thrive on chaos, so who knows what might happen if things in King's Landing were to fall into confusion.  Balon is described as "small and gaunt with black eyes and long gray hair." - (from Tower of the Hand)















Ian McShane

Ian McShane needs to be in GoT, and this would be a great part for him.  He's in the movie theater right now playing Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  He was Al Swearengen on HBO's Deadwood, and he played Silas Benjamin on NBC's Kings.  


He's British, and he's worked for HBO. He's got the right look, and he has the acting chops.  He's a little bit older than Balon probably is in the books (he'll turn 69 in September), but if you consider the TV Theon will soon turn 25, it's not out of the question that Balon could have had his last kid when he was 54.  Besides, it's called acting.  Ian McShane doesn't have to be Balon, but he better make a visit to Westeros in some capacity before the TV series is over.










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NEXT TIME:  It's going to keep getting tougher to know which direction I'll go with my next casting speculation.  We'll probably start to get actual casting news any time now, and once that happens I won't need to guess for those characters.  For now let's go with the wildling woman Ygritte.


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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy
Davos Seaworth
Margaery Tyrell

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Margaery Tyrell

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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UPDATE 6.23.11:   HBO has cast this part, you can click here for my post on it, or keep reading to see who I picked.



Margaery Tyrell

Art by Amok

Margaery is the only daughter of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and the Reach. She is slightly younger than her brother Loras, the Knight of Flowers. The Tyrells are the second wealthiest family in Westeros, behind only the Lannisters.  As the only daughter, Margaery's access to that fortune will make her an enticing pawn as the game of thrones gains steam. Margaery is described as "doe-eyed and pretty with long, curly brown hair." - (from Tower of the Hand)


P.S. - I acknowledge that this is a character who could get bumped to S3, but I had a good pick for her so I went with it.













Sarah Bolger

Sarah was born in Dublin.  She just turned 20, which makes her three years younger than the actor playing her brother Loras.  She's best known for playing Princess Mary Tudor in The Tudors, and Mallory Grace in The Spiderwick Chronicles.  She was cast in the pilot of FOX's Locke & Key, but that show didn't make it to series, so she should be available.  I thought she was great in The Tudors, and she would definitely get to put a different spin on a young noble woman if she stepped into GRRM's world.














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NEXT TIME:  No idea what I'll do next week, we may have some actual casting by then, which could start to limit my options.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy
Davos Seaworth

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Davos Seaworth

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

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Davos Seaworth

Art by Amok

Originally a smuggler, Davos' actions during Robert's Rebellion won him a title, land, and a position of responsibility under Stannis Baratheon, the new Lord of Dragonstone.  He is known (mockingly) as the Onion Knight, but he is really a ship captain.  He will be a very important new character next season, but he needs to appear unremarkable when surrounded by great kings, lords and ladies. He is described as "slight with a common face and brown eyes and hair with a beard peppered with gray." - (from Tower of the Hand)


















Mark Sheppard

Now that it can't happen, I'll admit it...I was 100% on the "Robert Carlyle for Davos" bandwagon.  I think he was brilliant on the two seasons of Stargate Universe, and really wanted him to make his way to Westeros following that show's cancellation.  Unfortunately, he was cast in a new pilot for ABC, Once Upon A Time, and that show has now been picked up for a full season.  That means Carlyle is out for S2 of GoT.  Maybe S3.  Anyway, it's time to move on.

If we can't have Carlyle, give us Mark Sheppard.  He's a brilliant actor, and if you're reading this you've seen him in one of his amazing guest spots on EVERY SINGLE GENRE TELEVISION SHOW EVER.  He's Crowley on Supernatural, Canton Delaware on Doctor Who, Tanaka on Dollhouse, Romo Lampkin on Battlestar Galactica, Manservant Neville on The Middleman, Anthony Anthros on Bionic Woman, and Badger on Firefly.  He's done single episodes of The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S., Sliders, Star Trek: Voyager, and Charmed.  He can do just about anything, and I think he'd have a blast playing the honorable thief in service to the lord with an inferiority complex.

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NEXT TIME:  I'm leaning towards Margaery Tyrell for next week's installment, but I might let that slide if some other inspiration grabs me.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully
Asha Greyjoy

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Asha Greyjoy

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

----------

Asha Greyjoy

Art by Amok

Asha is the older sister of Theon Greyjoy, and the only other surviving child of Balon Greyjoy, the Lord of the Iron Islands.  Rumor has it she captains her own ship, the Black Wind.  She is described as "lean and long-legged with short black hair and a sharp nose in a thin face." - (from Tower of the Hand)























Kerry Condon

This is one of my favorite picks so far.  Kerry is perfect for the role, and I think she has a real shot at being in the series at some point.  She's Irish.  She's most famous in the US for her role as Octavia in HBO's Rome.  She worked with James McAvoy in The Last Station.  Some readers might remember her from the Heath Ledger/Orlando Bloom Australian outlaw movie Ned Kelly.  The one thing that might keep this from happening is another upcoming HBO series, Luck.  Kerry's IMDB page has her appearing in three episodes, but her character doesn't even have a name, so she probably won't be tied up with that by the time GoT resumes filming.  Asha isn't a huge part in the second book, but I think it's important enough that you can't bump her to the third season.  I think Kerry would be great acting opposite Alfie Allen.






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NEXT TIME:  I'm totally going to do Davos, I promise.  The truth is, the guy at the top of my list is in a network pilot, so I'm trying to stall and see if that show gets picked up.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre
Edmure Tully

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Edmure Tully

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.


If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.

----------

Edmure Tully

Art by Amoka

Edmure is the younger brother of Catelyn (Tully) Stark and Lysa (Tully) Arryn. He is, as Hoster Tully's only son, the heir to Riverrun. Though Edmure, his father, and his uncle all appear in the first novel, their television debut has been pushed back to the second season. Edmure is hot-headed, but has a good heart. He has never married.  He is described as "stocky with shaggy auburn hair and beard and blue eyes." - (from Tower of the Hand)





















Tony Curran

I'm going to be honest, and tell you that I really wanted to work Damien Lewis or Kevin McKidd into Game of Thrones.  In my perfect world, McKidd would play Brynden Tully.  Unfortunately, that's impossible.  For starters, the aging up of the characters makes both of them far too young to play Michelle Fairley's uncle.  Second, McKidd is busy on Grey's Anatomy, and Lewis has a new show filming right now for Showtime. So, let's examine Mr. Curran.  He's from Glasgow, Scotland.  A year ago, he was probably best known as the Invisible Man from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or maybe from the second Underworld movie.  Then he played Vincent van Gogh on Doctor Who, and now he's on my good list forever. If he can bring the same kind of awesome to the character of Edmure, Tony will be a great addition to our cast.

P.S. - Mr. Curran apparently told some fans this weekend that he's in talks to appear in GoT, but that's all we know.  I already had him pegged as my choice for Edmure, but I'm sure some people will think I'm jumping on a band wagon with this one.

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NEXT TIME:  I'll probably go back to Davos, but I wanted to get my Edmure recommendation out ASAP just in case they actually start announcing casting decisions.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon
Melisandre

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Melisandre

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday, April 17th to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.

If you've read the series, you know that means we'll be seeing a host of new characters, 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 a series of posts where I cast the major roles. And don't forget, Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage were the fan favorites to play Ned & Tyrion, so who knows, maybe I'll actually get one right along the way.


Melisandre

Art by Amoka

Melisandre is a follower of R'hllor from the port city of Asshai, southeast of the Free Cities & the Dothraki Sea of Essos.  She travels to Dragonstone at the beginning of ACoK to meet Stannis Baratheon, and becomes a major player in our story.  R'hllor is also known The Lord of Light, The Heart of Fire and The God of Flame & Shadow.  He is a popular deity in the lands of Essos and beyond, but is virtually unknown in the Seven Kingdoms.  Melisandre is described as "beautiful, with a slender figure, full breasts, and a heart-shaped face. He hair is burnished copper, her eyes are red, and her skin is pale. She always wears red." - (from Tower of the Hand)

















Rachel Hurd-Wood
I'm going to cheat a bit here, and say that my realistic pick for Melisandre is some Scandinavian actress none of us have ever heard of before.  It makes perfect sense, both in terms of finding someone who has pale skin and red hair (or who wouldn't look ridiculous with red hair), and because the accent would do some of the character work in establishing her as hailing from a very Different place.

That being said, of the people I was able to find, I'd cast Rachel Hurd-Wood. She's a terrific young actress who first appeared on the international scene playing Wendy in the 2003 version of Peter Pan.  She then played Betsy, the main character in 2005's An American Haunting.  She also had a major role in the 2006 German film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.  She most recently appeared in Tomorrow, When The War Began, a sort-of Australian Red Dawn movie where teens fight a guerrilla war against an invading army.  The biggest argument against Ms. Hurd-Wood will likely be her age.  She'll turn 21 this summer.  I wasn't ever able to find a specific reference to Melisandre's age in the books, but I'm sure many people will equate age with gravitas.  That aside, I like what I've seen from her thus far on screen, and I think she's someone who has some level of fame, but would also be game for acting in a show on HBO for a year (or more?).

P.S. - click here to see a picture of her with much more extreme red hair, albeit from when she was considerably younger.

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NEXT TIME:  I haven't decided for sure, I may finish out the Dragonstone trio with Davos Seaworth, or I might start thinking about the Tullys.

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PREVIOUS GoT S2 CASTING SPECULATION:
Stannis Baratheon

Casting Game of Thrones - Season 2: Stannis Baratheon

HBO's Game of Thrones premiered Sunday night to rave reviews and decent ratings. That combination was enough for the network to officially greenlight a second season of the show. We'll be getting at least 10 more episodes in the spring of 2012, covering the events of the second book, A Clash of Kings.

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.

You presume we have no Luthors? Our creed is (to speculate about the casting of) LUTHOR!

Some sources are reporting that Zach Snyder is considering Kevin Costner for a part in the upcoming Superman reboot. The part that seems most fitting for him is Jonathon Kent, Superman's adoptive father. However, Costner's hairline reminded us here at FIG that the new Super-movie has yet to cast its Lex Luthor. Much of the speculation points to the movie's villain being someone other than Superman's greatest foe, but we would still like to see the character make a cameo to lay the possible ground work for subsequent movies.

Without further ado, we present some of the actors we would be screen testing for the part if we were in charge. Disclaimer: We are well aware that most of these are unlikely and some of them are strange choices. We here at FIG prefer to think outside of the box. Uncle Lex would be proud of us.

Ian McShane

Not my first choice, but McShane is a great actor and his voice would be chilling calling out Superman.

Daniel Day Lewis

Another great actor, but he's very picky about his movies.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Perfect for old school fat Lex, but unlikely because fat Luthor is rarely used these days.

Ralph Fiennes

I know, I know...he's already Voldemort. I don't care.

Jon Hamm

M. Night Shyamalan says: The man who was rumored to play Superman recast as Superman's greatest nemesis! What a twist!

Edward Norton

Has all the range to be psychotic, charming and brilliant at the same time. Could also serve as an "F you!" to Marvel for not including him in the Avengers movie. This is probably my favorite of our picks.

Guy Pearce

I have nothing to say, just seemed like a clever choice.

Paul Bettany

A choice for a younger Luthor.

Ben Foster

I really, really like this pick. Foster has the capability to be pretty scary. Another choice for a younger Luthor.