Casting for Ice & Fire taking shape

Jason
Monday
8:51 pm

Well George RR Martin has lifted a small piece of the veil on the upcoming HBO rendition of his popular A Song of Ice and Fire book series. See HBO is currently casting the pilot episode for The Game of Thrones and has pulled in some heavy hitters to give the series instant credibility.

Having almost finished the third book in the series, A Storm of Swords, I am actually getting a bit pumped to see the finished product here. I really do hope it has the look and feel of The Lord of the Rings on the small screen. Heck the writing lends itself to be.

So here is a quick rundown of who we have cast so far…

Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
That is correct, Boromir will be playing the role of the patriarch of House Stark. Given his acting prowess, Bean should be a slam dunk and bring fan boys to the party. But for as much as everyone loved him as Boromir, I much prefer him as Alex Trevelyan in the James Bond action flick GoldenEye.

Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon
Most viewers will probably recognize Addy from his role in A Knight’s Tale. While it may not have been the best of movies (it is still a guilty pleasure for me), Addy turned in a great performance with what little he had to work with. Others might remember him from his TV sitcom days on Still Standing or movie The Full Monty.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Playing a short ugly drawf with different colored eyes and weakened legs is never an easy role. But that is the role Dinklage decided to take on with Tyrion. Funny thing is for being possibly the ugliest character, Tyrion sure does get to sleep with a lot of women. And in turn that means Dinklage is sure to be surrounded by some serious boobage.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow
Not much is known about Harington outside of he is thought well of in British theatre circles. That and he has the ringing endorsement of Martin himself. All I know is that Harington better strap in because there is a large contingent of fans ready to pounce on anyone who fills the role of Jon Snow due to the importance of the character.

Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon
If not much was known about Harington, Gleeson is invisible. Many are assuming this is the kid who had a spot appearance in Batman Begins.

Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen
Lloyd is a pleasant surprise. I watch the BBC’s Robin Hood, but really have not learned any of the actors names. So when I first read Martin’s blog, I had no clue who he was by name. But after digging in, Hood’s Will Scarlett will wear the mantle of The Beggar King. After seeing such a chipper Will Scarlett,  I am looking forward to if he can pull off the I am the biggest asshole ever role.

And given the size of the character lot in the books, there is much more casting to be had. Projected airing of the pilot? October. And already I think most can say it is looking better than Legend of the Seeker.