Game of Thrones season five cast announced at Comic Con!

Many fans were hoping that HBO would take the opportunity to announce the new additions to Game of Thrones season five at today’s SDCC panel, and they did not disappoint, introducing the new cast in a video.

With official confirmation and descriptions from HBO, the new cast members are:
Alexander Siddig

  • Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell. Doran Martell is the ruling lord of Dorne and older brother to the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Unlike his brother, Doran is even-tempered and deliberate. Now, all of Dorne waits to see how their lord will react to his brother’s death.

Toby Sebastian

  •   Toby Sebastian as Trystane Martell. Trystane Martell is Prince Doran’s son and heir to Dorne. His father betrothed him to Myrcella Baratheon as part of the alliance offered by Tywin Lannister, then Hand of the King.

 

Nell Tiger Free

  •   Nell Tiger Free as Myrcella Baratheon. Myrcella Baratheon is officially the eldest child of Cersei Lannister and the late King Robert Baratheon, though in truth her father is Cersei’s own brother, Jaime Lannister. For years, she has been a guest and ward of Prince Doran, betrothed to his son, but her position has become tenuous with the death of Oberyn Martell, thePrince’s brother.

Deobia Oparei

  •   DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah. Areo Hotah is the long-serving captain of Doran Martell’s palace guard, renowned for his loyalty and his longaxe.

 

Enzo Cilenti

  •   Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan. Yezzan was an extremely wealthy slave trader before Daenerys Targaryen outlawed the slave trade.

 

 

Jessica Henwick

  •  Jessica Henwick as Nymeria (“Nym”) Sand. Nym Sand is the second eldest of the latePrince Oberyn’s bastard daughters. Her mother was an Eastern noblewoman who brought Nym up to be cultured, graceful and deadly with a whip.

 

Rosabell Laurenti Sellers

  •   Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand. Tyene Sand is the daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell by Ellaria Sand, his final paramour. Tyene is fiercer than she looks, especially with her twin daggers.

 

Keisha Castle-Hughes

  •   Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand. A fearsome warrior, Obara Sand is the eldest bastard daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Her mother was a Dornish peasant girl who caught the eye of the late Prince.

 

Jonathan Pryce

  •  Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow. A devout and pious man, the High Sparrow came to King’s Landing to serve those forgotten by much of the world – the poor, the downtrodden and the infirm – and quickly amassed a large following. His fellow believers have swarmed over the city, ministering to the lowest and decrying the corruption of the highest.

Sue says: I am amazingly happy and already in love with this cast!

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

175 Comments

  1. Oh wow! Jonathan Pryce is amazing and Alexander Siddig is HOT!
    Really sad about Aimee Richardson being replaced though.

  2. Toby Sebastian is Sophie Turner’s boyfriend. I wonder if that helped him get cast? Regardless, I’m sure he’s a talented actor in his own right.

  3. Did these character descriptions come straight from HBO? Seems like confirmation that Arianne and Quentyn are both out, if Trystane is described as the heir…

  4. Surely, these aren’t the only new cast members? They can’t possibly go without casting new characters for the North and in Tyrion’s storyline. Siddig and Pryce are great casting decisions. Looking forward to other casting announcements.

  5. I’m really surprised at Alexander Siddig to be honest. Just because so many of the fans wanted him and that never seems to happen.

    But yeah, where’s Arianne?

  6. Is he Sophie’s boyfriend? I thought she was dating someone else now.

    I am absolutely shaking from the castings though. Jonathan Pryce and Alexander Siddig. The Snakes are beautiful and talented. Thank you, every deity.

  7. Sue the Fury,

    I don’t keep up with who Sophie Turner dates, to be honest (:
    Just looked him up and saw a Twitter pic with them. Might have been an old picture.

  8. It does appear that Arianne is cut. It seems silly that Doran would only have one child. So I’m not a fan of this change. No Arianne probably means no

    “Aegon”.

    They weren’t lying last year when they said tough decisions would have to be made on cutting characters.

  9. I love the casting of Alexander Siddig and Jonathan Pryce. With the exit of Charles Dance, the empty space will be filled with two actors of the same caliber.

  10. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    Definitely can’t be the only cast characters, but Trystane being described as Doran’s heir probably puts the nail in Arriane’s TV Coffin. ):

  11. Pryce is just an amazing name!

    (And Sophie is dating this rocker kid now, afaik.)

  12. Siddig – AWESOME!
    Nell Tiger Free – Big shoes to fill from Aimee. Disappointed for her but hopeful for the future
    Enzo Cilenti – Not the Yellow Whale I pictured but hopeful anyway. And yet more contribution from Yorkshire.

    I’m happy

  13. I can’t even ……….. Alexander Siddig??? Wow! That’s huge! Suddenly Mads Mikkelsen as one of the Greyjoys doesn’t seem so far-fetched! Turning out to be a great Friday!

  14. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    No Aegon and no Greyjoys and no Wyman Manderly. My only hope now is that D&D make the decision to turn Daario into Euron. Even if the theory is probably false in he book it could work on the show since he’s captured the Mereneese ships. Can’t imagine Daario being more important to the storyline than Aegon/Greyjoys unless D&D have something planned for him.

  15. The loss of Arianne makes me angry, now that I see that mention of Trystane as heir. Wow. Not cool. That’s the dark cloud from the announcement. I’ll have to think about what it means in terms of overall changes, what it means to me, but I’m going to set that aside for now, and just let myself enjoy the new cast. Must google people!

    Good to have Nell Tiger Free confirmed. I hope Aimee took the news well.

  16. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    It does appear that Arianne is cut. It seems silly that Doran would only have one child. So I’m not a fan of this change. No Arianne probably means no

    “Aegon”

    .They weren’t lying last year when they said tough decisions would have to be made on cutting characters.

    Yes, and that would imply that he is

    fAegon.
  17. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    I doubt they would present anyone that a google search would bring up major spoilers. Similar to Iwan Rheon in Season 3. He wasn’t announced early.

    Arianne on the other hand is either cut or pushed back a season like the Reeds were.

  18. fuelpagan,

    It’s kind of late in the game to have Arianne pushed back. Only 3 seasons left to wrap the story up and she will not be in season 5. Also, major changes coming to Tyrions storyline. I’m guessing him and Vary’s will go straight to Dany

  19. Heavens, why have a website field if we can’t link a personal page of ours. *grump*.

    Anyway. ALEXANDER FUCKING SIDDIG. Fuck me so hard right now this makes me so horny.

  20. Cary Storm:
    Heavens, why have a website field if we can’t link a personal page of ours.*grump*.

    Anyway.ALEXANDER FUCKING SIDDIG. Fuck me so hard right now this makes me so horny.

    Akismet hates links, it thinks they’re spam. But you’re one of only two people so far to get caught in the spam filter. The other one was Winter. Heh.

    And agreed on Siddig.

  21. Very, very excited for Siddig. As in screamed loudly and ran out of the room. Pryce is also an excellent actor 🙂 Bit sad to see Aimee go as Myrcella but then I have learned to love new!Tommen. Only one I’m really disappointed by is Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan. Not exactly the yellow whale I was hoping for :/

  22. I didn’t want to believe that Arianne was cut but it seems to be true. They make bigger changes than expected. However, I accepted long ago that books and show are something completely different and I will enjoy both.

    The absence of characters from other storylines (Griffs & Greyjoys) doesn’t mean they are necessarely cut; they can be cast later. Arianne is different because we’ve got everyone else from her storyline.

  23. Sue the Fury:
    The loss of Arianne makes me angry, now that I see that mention of Trystane as heir. Wow. Not cool. That’s the dark cloud from the announcement. I’ll have to think about what it means in terms of overall changes, what it means to me, but I’m going to set that aside for now, and just let myself enjoy the new cast. Must google people!

    Good to have Nell Tiger Free confirmed. I hope Aimee took the news well.

    I agree about the loss of Arianne. I thought her being a strong female character who is also the heir presumptuous, despite having male brothers was very important. I suppose that issue will have to play out with Myrcella regarding the Iron Throne, and her other duties will be taken over by the Sand Snakes.

  24. Al Swearengen,

    YES! This. I hope they come out and say it if they really cut Arianne. Or the Greyjoys. Why would they keep it a secret?

    Can I say like Mr. Storm: FUCK YEAH! at the casting choices? Ha! I guess I just did.

  25. Sue the Fury:
    The loss of Arianne makes me angry, now that I see that mention of Trystane as heir. Wow. Not cool. That’s the dark cloud from the announcement. I’ll have to think about what it means in terms of overall changes, what it means to me, but I’m going to set that aside for now, and just let myself enjoy the new cast. Must google people!

    Good to have Nell Tiger Free confirmed. I hope Aimee took the news well.

    I agree, another defining cultural trait of the Dornish is they follow

    absolute primogeniture

    quite different from the rest of Westeros. They could still mention it in the show but it would have been best illustrated by a presence of an eldest femaie child as the heir

  26. Sue the Fury:
    The loss of Arianne makes me angry, now that I see that mention of Trystane as heir. Wow. Not cool. That’s the dark cloud from the announcement. I’ll have to think about what it means in terms of overall changes, what it means to me, but I’m going to set that aside for now, and just let myself enjoy the new cast. Must google people!

    Good to have Nell Tiger Free confirmed. I hope Aimee took the news well.

    Not happy about the loss of Arianne. That’s a major change to the entire Dorne storyline. However, Siding and Pryce are excellent additions to the cast.

    Is this sum total of new casting? So no Greyjoys or Manderly?

  27. So this makes me wonder, if Trystane takes over Quentyn’s role, Doran would be left without an heir, and if he doesn’t, then does Dorne support Dany in the show? They clearly play a major role, or else such a focus wouldn’t be given to them. Would the Sand Snakes be legitimized? I need to get more info and see if they cast Griff and Young Griff before making any guesses.

  28. Turncloak,

    If there is zero mention of her next season then we know she is cut.

    Right now I would bet on her being cut, but you never know.

  29. So Trystane being the heir along with Oberyn’s story how his father took him to casterly rock instead of his mother(princess of Dorne in the books) pretty much confirms that Dorne has a patriarchal line on the show right?

  30. That’s exciting about Siddig. Fans have been clamoring for him for years!

    That’s curious that Arianne and Quentyn appear to be out. Does this mean that Arianne isn’t important in the long run. Or maybe she dies in TWOW? Is Trystane more important in the endgame than he seems to be?

    I’m actually more concerned about no Wyman Manderly, Barbary Dustin or Robett Glover than the lack of Greyjoys. Hopefully they’re in and just weren’t announced yet.

  31. Enzo Cilenti looks NOTHING like the Yellow Whale of the books, but I don’t care much. If he’s appropriately scummy in Yezzan’s way, it’s fine. Cilenti was great in other stuff I’ve seen. Another “Rome” alum!

  32. Hoyti_von_Totiy,

    Well they’ve seem to be making plenty of cuts. Which storyline of AFFC/ADWD would you like to see unfold onscreen? Or was your hope that they skipped those books entirely and started of with TWOW material?

  33. WeirwoodTreeHugger,

    I’d be surprised if there is not a bunch of other characters who are yet to be revealed to be cast. The North has to add a few, and Tyrion has to interact with someone during the first half of the season.

  34. Extremely excited about the new faces though sad that Arianne and quite possibly Griff won’t make it. Siddig & Pryce are excellent choices and from what I have seen from DeObia Oparei he will be impressing as hell. Very curious about the Sand Snakes. Especially Rosabell Laurenti Sellers comes across as a lovely and humorous person. I think she can pull of both Tyenes innocent and lethal side. Regarding any casting news of other characters I guess we just have to be patient a few more weeks. Rooting for the Greyjoys and Manderly…

  35. Turncloak:
    Hoyti_von_Totiy,

    Well they’ve seem to be making plenty of cuts. Which storyline of AFFC/ADWD would you like to see unfold onscreen? Or was your hope that they skipped those books entirely and started of with TWOW material?

    AFFC/DWD have no storyline. Those 2 “books” are like bad fan canon written by someone who loves Dorne, Riverlands and Pyke.

  36. I’m most looking forward to North storylines next season, so I hope they cast Wyman and the Manderlys. I also was looking forward to the Griffs, but mostly because I like the Blackfyres.

  37. I’m sure there will be more minor roles that just didn’t make it into the video.

  38. Really excited about the new cast 🙂 Excellent Doran and awesome Sand snakes. Wow, no Arianne and no Greyjoys though.

  39. In general, love the Sand Snakes, though I really hope they’re more nuanced besides being ~badass bastard warrior princesses~

  40. WeirwoodTreeHugger,

    Personally, I do not think the cuts mean anything in relation to the books.
    I think it means that D&D streamlines 4 large books into 3 short seasons and had to make a lot of tough decisions on what to keep and how to combine arcs.

    I think by cutting Arianne (and maybe the Greyjoys and Aegon) the show has a much more direct route to Meereen and the final endgame. I’ve already duscussed those cuts a few times so I won’t get into them on this cast announcement post, but it simplifies everything quite nicely to me. I think the show needs that kind of more linear narrative to give an adequate amount of time to the important arcs and have everything come together in the end.

    I wouldn’t read too much into any cast or plot changes at this point.

    Well maybe if they do cut Aegon, but many already assume he is fAegon anyway

    .

  41. Wow, this is a pretty stellar line-up! Well worth the wait, I’d say!

    Alexander Siddig (Doran Martell): Just fantastic. He’s brilliant actor, and he’s been a popular choice among fans for a role on the show for a long time. I remember that several people were putting him forward as a possible Oberyn last year. I didn’t think that was quite the right fit for that part, but he’s perfect for Doran.

    Toby Sebastian (Trystane Martell): I’m not familiar with his work, but he certainly looks like a good choice for the part. The line in his character description about Trystane being Doran’s heir certainly doesn’t bode well at first glance for Arianne or Quentyn’s prospects, but I’m not going to worry about that right now.

    Nell Tiger Free (Myrcella): The long-rumored recast is confirmed. Nell seems lovely, and very well suited to the part of an older Myrcella. It’s too bad about Aimee Richardson, who was so enthusiastic about her role on the show, but there are reports out there that she was given the opportunity to audition for the right to reprise the role, and Nell beat her out. It’s unfortunate, but it certainly isn’t Nell’s fault, and I’m excited to see what she does with the part

    DeObia Oparei (Areo Hotah): I remember seeing him in Dredd. Good actor. I think Areo is a pretty bland character in the books (by design, but still), but I think that Oparei can provide him with some fresh charisma.

    Enzo Cilenti (Yezzan): Interesting choice! I’m certain that there will be people out there who are disappointed that Yezzan won’t be as physically grotesque as he is on the page, but I see no reason why the producers should have felt that they needed to limit their casting pool based on such criteria. Illyrio is supposed to be massive as well, and the slimmer Roger Allam did very well with that part. Yezzan’s most important characteristics are his sleaziness and moral corruption, and I trust that Cilenti will play that well.

    Jessica Henwick (Nymeria Sand): I’m not familiar with her work, but she seems lovely. I’m eager to see how she handles the deadly Lady Nym. And I don’t care what the casting call specified – please, for the love of all that’s sweet and good, let’s not speak a word about her complexion and how it should affect her qualifications for this role. It shouldn’t. At all.

    Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (Tyene Sand): Another unknown, but she seems perfect. I love the hint of spunk that she showed while talking about the role. She certainly looks like she could be Oberyn and Ellaria’s daughter, so perhaps the rumor that Sue the Fury heard about her altered parentage was true.

    Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sand): Ah, yes. News about her possible involvement was obviously leaked a little while back, and I was really hoping that it was true. Many people seem to have pegged her as Nymeria, but I’m excited to see what she does as Obara. Behold the power of Game of Thrones – they just cast a former Oscar Nominee in a recurring role.

    Jonathan Pryce (The High Sparrow): This might be the most exciting piece of casting of them all. Totally unexpected, but extremely welcome! Pryce is a fantastic actor, and it is going to be so much fun to see him take on this role

    Obviously casting isn’t complete – just based on the leaked casting call we know that we still have at least Septa Unella, Lollys Stokeworth, the Waif, Varamyr, Maggy the Frog, Young Cersei and Melara to come (to be fair, those are all likely to be fairly minor roles). And I have no doubt that the lack of news about Arianne, Quentyn, the Greyjoys, Griff, Young Griff, Wyman Manderly, etc. is causing a few people out there some anxiety. But I’m sated for now. I can’t wait to see all of these actors take on their new roles on the show!

  42. If the Griffs are included and Trystane takes the role of Quentyn, then I definately see Obarra taking over Arianne’s role, perhaps even being legitimized.

  43. I hope Aegon & Euron will still be in though. Aegon will certainly be a minor role during season 5 (maybe 2 episodes in the first half and 1 in the second half) and Euron might need 2-3 episodes too. So hopefully they are in.

  44. I’d wager that Trystane is taking on aspects of Arianne and Aegon’s roles in the Queenmaker plot and the invasion of the Stormlands, while Quentyn’s trip is cut entirely. My sadness for the apparent loss of Arianne is levelled by my excitement over the Sand Snakes. The show handles the fleshing-out of minor characters like these rather well IMO, which should make for great t.v. Also super jazzed for Indira Varma’s return as Ellaria and what I assume will be a beefed-up part in the Dornish story.

  45. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    If the Griffs are included and Trystane takes the role of Quentyn, then I definately see Obarra taking over Arianne’s role, perhaps even being legitimized.

    Quite possibly but it is curious that that the Griffs aren’t mentioned in the casting announcement.

  46. First post over here.

    Disappointed that Arianne is almost certainly cut.

    Good castings otherwise.

    Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I have to think that Martin will be doing at least one of his “Froggy hints” (not necessarily involving Maggy), and I’d imagine that castings like Wyman Manderly, Euron, Victarion, and/or the Griffs will come from that.

  47. congrats for the new site, best of luck 🙂

    i don’t understand why people keep saying that Quentyn is cut. Trystane is clearly “new Quentyn”, so the only pretty-much-sure cut is Arianne. probably ’cause her plotline can be transferred to others (Ellaria/SandSnakes) and as a character with her characteristics they already have ShowMargaery. i don’t understand the fuzz (well, i never do :P)

    the only cuts i find unlikely are the kraken-related ones. it’s not important how many characters, which one and how you cast, but to completely erase a kraken-plotline (again, it doesn’t matter which plotline, even a completely new one) seems unlikely.

    a lot of Italy in the cast, happy to hear that 🙂

  48. Yay! I can finally delete my WiC bookmark. Great site guys.

    Great news too. These new cast members are amazing, can’t wait to see them in costume.

  49. Think they’re all great. Tyrion Pimpslap may be onto something. It may be that the organization of the Queenmaker plot is divided between Ellaria and Obara, and that therefore both are used of a sort to take Arianne’s role.

    Regarding the racial makeup I mentioned it in an earlier post but it was more the idea that it was important to feature actors with distinctive looks as the Snakes, else they all run together. That’s kind of the idea, anyway.

    As for the others, there are plenty of smaller roles to cast. And they’re probably still negotiating with BRIAN BLESSED as Wyman Manderly. #pleasemakethishappen 🙂

  50. Mescalinic,

    Because of the female inheritance in Dorne; because she is a badass potential queen that is not as annoying as Dany; because she seems to have importance to the story going forward (see leaked chapters)…
    But, as everyone is pointing out, this is the show. The story can just skip right up to the end in the next three seasons without being anything like the books. I am hoping to love this show until the end, despite not being anything like the story in the books. But cutting a major character whose pov I liked will be hard to overcome. Sigh. Good thing I have months and months to get used to the idea…

  51. I think some of you didn’t get the memo when D&D said that major cuts will be happening forward . Seriously why the hell do you act surprised,or do you just like to bitch and whine just for the sake of it ?

  52. Don’t care if we don’t get anyone else, just because

    Jonathan Pryce is the High Sparrow!

    Pumped

  53. I do hope the producers come out and say whether certain characters are cut and don’t string us along, at least in regards to the characters that they know are cut, and aren’t undecided on.

  54. cosca,

    Come on, Euron could be an interesting character on screen, and it’s not like they cut Dorne all together.

  55. insert sexy sexy Trek sex into GoT. Love it. I was never convinced of that fancasting but I love Siddig so whatever. It’s awesome.

    as for the missing characters… that’s that then right? future s6 could get weird.

  56. Ashara D,

    don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying i don’t like her character. she’s not “improvised” like others probably-cut characters whose existence and whose… well, let’s just say “not exceptionality” 😀 contribuited to make ADWD one of the “least-unanimously-appreciated” (by Jove, am i not a shrewd diplomat? :D) books of the saga.

    but the only real, strong ‘literary value’ of her existence is the chapter “The Princess in the Tower”, which is one of the most loved chapters of AFFC, and an example of Martin best qualities. apart from it, as i said, the writers have Margaery for the “ambitious, hot, seductress, kinder-than-other-women-in-powerful-position” girl. every plotline can easily be taken over by the Sand Snakes+Ellaria.

    and if that mean i will see more of Ellaria, maybe in a different role than the book (less sensitive, cautious and loving, more fierce and vindictive) i certainly am not complaining. my screen is always open for Indira Varma 😛

  57. first off, congrats on the opening of this new site! its off to a great start you guys!
    now about the casting, we’ve got some great names on here…but I’m feeling so upset at the fact that there will be no arianne. why else is trystane listed as the heir then? way to take away the female agency that makes dorne so distinct and important. Don’t know how i feel about the show, especially after the omission of stoneheart. IMO.

  58. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    I do hope the producers come out and say whether certain characters are cut and don’t string us along, at least in regards to the characters that they know are cut, and aren’t undecided on.

    I hope so too. GRRM did this when he confirmed we wouldn’t be getting Strong Belwas. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening again and we will be left in the dark

  59. Loving the involvement of all you old-time (and new-time!) WiC posters! Thanks for getting our bare-bones site off to a rollicking start!

    As to the casting, I’m gobsmacked we got both Pryce and Siddig. Stoked!

  60. Axechucker,
    Thank you all for starting this site and ridding us of having to got to that “other” one. I know how much time it takes to run a website so thank you so much.

    I’m smacked to the gob as well! Pryce does creepy, “kind of nuts” really well and it will be perfect for a religious zealot. I haven’t seen Siddig much and he doesn’t physically scream Doran to me but I trust Nina Gold.

  61. Gemma,

    I was watching “Breaker of Chains” yesterday and was seething when the farmer talked about the Gods will punish the Frey’s for the Red Wedding. Still think it might be Talisa.

  62. Jared: Jessica Henwick (Nymeria Sand): I’m not familiar with her work, but she seems lovely. I’m eager to see how she handles the deadly Lady Nym. And I don’t care what the casting call specified – please, for the love of all that’s sweet and good, let’s not speak a word about her complexion and how it should affect her qualifications for this role. It shouldn’t. At all.

    If they’re seeking someone mixed or otherwise not white, they should cast them as such. And that is exactly what they did. Jessica Henwick is Asian, if you hadn’t noticed, so there’s no problem here.

  63. Carne:
    Sue the Fury,
    Didn’t you guys receive a longer list when they announced the season 3 cast?

    Yes, we did in season 3, but in this case, the video matched the list of names on the press release.

  64. What if Myrcella takes over Arianne’s role? She’s older here…what if she decides

    that under Dornish Law she’s the rightful queen, and convinces Dorne to support her claim? She could fulfill Aegon and Arianne’s role in a way that simplifies the story but preserves its course, transforming Myrcella from naive princess to a decisive queen.
  65. It would be nice if they could just come out and say if a certain character has been cut. I can understand not talking about

    Stoneheart and Aegon

    but when it comes to Arianne and the Greyjoy brothers they shouldn’t beat around the bush.

  66. Sue the Fury,

    I did notice that Henwick is mixed race. And I’m very happy with her casting. I think that she’ll be excellent as Lady Nymeria! 🙂

    For the record, I was merely attempting to head off people complaining about her not being dark-skinned enough, since her mother was described as darker skinned than Oberyn and the ridiculous argument over Pedro Pascal’s casting last year on the old site got so heated and so unpleasant so quickly. But from skimming the comments I can see that it wasn’t necessary, which is excellent news. So I sincerely regret even mentioning it the first place. Let this be the last that anyone speaks of it!

  67. I don’t believe they necessarily wanted to cut Arianne (if she is actually cut). I believe they realized they can’t do the Aegon plot in a seven season show. Once that decision was made then it makes more sense to get rid of Arianne. But if you think about the setup for the endgame Aegon has a major impact on many storylines. Getting rid of him would make the sides in the conflict very clear cut. This would signal a far simpler storyline as Dany turns her attention to Westeros.

  68. So ecstatic about Siddig and …Pryce!!! that I’m almost ready to forgive the lack of Greyjoy announcements. Almost. For now. ;P

    Also delighted to have Keisha as Obara. I’m sure she’ll be fantastic.

  69. TaviColen123:
    BrightroarsBane,

    She’s not older , in fact the previous actress was like 1 year older than this one, why do people keep getting it wrong ?

    Older as in they’ve aged up the character. She’s like 12 in the books.

  70. Turncloak,

    I find that sad if it is true. It is a Dorne characteristic that made that part of Westeros stand out completely.

    Of course if you are one of those who rather D&D go male line kingdoms only on screen, then you should be fine. Seven forbid Unsullied should ever know

    Myrcella can be crowned by Dorne law! Or that there’s a part of Westeros where women are allowed to rule if they are first born. They should only know how Margery and Cersei fight like cats to stay in power, through the grace and goodwill of a boy that sits the Iron Throne!
  71. Great casting. I’m sad for Aimee Richardson, and I’m quite sick of this habit of recasting; but what can you do? Hopefully Nell Tiger Free has some acting chops that make the switch worth it.

    I don’t see the reason to get all up in arms about “so-and-so have been cut!” just yet. This was their first casting announcement, and they dropped quite a few characters – I don’t doubt there’s more to come. Admittedly I’m not all that confident in the Greyjoys or Arianne though, which is a bummer.

    Also, happy to see the new site up and running!

  72. Simply based on the casting choices, I’d say it’s very very likely that Obara will be the POV Sand Snake on the show, and possibly in the Dorne plotline itself. Is Castle-Hughes the first Oscar nominee on the show? I feel confident predicting she, Siddig, and Indira Varma will do most of the heavy lifting for whatever plot D&D have come up with, while Tyene and Nym will mostly be there for show (although the actresses do seem very lovely and charismatic).

    Congrats on the site-launch! So happy to see you all land on your feet!

  73. Hey guys for some reason I can’t see spoiler comments. On my iphone they show up as blurred out text and when I click on the text nothing happens.

  74. Tyrion Pimpslap:
    If the Griffs are included and Trystane takes the role of Quentyn, then I definately see Obarra taking over Arianne’s role, perhaps even being legitimized.

    I was thinking the same thing. Especially if Trystane ends up dying at some point.

  75. Sunfyre,

    It also completely undermines Varys endgame.

    His endgame is fAegon, not Dany.

    I’m all for streamlining the story, but what you are suggesting is simply a rush to get to the end. We didn’t hear about waif or Lollys either, so it’s too soon to assume all the other characters are cut as well.

  76. Fuelpagan,

    Maybe his endgame is different in the show, certainly better than pulling a half assed twist of the middle of the story just because the author has lost the plot of it and keeps inventing even more characters when he shold be doing the opposite at this point .

  77. Fuelpagan,

    That is why the possible exclusion of

    “Aegon” would upset me more than Arianne being cut. It completely undermines Varys, whose true intentions have been one of the biggest mysteries of the series.
  78. Strider,

    No,but you did try to say the the show and the producers are sexixt just because they modified a certain part of the story even though you have no proof that that’s the reason they did it, it’s fine if you are upset that a character was cut but don’t invent reasons for taking your anger on the situation .

  79. TaviColen123,

    Last time I checked this was a place where fans are allowed voice their opinions about the show, if you don’t agree with Strider’s comment that’s fine but there’s no need to start attacking.

  80. TaviColen123,

    “Aegon”

    was hinted at in ‘A Clash Of Kings’.

    What is the deal with all of the people who shout down at fans for actually liking the books(AFFC/ADWD included)? It’s really annoying, just as much as book purists ridiculing the show constantly.

  81. OT, but I’d like to say how nice it is to not have to re-enter my sign-in info every time I post a message. That was my big complaint recently on that former site.

  82. TaviColen123,

    I was not trying anything. Don’t put words in mouth or should I say my keyboard. I was in fact stating the truth, that in the books one kingdom had a different view on female inheriting while they seem to go a different way on the show, all male lines. I said it in a sarcastic way because someone above mentioned sarcastically the narrow escape of the Unsullied, while I think this characteristic of Dorne would have enriched the story on the screen. Would have made a profound rift in culture from the other kingdoms, that would make the Dorne plot more complex too.

    Also, your interpretation of my comment is irrelevant. I didn’t say that they are sexist. I don’t know their views on the subject so I’m not in a position to opine on that. You seem to know them, draw your own conclusions, don’t try to restate mine erroneously.

  83. TaviColen123,

    Then you don’t truly understand the story. This wasn’t an addition because the author lost a handle on the story.

    He had clues Aegon could be alive all the way back in ACoK.

    It was carefully set up.

  84. I still think it will be odd for Doran to only have one child. He is the ruler of Dorne, and the mortality rate in Westeros is rather high. It wouldn’t surprise me if D&D make it so that bastards can inherit in Dorne, and that Doran wasn’t worried about providing plenty of heirs, with Oberyn’s daughters as back up.

  85. Fuelpagan,

    This is the same guy that turned what was supposed to be a trilogy into 7 or possible 8 books, do you seriuosly expect me to believe that he kept all the major plot points like they were at the beginning, even though we know that Dany was

    supposed to arrive in Westeros in Dance which was supposed to be the second book then, where was Aegon in all of this,smoking dope ?
  86. I don’t think i’ve seen many of these actors in anything, but they LOOK awesome! Super hyped for all the Dorne stuff that’s coming.

  87. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    I would miss Varys’s “true” endgame as well, but the show is not the books. Maybe Varys’s endgame on the show has been to support Dany from the beginning?

    One other wild twist D&D could do would be to not only have Trystane take some of Quentyn’s, Arianne’s and Aegon’s parts from the book, but to have Trystane be Aegon. I don’t particularly see that happening, but the aging up of Trystane to his late teens would allow it I guess

    I can see Arianne cut easily, and even see the Greyjoy uncles all being cut rather easily, but I have a somewhat harder time seeing them cut Young Griff and company. Not for story reasons so much as I like what they bring to the story… the sub-plots, the greyscale, the backstory connecting to the Great Bastards etc

  88. Good luck with the new site, people!

    Loved the casting news. Really sad about Arianne, but I’m really digging the selection for the Sand Snakes, characters I truly love (can’t even explain why, really).

  89. Turncloak:
    Hey guys for some reason I can’t see spoiler comments. On my iphone they show up as blurred out text and when I click on the text nothing happens.

    They are supposed to be blurred out when they’re spoilers, that means it’s working. However, you should be able to see it when you tap on them. Let me investigate the mobile functioning issues. There are several ways of handling spoiler coding, so that’s something we may change-up as well.

  90. Oh my god, so excited for Pryce! Seen him in a bunch of stuff, but i loved him in Evita. Used to walk around in high school (when it came out) humming all the songs lol. The others seem great too.

  91. TaviColen123,

    The clues that

    Aegon with the stronger claim could be fake

    is very telling as to the true motives of Varys, otherwise why is he undermining Dany. Why the fuck would he even tell Tywin about how powerful Dany is becoming? It’s not like anyone else on the council has the truth of it. Varys is not supporting Targs with that move.

  92. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    Agreed. Changing how Varys gets to the endgame is understandable, completely changing the end game is unacceptable. That would be like littlefinger not giving two shits about Catelyn and leaving Sansa in Kingslanding.

  93. Turncloak:
    Hey guys for some reason I can’t see spoiler comments. On my iphone they show up as blurred out text and when I click on the text nothing happens.

    FWIW, same on the iPad. Nothing happens when I click on the text.

    On a similar topic, if I am typing a response using spoiler tags (the brackets as described in the intro post), what should appear when I preview it? Right now, it appears exactly as I typed it…without any indication that I have spoiler-tagged it.

  94. I recognized Pryce, but couldn’t place him until I checked IMDB…and realized he was Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Thanks for the childhood nightmares, Mr. Pryce! Hopefully I don’t get adult ones from the High Sparrow….

    Very excited for all the new casting news, and the new site!

  95. Fuelpagan,

    That’s a good point. But motivations can always be rather opaque with someone like Varys. He thinks so far ahead. Tywin’s idea to fuck with Dany’s inner circle by outing Jorah as a spy could actually play into Varys and Illyrio’s plans (strictly in the show, not the books). Varys might like the idea of fewer advisers for Dany. Once Jorah is removed she’s left with Barristan as her only “wise voice from Westeros”. This leaves more room for Tyrion (or Varys himself) to move in when the time is right.

    My point is this: when it comes to Varys past behavior doesn’t necessarily spell out his future actions. He plays his cards close. We have a good handle on where he stands in the books. That may not be the case in the show. If Aegon is cut then Varys could very well be Team Dany.

  96. Sunfyre,

    The problem with your theory is that Barristan was supposed to bring Dany back to Pentos, not stay with her.

    Tyrion was never supposed to go to Dany without Aegon. Once you accept Aegon was actually planned and not some patch job by GRRM, you start to see how little Varys helps Dany. He used the death of Robert to remove Barristan so he could work for Aegon, not Dany. If Dany had returned to Pentos, Barristan would be guarding Aegon. Barristan tells Stannis the rot began with Aerys when Varys arrived. Varys is not pro-targ.
  97. Fuelpagan,

    Right, but isn’t much of this book knowledge? I don’t think the show has been so definitive. That gives D&D leeway to alter it if they see fit.

    I should say here that I’d rather they not deviate from GRRM’s story unless they absolutely have to. But if they are sticking to seven seasons they may have to be harsh with their cuts. IF they decide to cut Aegon what should they do with Varys (and Illyrio)? Who do they support? To me it makes sense to align them with Dany. And I don’t think there’s been anything in the show which would outright contradict such a choice.

  98. The editing function should be turned on now, with people able to edit their posts for ten minutes after they make a post.

  99. Unless they just filmed Alexander Siddiq’s intro video today or something, how did that not get out? He filmed it on a plane. Odds are there was at least on person there who watches the show haha.

    Of course, it could have been a private plane but it doesn’t look that way.

  100. Hello,

    Has it been officially confirmed by HBO that Arianne is cut from the show? I know a few big characters(Mance, Ramsay, Locke, Daario, and some more) were not included in Season 3’s Comic-Con Casting Video. So there still may be some hope.

  101. Congrats on the new site, guys!

    Anyway, I have no major complaints with the new cast members (aside from the recasting of Myrcella), and am very happy about Siddig being on the show. I am growing increasingly concerned about the Greyjoy uncles and Wyman Manderly, though, and I am incredibly disappointed that Arianne and Quentyn have been cut.

    Are there any hints about what role Yezzan will have in the story?

  102. Morgan,

    I get why that worries some people, but I don’t think there is anything to worry about until they officially announce that Arianne has been cut. In the books Arianne fears that Doran is going to name Quentyn as heir to Sunspear. I think instead of Arianne fearing that Quentyn will inherit it will be Trystane.

  103. Sunfyre,

    We were talking about the difference between changing how Varys arrives at the end game and changing the end game itself. In which case the books show his end game and people are claiming it is easy to cut. Changing the endgame of the master player in the series is not something I’m okay with. Just as littlefinger was behind the war of the five kings, Varys has been plotting and scheming, his moves haven’t been fully revealed yet.

    There is a reason Simon Toyne was leading the Kingswood Brotherhood at the same time Myles Toyne was leading the Golden Company. There is a reason Varys prevented Rhaegar from using Harrenhal as a platform for removing Aerys, yet he did nothing to stop him from running away with Lyanna, thus starting a rebellion. There is a reason the Golden Company, a group born out of Blackfyre supporters, broke there contract and are heading back to Westeros behind fAegon. Varys kills Kevan to help fAegon, not Dany.

    Bloodraven, Littlefinger, Doran and Varys are the key players in the game. Changing how they get to the end is fine, but to change their motivation harms the spirit of the story.

    Varys motivation is not Dany on the throne.

    p.s. Edit function is working on Mobil devices. *thumbs up*

  104. Fuelpagan,

    I agree, all of those points do mean Varys is not exactly a Dany supporter in the books, but none of those things have been established on the TV series. I don’t think it would be a motivational switch at all for TV-Varys to be behind Dany.

    In the show we have had no real background on the Great Bastards (that I recall) and all we know is Varys worked with Illyrio who seems to support Dany.

    Personally. I want to know all about Varys’s endgame and motivations,! I think he is my favorite character in the entire saga. Certainly the one I am most curious about. That said, much of what I am curious about concerning Varys is not likely to make the series. I have accepted I will have to read the books to find out about Varys’s endgame.

  105. Darquemode,

    We have Bloodraven for one. One difference the show is doing is holding off in information until it is needed. Like Oberyn talking about the death of her sister and children, we learned about that much earlier in the books. They have started making references about the Golden Company. You could easily cut those references out if you weren’t planning on using them. Oberyn has pointed out he knows Varys is from Lys.

    Where many of the exiled supporters ended up. A valuable clue if Varys is a part of some conspiracy, but meaningless if he is simply going help the daughter of the king who’s reign he helped bring down.

    Bloodraven will allow the show to fill in all these old details, so I’m not worried about the lack of talk about the great bastards.

  106. Jonathan Pryce is a pretty incredible acquisition. He was absolutely brilliant in Brazil. They really couldn’t have made a better choice for the High Sparrow.

  107. I’m still clinging to the faint hope that they haven’t actually cut Arianne, and that they just haven’t finalized her casting yet. However, I realize that this makes me the most optimistic person on the planet.

  108. Fuelpagan,

    I agree about Bloodraven if the show reveals the 3-Eyed Crow to be Bloodraven. Right now he is only the 3-Eyed Crow though. He could tell Bran his story and be revealed next year… or they could easily just use him as a mystical figure and not go into his history as a Great Bastard. Would that affect Bran’s story on the show in any way? I’m not sure it would…

    I don’t agree with your point about the Varys conspiracy needing to be more than just support of Dany. First, I’m not sure a lot of viewers recall or know Varys’s part in bringing down the past ruler. More importantly, he is in King’s Landing where the Lannisters rule and before that where Robert Baratheon (known Targaryen hater) ruled. . He would have every reason to hide support for anyone not on the Iron Throne… Dany included.

    Based only on the details on the TV series I think a conspiracy to support Dany could make sense even if I want Aegon to make the show. I hope you are right and Aegon makes it to the series though…

  109. I’m glad the format here is the same as the former website (who should go fuck themselves btw). Great name and I’m glad to see all of you back and at it and with tons of comments!

    Siddig and Pryce should make up for Charles Dance’s absence in the gravitas department. Those two are heavyweights! And all of the Snakes seem to be good actresses. I wonder if Sophie recommended Toby as her Barely Lethal co-star for the role? Who knows. But it’s been a great newsday for sure.

  110. The casting news is pretty exciting, especially the addition of Jonathan Pryce.

    There might be more castings later on, but it seems like Arianne and Quentyn are cut, or at least their roles/characteristics are being combined with others. Hopefully Dorne’s progressive policy on female heirs is still intact, and hey, maybe they’ll even double whammy it and legitimize one of Oberyn’s bastard daughters in case Trystane takes on Quentyn’s actions and fate.

    I hope that Aegon and Connington don’t get cast, though. One of the most facepalm-inducing parts of ADWD was having such major players introduced in the fifth of a seven book series. I hope Tyrion shares scenes with Varys and Jorah in Season 5, I’d find that a lot more enjoyable.

  111. Sue the Fury,

    It’s also possible that Young Griff is hush hush (like Ramsay in season 3 not making the reel and later being cast as “boy”).

    That said, this is very troubling news for Manderly, Jeyne Poole (or whoever takes that role), Euron (Victarion and Aeron are definitely cut) and Jon Connington.

    At best I can see two of these making it. They would have been in the video.

  112. No Edward James Olmos :'(
    I get that Siddig is great, but this show and Dorne need an Adama.

    Still sad about Aimee who will never get ‘her’ Dorne (her words, when she signed next to Sunspear on my S1 map a couple of years ago).
    I wish all the best to her recast. She may have to face an uphill battle and unfair critics worthy of Pedro Pascal, but he ended winning everyone to his side so I am not too worried.

    Jonathan Pryce, this is gonna be fun (and fabulous)!

  113. jentario:
    Sue the Fury,

    It’s also possible that Young Griff is hush hush (like Ramsay in season 3 not making the reel and later being cast as “boy”).

    That said, this is very troubling news for Manderly, Jeyne Poole (or whoever takes that role), Euron (Victarion and Aeron are definitely cut) and Jon Connington.

    At best I can see two of these making it. They would have been in the video.

    I don’t agree, jentario.

    On Arianne, yes. I think she’s probably gone, and it only works if they indeed do try to legitimize Obara and have her take the “Princess in the Tower” scene et cetera. That’s a way that could be worked out. Quentyn can go for all I care.

    But Jeyne Poole is a minor, minor role. Wyman Manderley can be handled in 2 episodes and they are clearly still negotiating with BRIAN BLESSED. (Please D&D make this happen)

    We didn’t see Septa Unella either. Plenty of smaller parts get cast without us knowing and certainly without us knowing at the time of the big video who else they’re looking to cast.

    And the Greyjoys can be left for Season 6. Really – Meereen Battle not coming this year.

  114. Greatjon of Slumber,

    Ian McNeice is far more likely given that he played Illyrio in the premiere. Needless to say, there is no lacking in awesome fat British actors. Placing a casting call for Manderly would be completely unnecessary.

    I definitely think we should see

    fake Arya

    in whatever form she appears (Jeyne Poole, random Northern girl #23, etc) because without her Theon’s arc becomes stupid. That said, cutting Arianne also seems incredibly stupid so maybe these two won’t make it.

    I don’t hold as much hope for any Greyjoy or for the Griffs though. For now, I’ll assume they’re cut and maybe I’ll get a pleasant surprise in the coming months.

    EDIT: I’ve had a feeling that Arianne will get cut since way back, so I think I’ll trust my gut on this

    On the topic of casting:
    Tyene looks great. From the audition the role seems like borderline T&A and this woman is certainly very pretty and looks charming and charismatic. Hopefully the show’s Tyene will be great (and they should give her a wig!).

    The only one that LOOKS wrong to me is Nymeria but I’m sure the actress will change my mind as soon as season 5 begins.

  115. Kit, Exactly! This is a major point! SPOILERS:

    The whole Myrcella thing happens because Arianne thinks Myrcella should be on the Iron Throne instead of Tommen. Without that as a motivation, how is the whole affair going to make sense???

  116. dee,

    Oberyn’s death makes the Sand Snakes want to wage war against the Lannisters, and they have what they see as the rightful heir in their hands. Trystane wants to be king.

    Rather simple.

  117. jentario:
    Greatjon of Slumber,

    Ian McNeice is far more likely given that he played Illyrio in the premiere. Needless to say, there is no lacking in awesome fat British actors. Placing a casting call for Manderly would be completely unnecessary.

    I definitely think we should see

    in whatever form she appears (Jeyne Poole, random Northern girl #23, etc) because without her Theon’s arc becomes stupid. That said, cutting Arianne also seems incredibly stupid so maybe these two won’t make it.

    EDIT: I’ve had a feeling that Arianne will get cut since way back, so I think I’ll trust my gut on this

    On the topic of casting:
    Tyene looks great. From the audition the role seems like borderline T&A and this woman is certainly very pretty and looks charming and charismatic. Hopefully the show’s Tyene will be great (and they should give her a wig!).

    The only one that LOOKS wrong to me is Nymeria but I’m sure the actress will change my mind as soon as season 5 begins.

    There’s a difference. Arianne’s character is a much larger one, whereas as you said, Ramsay’s bride can be easily Northern Girl #23 or whatever. Different needs to serve the story.

    And I think Nym looks awesome and love that she has a look that is much distinct than the other two. The casting of KCH makes me think they’re really going to build up Obara, which I love.

  118. Carne,

    Another Rome alum!
    I had not thought of him, but he would work nicely as Lord Lamprey!

    I still favor Ian McNeice and Michael Culkin, but I’m behind Kenneth Cranham as well now.

  119. I was expecting some unknown Peruvian actor for Doran, but … we really got Siddig. That’s insane. He’s a perfect fit, an actor we’ve all been hoping for, but – for some strange reason – I’m underwhelmed.

  120. Very excited by the casting news, especially Alexander Siddig. I’d just started watching DS9 again, when I heard the news. Also happy with the Sand Snakes and Areo Hotah.

    Not too bothered by the omission of Arianne (or Quentyn). Although I’d prefer a female heir, I still think they’re both rather expendable characters so far in the books.

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