Season five casting news and exclusive updates!

Loboda

We have some fresh Game of Thrones casting info today, plus exclusive new details and confirmations from WatchersOnTheWall sources about previously reported castings. Let’s get right to it!

WotW commenter Greenjones uncovered on IMDb two days ago that Zachary Baharov (or Zahary- his agency says one name, IMDB says another) will be playing the role of Loboda. IMDb can be unreliable (*cough*), but Baharov’s agency CV also states that he’s playing the role so this is legit.

Light spoilers below!

Loboda2As our sources reported several months back, Loboda is the powerful leader of a cannibalistic tribe (presumably the Thenns). The casting call noted that Loboda has a long scene with leading cast members where a battle plan is discussed, so the character will be part of some interesting scenes, it sounds like. We’ve already gotten a sneak peek of the character in the season 5 trailer, as pictured above.

A month ago, we reported the casting of young actress Hattie Gotobed in the role of Ghita. At the time it was unknown what part the character played in season 5. Our sources have confirmed that Gotobed’s character is, as we speculated, playing the role of the ill child referenced in a casting breakdown. The child is mentioned in the writeup for the role of her father, Joss. 

Nigel O’Neill will be playing a Baratheon general in a David Nutter episode this season, according to his resume. Nutter is directing episodes 9 and 10 which means the general could come into play in either episode, or both.  (IMDb has O’Neill listed under both episodes, because as we’ve discussed a lot this week, the site is fan-updated.) We’ve seen a battle in the season 5 trailer. A general certainly could come in handy then, and we know Game of Thrones loves having a big battle at the end of the season.

We know thanks to an Instagram pic that Tristan McConnell is playing the role of Gordy. This season, a source says that Gordy and another character named Simpson are Bolton soldiers at Winterfell in one episode.

Next up are two Night’s Watch characters: Ian Lloyd Anderson will be playing Derek, and Jonathan Byrne will be playing the role of Brant. The characters are referred to as “bullies,” and have a couple of scenes in one episode.

Now, for a particularly exciting bit of news: a trusted source reports that in the fall, during filming, Ian Gelder was in the Belfast studios, and that at the very least, he’s in episode 10. The return of Kevan Lannister has been speculated on for months, with another source stating they thought they’d seen someone looking very much like Gelder in Dubrovnik, during the filming of a pivotal scene- huge spoilers at this link. It’s great to have some confirmation from a confident source.

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

190 Comments

  1. What’s wrong Thronies, you so SCARED by The Walking Dead’s MONSTER ratings that you delay your new season by TWO whole weeks? HAHAHA!

  2. Awesome!

    Getting Hardhome AND a battle at Winterfell would be insane! From the small look we get in the trailer, Baratheon & co. don’t seem to be present in what we’ve speculated is Hardhome.
  3. GiGAFART:
    What’s wrong Thronies, you so SCARED by The Walking Dead’s MONSTER ratings that you delay your new season by TWO whole weeks?HAHAHA!

    Scared by The Walking Dead? Yeah, sure. You have to improve your trolling if you’re going to keep with this lame schtick.

    Very interesting news, Sue. Thanks for sharing!

  4. IMDB has reported that we’ll see Kevan in episode 501, so let’s see if they still can be trusted.

    Last year they reported Pedro Pascal would be in 7 episodes and in the end he was. I’m still have a little hope for this “Hooded woman” but is really really little though. We’ll see.

  5. Who are all these people I never get to read about in the books … 🙂

    What if Loboda is

    Skagosi instead and we’ll get to see Rickon a bit sooner than expected?

    Also, Nodor.

  6. Happy to have confirmation about the return of Ian Gelder. Will be excited to see the events of the ADWD Epilogue on screen.

  7. YES! So excited for finally having you guys confirm Ian Gelder. I know that some have argued that Pycelle or others could fill his role but I think we can all agree that the best person to fill Kevan Lannister’s role is Kevan Lannister. Also proof that significant characters that are not cut have managed to slip under the radar until now. There is hope for the merman yet.

  8. I love how they give shitty names to characters who likely will never actually be named in the show.

  9. Thanks for the update, Sue.

    On the topic of casting, I wondered about that actress appearing to strip in the trailer. I know people were saying it had to do with Braavos/”Mercy”, but I wondered if it might be Tyrene Sand- both because she seemed to be wearing “Dornish” clothing and because of the audition dialogue.

    Also, any news on Varamyr?

  10. kosis,

    I have no real guess on how it will happen, but he doesn’t seem to be with Tyrion in the later scenes, so I’m guessing they split up early on, giving Varys time to return to Westeros
  11. kosis,

    I’m assuming that Varys returns to KL. He isn’t in Meereen with Tyrion, according to all of the spoiler photos. Can’t imagine that he would stay in Pentos. He comes back into the city, just as he did in the books.
  12. Jordan,

    This is true. Though from the final episode of last season it seemed that Varys never planned on leaving KL, but did so because he knew he would be a suspect in Tywin’s death when he heard the bells ring. Not sure how his absence this late in the game would go unnoticed. I just assumed that he was staying in Essos from here on out.

  13. Having a few features Bolton soldiers would make sense if

    they’re doing the serial murder plot in Winterfell. Gotta have some people to die.
  14. W:
    IMDB has reported that we’ll see Kevan in episode 501, so let’s see if they still can be trusted.

    Last year they reported Pedro Pascal would be in 7 episodesand in the end he was. I’m still have a little hope for this “Hooded woman” but is really really little though. We’ll see.

    Well, it would make sense for him to be there for his brother’s funeral.

  15. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    Actually, I’m not sure- Tyrene has short hair in the first scene whereas whoever is in the other scene has pigtails.

    Incidentally, I’m glad that the first scene (and possibly the second) shows that the sort of odd looking armor/outfits the Sand Snakes were shown in in the leaked pictures is not exclusively what they are going to be wearing.

  16. Please completely cover your spoilers, everyone.

    It’s already been established that the sexy half-naked girl in the trailer is not Tyene, she’s a Braavosi brothel character. The actress’s name escapes me right now but she has been identified for sure.

    W: IMDB has reported that we’ll see Kevan in episode 501, so let’s see if they still can be trusted.

    Last year they reported Pedro Pascal would be in 7 episodes and in the end he was. I’m still have a little hope for this “Hooded woman” but is really really little though. We’ll see.

    The “hooded woman” entry was not added by anyone to do with the show. It was a hoax.

    As for Kevan, he was added into IMDB as soon as there were unclear reports of him returning. People had no idea what episode he was coming back in, so they put him in episode 1. This is standard. They did the exact same thing for every new character and every returning one like

    Jaqen.

    Pedro was added in for seven episodes AFTER the episode titles were leaked, and it was obvious when he would be going based on the title.

    IMDb is fan-updated and should not be treated as gospel word.

    I feel like I need to paste that at the top of this website, it’s an issue a lot this year.

  17. It seems like they may be changing Jon Snow’s storyline quite a bit – especially when you consider the trailer.

    I hope it’s not just for the sake of giving him some more action scenes though.

  18. Kevan was one of my favourite minor characters, so I’m glad that he’ll be back for his biggest part in the story.

  19. Jordan:
    Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    Actually, I’m not sure- Tyrene has short hair in the first scene whereas whoever is in the other scene has pigtails.

    Incidentally, I’m glad that the first scene (and possibly the second) shows that the sort of odd looking armor/outfits the Sand Snakes were shown in in the leaked pictures is not exclusively what they are going to be wearing.

    I didn’t know why you thought I thought they were the same actress, until I reread my post. I left out an important “not.” I was trying to say they were not the same actress, which you can tell, if you compare the photos. Sorry for the confusion.

  20. Dogcheese:
    They brought back Kevan, maybe they can bring back the GreatJon?

    That would be awesome. Maybe with Rickon and Osha, as they were headed for Last Hearth. They can make something up about the GreatJon being injured and sent home between seasons 1 and 2.

  21. Don’t think he was essential but Kevan being back is a nice touch. Did be get confirmation that Lancel will return as he’s a lot more useful character for the stories winvolving both Jaime/Cersei and Cersei/The Faith this season.

    Dogcheese,

    I sense we may see him again when we see Rickon again as he appears to be at The Last Hearth instead of Skagos. But who knows.

  22. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Yes we did, sort of. The leaked script summary, which has been largely confirmed by the trailer, claims Lancel and Kevan are both back. Also, there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence, some of it pretty convincing, about Lancel being back. Basically, I think we can be pretty sure he’s back.

  23. Hopefully we’ll get that epic epilogue scene now. And also, we’ll hopefully get “The Pink Letter” scene aswell as the catacomb scene. If all those three scenes are in this season then I’ll be fine
  24. Kevan was a nice check on Cersei in the books, and will hopefully be more of a character than his previous appearances. I’m more excited that they’re returning to an actor from a few seasons ago, it bodes well for similar missing persons.

  25. Carne,

    Awesome. Did you ever try it again? Why do you think he won’t be back? I mean I have my doubts as well, but Cogman made a point to at least leave a door open.

  26. Interesting that they brought Kevan back, simply because the show has given him very little attention so far and most non-book readers will have probably forgotten him.

    When he does return, the show will probably have to make an effort to remind the viewers who he is.

  27. Arran,

    Yes, I agree, and I’ve given some thought to this: the perfect way to organically reintroduce the character without much exposition is Tywin’s funeral. What better way is there to do so than an event dedicated to his brother, a character we do now? The funeral will provide plenty of opportunities for Kevan to establish himself as Tywin’s brother, which the show never really did successfully.

  28. Someone Somewhere,

    If this is remotely true, it’s so weird. In a funny way.

    Heh. Those who said everything was planned from the beginning in detail (YG, etc) must read this. Many stories seem quite different —Tyrion, Cat, Sansa and Arya especially. Jon & Arya love story —wuut?

  29. Kevan Lannister’s badassery and the Kingsmoot were the only exciting things at the beginning of AFFC so I’m glad we’re getting one.

  30. Woo!. I’m a sucker for any casting news, so the amount in this one particularly excites me, in spite of how minor they will probably be.

    Also happy about Kevan’s return, although the leaked script’s accuracy did suggest that it was almost certain.

  31. Luka Nieto,

    That’s good news then as if used correctly he could be a very important tool (I think essential) in the break down of Jaime and Cersei’s relationship and I would have thought also be essential in Cersei’s

    arrest and trial

    with no Kettlebacks/other folks Cersei had a dabble with. Also makes perfect sense with Lancel having

    joined the Faith

    .

  32. Rygar:
    Someone Somewhere,

    Old news

    Is it? I have never seen it before. Some of that reads like uber-spoilers, in terms of the characters, while also reminding me of the Journal of the Whills featuring Luke Starkiller.

  33. Someone Somewhere,

    Folks getting all buzzed over a draft outline from 1993. [sigh] But it is interesting to note how things have changed since those early drafts (and probably continue to change).

    Crabber’s Son,
    Definitely a possibility, especially with Last Hearth figuring so prominently. Hopefully, we get both GjoU & Lord Too Fat but D&D are probably just waiting to hear from GRRM regarding the fates of certain RW prisoners.

  34. Crabber’s Son,

    That would be absolutely awesome. I don’t have much hope (because I don’t wanna be dissapointed), but… it makes sense! It would not only be “cool”, but it also makes a lot of sense: Rickon went towards the Umbers in the show, while Manderly wants to seek Rickon in the books… fuck, it fits pretty well, doesn’t it?

  35. Felt Pelt: Is it? I have never seen it before. Some of that reads like uber-spoilers, in terms of the characters, while also reminding me of the Journal of the Whills featuring Luke Starkiller.

    Yep. Found at fleabottom.net earlier.

  36. Wohooo! So happy that they casted Zachary Baharov he is one of the biggest Bulgarian actors right now, the dude can definitely act. And he can pull off tough/intimidating characters very well. Plus he’ll have that Eastern European accent so it will keep that continuity going if he is playing the new Magnar.

    Also super excited for Kevan!

    Now if we can only get Alys Karstark I will be happy ^^

  37. Rygar,

    I’m really happy it became a fraternal relationship. Really happy. Well, maybe Arya wasn’t 11 in the original conception; maybe the characters were quite different. Still a bit creepy, but oh well.

  38. Luka Nieto:
    Rygar,

    I’m really happy it became a fraternal relationship. Really happy. Well, maybe Arya wasn’t 11 in the original conception; maybe the characters were quite different. Still a bit creepy, but oh well.

    Well, we know that GRRM had lots of stupid ideas he’s since abandoned, like the 5-year gap. I’m sure there were more.

  39. Greenjones,

    Oh, that reminds me. I need to create the Braavosi prostitute page for the wiki! 😉

    EDIT: Done! And with her image from the trailer and everything.

  40. Loboda seems like a weirdly Slavic name for the Thenns.

    Glad to have Ian Gelder back as Kevan. I quite liked him in Season 1, and it was a role that easily could have been recast.

    Some of these names are cracking me up. Gordy?

    LOLing forever at that outline for ASOIAF. Tyrion/Jon/Arya love triangle? Seriously? Also, if I’m reading it correctly, Tyrion befriends Sansa and Arya…and also besieges and burns down Winterfell. Uh…

  41. BB,

    Slavic, certainly. Weirdly Slavic, tho?

    The Thenns in the show are based on the Slavic people, with a heavy Eastern European / Russian accent. It’s not so weird that it seeps into the naming of show-original Thenn characters as well 😉

  42. Crabber’s Son:
    Luka Nieto,

    Maybe Arya was turned into Sansa???

    Yeah, I got the vibe that Arya and Sansa were merged until Sansa’s name appear.

    I guess eliminating the 5 year gap altered Arya’s initially planned development a lot.

  43. Luka Nieto,

    Wonder why they didn’t simply use Sigorn with him being Styr’s son? Although with Alys seemingly not in it ,at the least, yet maybe they’re saving him for some North/Wilding alliance stufff. Although at this point, I think the Northern Lords have pretty much been abandoned which is a shame.
    The Thenns and Wildlings generally have always seemed more Scandanavian to me, especially name-wise. Although the show certainly seems to be going more Slavic for the Thenns.

  44. TheTouchOfFrost,

    I agree they were more Scandinavian in the books. I don’t know why they went for Slavic. Maybe to differentiate them more from the rest of the wildlings. As for Loboda, we don’t know he’s THE leader of the Thenns, just a kind of leader, presumably at Hardhome.

    Even if he’s the leader, it’s not the first time they change names for no particular reason. No, I don’t mean Yara/Asha; that makes sense (at least there is a reason for it.) Others I just don’t get. For example, why change the name of Drogon’s victim from Hazzea to Zalla? Is there any discernible reason? Always confused me.

  45. Some good news!
    now I’m positve that we will get a battle on the series finale, besides the one at hardome, probably the battle of ice, or deepwood motte I don’t know….
    what I do know is, that I can’t wait to see Stannis the Mannis kicking some ass again! Judging by his face covered in blood in the Baratheon video, now the Baratheon general news, seems to me there’s something big for us in this season finale

  46. Jofrey’s Cunt,

    Stannis certainly had bloody makeup and the armor on in that fealty video. He will have a battle, and it’s obvious he won’t go north of the Wall. So, there must be some kind of battle in the North. Deepwood, Winterfell, who knows. But something’s gonna happen.

  47. Luka Nieto,

    It is quite odd. The beauty of Martin’s books is that even minor characters are appropriately fleshed out. Not sure why they’ve had to create new ones for the show when they could quite easily adapt those already existing in the books. Mereen seems particularly choc-a-bloc with new randomly-named characters.

  48. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Yeah, that’d be like my main adaptation question for D&D or Cogman if I ever got the chance. It’s not anything concerning, not truly, just… weird. If there’s someone who roughly has the same role as in the books (I don’t know, some slaver or other,) why not give him the same name? The Zalla/Hazzea thing is even stranger; it’s literally the same character… not even a character, really. It’d be like randomly changing the name of a town or something. Just weird.

  49. SPOILER

    I just have the thought that it would be cool if Arya changes her face to become Ghita and then Hattie Gotobed would interpret Arya. Hope she is a good actress!

  50. TheTouchOfFrost,

    The characters are just named in the script. None of these characters listed will probably ever have their names uttered on TV. Have we even heard the names Olly or Lhara(for example) spoken in the show yet? If we have, it has happened only once, and quickly forgotten.

  51. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    Of course. Olly many, many times. Pretty much in every episode he appears in, multiple times. Lhara in her only appearance; the reason we know her name is because it was like a big part of the dialogue (Sallhador called one of them Lhara, but Lhara was the other one so she corrected him.)

    Greenjones,

    Oh, you don’t know how much I hope so.

    Before the trailer I was 90% sure he’d be back because that’s obviously his villa, but now I’m not so sure. I’d gathered that most of the chat about convincing Tyrion about his mission would be given to Varys, but I still expected Illyrio to be present. Hope he’s back.
  52. Luka Nieto,

    I guess I just overlooked it because the characters are so minor. I still say we’ll never hear the name Gordy or Simpson spoken on the show.

  53. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    That’s probably true but still there’s even less reason not to use already-existing characters names. It just appears to be a change for the sake of changing.

  54. About those two Bolton soldiers, remember folks that Tristan McConnel’s “Gordy” was originally credited on IMDB for ep. 510. That was deleted for some reason but that’s how I found out about the part around a month or so ago. That is what led to me to seek the guy out on social media and find the instagram thingmy confirming it. I know we’re all very suspicious of IMDB at the moment but I really doubt that was a fan-edit, since I’m pretty sure I was the first person to spot that.

    Also Carne confirmed that he’ll take part in an action scene of some sort, which checks out because McConnel is mostly a stunt man/stunt double (notably for Josh Hartnett in Penny Dreadful).

    So…that should be fun.

  55. Sue the Fury,

    Even if it was him, why would he be standing in second row behind some unknown lordlings xy and so far away from the royal family. Well with royal family I mean Cersei… Pycelle is next to her and she can’t stand him, so Kevan would be a much better choice to stand next to her?

  56. Greenjones,

    Exactly, though I just can’t imagine having his villa but not Illyrio himself. It might be they split up the conversation with Tyrion, partly taking place inside the villa, and party outside (with just Varys, as in the trailer), eliminating the need for Allam to travel to Croatia.

  57. TheTouchOfFrost,

    They want to appeal to the cable TV demographic. That explains nearly all differences between the show and the book, the readership of which is a different demographic.

  58. I am starting a prayer circle for “My brother is dead, woman. I am going to take him home,” or any other line referencing Kevan and Tywin’s relationship

    Granted, no one but me cares about Kevan and Tywin’s bond so its not really a prayer circle, more like me sadly praying alone

  59. Stannis the Mannis,

    It probably is less a difference between the viewers and the readers and more of a difference between hardcore fans and general readers/viewers. The Hardcores for big fantasy & scifi franchises tend to be big on plot and details, whereas the general viewers/readers tend to be bigger on story and development of the lead characters.

    Moreover, there is a type of story that does well in these cable series: those stories that really focus on the lead characters being at odds with themselves. Most of the modifications have been to emphasize that (not that GRRM doesnt provide quite a bit on his own!).

  60. Bogden: Sue

    That’s definitely not Kevan. If Kevan was in attendance during that scene he’d be near Cersei. So, either the character is off doing something else during this scene, has yet to arrive at King’s Landing, or Ian Gelder couldn’t be present for the filming of this particular scene.

  61. So with the confirmation of Kevan and Lancel, pseudo confirmation of Jaquen and the leaked summary being pretty much vindicated. This to me corroborates a lot of what the original Patchface said.

    This gives me some renewed hope for Manderly, although all we were told was his insignia was around. Although I still don’t see how they can drop him.

  62. And still no Illyrio confirmation. Yaaaay.. @_@

    I’m still bitter we’re not getting Taena Merryweather or the Green Grace, so they better not fuckin’ cut Illyrio too.

  63. Greenjones,

    That’s definitely a possibility. I just don’t want Kevan to be gone for too long, as I’ve looked forward to his return.

    I’m hoping Kevan’s role is drawn out into season 6 so that viewers will have time to appreciate him. I don’t see him getting the amount of screen time that Oberyn received, so viewers likely won’t care much about him if his role is completed by the end of season 5.
  64. Kyle,

    Oberyn is a hundred times cooler and more interesting to viewers than Kevan though. Kevan is more of a sensible workhorse who finally gets a little (mostly off page) moment in the sun just before he pops his clogs.

  65. Kyle,

    I think he’ll come back by around 506 or 507 in time to make a deal with the High Septon and Olenna to depose Cersei.

    He doesn’t necessarily have to die in 510. If the WoS is in that ep., I don’t think there’d be time for too much more KL, so that could be saved ’till early s6.

  66. Greenjones:
    Kyle,

    I could get behind that. I could see…

    Kevan continuing on as regent through much of Season 6 if Varys stays abroad and returns late in the season 6. That’s my current theory for Varys – I just don’t see him returning to King’s Landing by the finale of S5. I think he has a lot to do on his trip…but then again, Melisandre can damn near teleport across Westeros, so why can’t he?
  67. Kyle,

    Given that

    Varys is back in Kings Landing by the end of Dragons, he’s probably going to figure in events there at the outset of Winter. That means he’ll be there for Season 6.
  68. i just realized tyrion said this in season 2 “I’m brokering an alliance with House Martell of Dorne. Princess Myrcella will wed their youngest son when she comes of age.” Quentyn lives?!

  69. Arkash: Yeah, I got the vibe that Arya and Sansa were merged until Sansa’s name appear.

    I guess eliminating the 5 year gap altered Arya’s initially planned development a lot.

    Most of the Arya stuff in the draft doesn’t sound like either of them. Sansa’s forbidden passion with Jon? LOL no. A Jon/Sansa/Tyrion love triangle? Nope, I don’t think so.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to eventually use the idea with Dany, though.

    It’s funny to see that ur- Jaime is basically Cersei. Though AGOT Jaime wasn’t that far from it. It seems GRRM split ur-Jaime into the twins, but who knows how much of their personalities was developed before ACOK.

    Tyrion doesn’t even seem to be a dwarf, and some of his plot got transferred to Theon and Ramsay.

  70. Great news about Ian Gelder. Really great. I know some were sore at the fact that his relationship with Tyrion was downplayed, but the show has done this in the past, sacrificing relationships with tertiary characters in order to make the relationships between primary characters stronger. So, Dontos shows up and disappears for two seasons so Sansa/Littlefinger can become closer. Kevan is in two seasons for a few episodes but they use what could have been his part in Season 4 in favor of strengthening the Jaime/Tyrion bond. Tormund’s role is beefed up in Season 3 because he’s meant to survive for a longer period, so Styr gets clipped back to a one-season wonder.

    Random list time!

    Living characters who are not regular cast members, and the last time we’ve seen them and odds on their return:

    Hot Pie – 4.7 (Mockingbird) — Logically, no – there’s only so many times you can come across the Inn at the Crossroads. Given Ben Hawkey’s such a fun presence as Hot Pie, I bet we’re going to get one more “OMG HOT PIE!” moment before the sun sets on Westeros in 2017 (2018?). 50 percent.

    Yara Greyjoy – 4.6 (The Laws of Gods and Men) – The producers seem to like Gemma Whelan (I do too), and Theon’s story would seem to probably want to circle back around to his sister again, somehow. 100 percent overall. Season 5? More like 35 percent.

    Salladhor Saan — 4.6 (The Laws of Gods and Men). By now the “once a year” tradition with Salla has been pretty well established, and I hope it stays. Odds on another appearance: about as close to 100% as possible for this group.

    Walder Frey — 3.10 (Mhysa) — Oh, I think we’ll get the old SOB back at some point. David Bradley has said he’s been told this, and he’s just too delicious not to pull back into the mix. Same goes for Black Walder and Lame Lothar (last appearances 3.9, The Rains of Castamere). 100% on the old man, 45% each on the others.

    Gendry — 3.10 (Mhysa) — Presumably still on a goddamned rowboat (thanks, Davos. Great planning.) Eventually, I’d say, yes. But hard to say. 50 percent odds.

    Balon Greyjoy — 3.10 (Mhysa) One way or another, I think we’ll see Patrick Malahide again. Maybe not, though, so let’s go with 75 percent odds here.

    Bryden “The Blackfish” Tully and Edmure Tully — 3.9 (The Rains of Castamere) — “The Blackfish escaped.” “One old man on the run…” Right now I’d put higher odds on the Blackfish making another appearance than Edmure, but we’ll see. 60% on the fish, 30% on Edmure.

    Rickon Stark and Osha — 3.9 (The Rains of Castamere) — One way or another, the youngest Stark will be back. 100 percent for both.

    Beric Dondarrian, Thoros of Myr, and Anguy — 3.7 (The Bear & the Maiden Fair) — Very tough call. They’re out there somewhere, naturally. Where is anyone’s guess… let’s put 35 percent odds.

    Rattleshirt – 3.1 (Valar Dohaeris) — Last scene leaving Jon Snow with Mance Rayder. He’s in the Season 5 trailer. About as good as it gets as far as confirmation. 100%.

    Jaqen H’ghar — 2.10 (Valar Morghulis). Unclear. Casting stuff would suggest it’s going to happen and I think it’s going to. 100%.

    Wisdom Hallyne — 2.9 (Blackwater) — Doubtful. I mean, one never knows when someone needs wildfire. But it’s a long shot, at best. 10 percent.

    Lancel Lannister – 2.9 (Blackwater) – Yeah, I think so. 100 percent.

    Kevan Lannister – 2.8 (The Prince of Winterfell) — We likely have our answer here, don’t we? 100 percent.

    Quaithe – 2.7 (A Man Without Honor) — I’m putting very long odds on the shadowbinder showing up again. I love Laura Pradelska’s portrayal of the mysterious woman from Asshai, and I really would love to see her again. I don’t know that it will happen, though. 10 percent odds.

    GreatJon Umber – 1.10 (Fire and Blood): Last seen bellowing “The King in the North!” Bran instructs Osha to take Rickon to the Last Hearth, so D&D are clearly hedging here if they can get him back. Will we? Odds about 35%.

    Mord — 1.6 (Golden Crown). We didn’t get an appearance from our favorite gaoler in Season 4, and I fear he’s lost to us forever. 10 percent odds.

    Illyrio Mopatis – 1.5 (Wolf & the Lion). The trailer shows Varys and Tyrion in Pentos. It makes no sense for us not to see him. We don’t have confirmation of it. His return would mean his first appearance after a 34-episode absence. I love when old characters are brought back on TV shows (Baabu Bhatt, Hunter Moseley), so it would be a treat to see him again. I think we will. Odds 85%.

  71. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcK1O9MamN8

    1:07 youngest son….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr39g6hPB_8

    :42 uncles….

    Once upon a time the greyjoys and quentyn maybe arianne were still considered for the show 🙁

    Who’s your favorite character in the show and, if you have a different answer, who’s your favorite character to write? Is there a different favorite from the books?

    Bryan Cogman: Very hard to choose — I’ve been living with them for so long, I have great affection for all of them (and the actors who portray them). I had a great time writing Theon in Season 2 and I’ve really enjoyed writing Jaime in Season 3. And I always like writing for the kids. There’s a character I love from the books — Aeron Damphair, who we haven’t seen on the show yet, but it’d be fun to get a crack at him. We’ll see.

  72. Greatjon of Slumber,

    This was fun to read. To a certain extent, I think I’d rather see a bunch of these characters return in an interesting way instead of new superfluous book characters that haven’t made it onto the show yet. To clarify: I’ve always thought certain book figures (Euron in particular), would be awesome to see on TV, but between that and Blackfish resurfacing in the Riverlands or bringing Rickon’s plot round-circle with the reintroduction of Greatjon? No contest!

  73. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was cast in a slaver role to right?

    Out of all the new actors this coming season I’m most excited to see him. Something about him, IMO is magnetic and he has a great onscreen persona.

    I hope he’s more then just a one episode side character, I was so excited when D&D nabbed him.

    Do you guys think he will have a major role in the capture and enslaving of Tyrion and/or Jorah? Maybe even have a scene with Dany?

    I think D&D should take advantage of landing him and use him in the development of a main character’s storyline as much as possible.

  74. Lion of Night,

    What got me excited was all those Dreadfort/Bolton Army chess piece thingy’s at 1:27-8, eg what are the other pieces (could be two other armies), seems to be of the whole North and all the Castles are put down as Bolton bannermen (and women if Barbrey Dustin is in)

    Wonder if Wildlings and Jon Snow NW are discussing a joint fight against the WW and Wights, reckon that’s who is banging on the Gate

    Glad to see/hear this Gelder fellow who plays Ser Kevan is in, there seems to be a few people they set up in earlier seasons and are disappearing, at least tie up their arcs.

    Now that the actor has healed, I hope to see Ser Ilyn in, reckon Bronn may die in Dorne so maybe he is in from next season onwards

  75. Greatjon of Slumber,

    Nice writeup

    Rattleshirt was actually in Mances tent without the mask, reckon though they might be “ignoring” that and having him stand-in as the Weeper or something

    Would love to see Greatjon Umber and Blackfish along with Ser Kevan again, at least we seem to be getting Ser Kevan

    On the fun side would love to see Mord, a peripheral role but the actor nailed it. Would like to see Quaithe too but they seem to be moving away from that

    Want to see Ser Barristan given some justice, the fact he doesen’t appear to be defending Dany in the pit is dissapointing

  76. Ghost’s Lunch,

    Absolutely. That chess/battle board had me excited as well. I was trying to pause the video the other day in desperate hope that I’d be able to identify the hand and arm that sweep the table for a brief second. No luck (of course), but those sleeves look familiar…

  77. Greenjones:
    Greatjon of Slumber,

    I’d say Yara’s much more likely than that. Her CV lists her commitments as being for “multiple seasons, ongoing”.

    Agreed – I’ve got her at 100 percent outright, just with lower odds *this season*.

    Lion of Night: This was fun to read. To a certain extent, I think I’d rather see a bunch of these characters return in an interesting way instead of new superfluous book characters that haven’t made it onto the show yet.

    Pretty much mostly with you. Re-introducing the likes of Kevan for me maintains a continuity that I find important, same with Jaqen, if he is coming back. Other than Euron and the Mer-man I don’t hope for much else given the way in which the likes of Quentyn, Victarion or Moqorro lift out of the story well enough.

    Ghost’s Lunch: Rattleshirt was actually in Mances tent without the mask, reckon though they might be “ignoring” that and having him stand-in as the Weeper or something

    Unclear on that front, yeah. But yes – he was in Mance’s tent, I believe I said Season 3, episode 1, as his last appearance.

  78. Greenjones,

    According to the leaked script summary (which only had information about the first few episodes) Kevan is in the first episode. Also, it just makes sense to reintroduce him at the funeral —an organic way to point out to the audience “Hey, this is Tywin’s brother, remember?” without much forced exposition at all.

    Crabber’s Son,

    Yeah, many people have noticed it. That might have been from a time when they probably didn’t expect to cut so many characters. I’m afraid that’s just gonna turn out to be a genuine plot hole —one of the few “plot holes” that can truly and honestly be described as such, despite people’s obsession with using the phrase for whatever change or absence from the books they don’t like.

    Greatjon of Slumber,

    “Dontos shows up and disappears for two seasons so Sansa/Littlefinger can become closer. Kevan is in two seasons for a few episodes but they use what could have been his part in Season 4 in favor of strengthening the Jaime/Tyrion bond. Tormund’s role is beefed up in Season 3 because he’s meant to survive for a longer period, so Styr gets clipped back to a one-season wonder.”

    I really like that method of adaptation. It does sacrifice some relationships from the books, but it strengthens the relationships that will be important in the future — Tormund & Jon, Sansa & Littlefinger, etc.

  79. BTW, I’m getting excited again about the Battle for Winterfell maybe happening this season, which I had lost all hope for because of Hardhome. But… it seems Hardhome will not be “a big epic battle.” Yes, it will be a big set piece with a big set, hundreds of actors and even some action,—but not a genuine battle. Also, and more importantly, we’ve seen Stannis wearing an armor with blood all over it and his face, very obviously having entered battle; and the “Gordy” character is a Bolton soldier who will have a fight scene in episode 10… come on, join the dots, people! I’m getting excited about this again! We might get a peak at TWOW after all 😛

    Crabber’s Son,

    There’s a big difference. Theon can still have uncles in the show, but people are not gonna ask who they are. Maybe they died long ago, maybe they’re not important. The Trystane thing is a plot hole tho —he can’t be Doran’s “youngest son” and his only heir at the same time. While both stem from the same lack of preparation about how they were gonna adapt future books, there’s a big difference: one has worst consequences (a genuine plot hole), while the other causes no narrative problems within the narrative of the show.

  80. The battle board pieces looked like Bolton flayed man pieces and hearts. I’m guessing they’re Stannis fiery heart pieces.

  81. TheBerylfly:
    I am starting a prayer circle for “My brother is dead, woman. I am going to take him home,” or any other line referencing Kevan and Tywin’s relationship

    Granted, no one but me cares about Kevan and Tywin’s bond so its not really a prayer circle, more like me sadly praying alone

    Haha! I know that I personally enjoy moments in the ASOIAF world where a character expresses genuine affection for another character – it serves to break up all the hatred and plotting!

    So I would join you in hoping this line is in. It also shows another side to the Lannister family; not all of them were quite so dysfunctional.

  82. Luka Nieto,

    I have a suspicion that the Bolton soldier we know appears (and has a stunt/action background) will be assassinated by Mance and his spear wives (if they’re in). I think at Winterfell we will see the wedding and some assassinations.

    The Stannis battle will be Deepwood. The reason I think this is because the battle of Winterfell would be far more intriguing if the lead up is over season 5 and actually happens early season 6. It really gives the audience a chance to invest in this plot line, and Jon Snow a chance get knocked off at the appropriate time.

    Then season 6 – bam – battle of Winterfell. I don’t know, what do other people think? It’s my favourite storyline at this point in the series and I just want to see it all!

  83. Ser Dosser: This outline of 3 planed books seems better than filler dominated 7 books we got (are about to have

    The outline seems awful compared to the actual books. But if you prefer conventional fantasy stories to ASOIAF, maybe that AU version of the books would be more your cup of tea.

  84. saki,

    It’s real, but a lot has changed since then. However, those 5 characters will probably still survive, at least until the last book. Is that a surprise or a spoiler to you?

  85. Mr Fixit,

    Here. It’s not footage from the show, but they’re all in character and have obviously filmed these little snippets in-between filming, so it means Stannis will get himself into a battle scene (and not just a scuffle; he’s got his armor on, so he’s obviously prepared for a proper battle.) Also, although the background is blurry, we can see there’s a lot of snow and trees on an uneven ground, so it’s not the Wall or Winterfell (or Deepwood Motte, for that matter.)

    Now, of course, if one’s up to date with ADWD and the TWOW released chapters, one knows that the Battle for Winterfell is not a Battle IN Winterfell. Stannis decides to stay at that Crofters’ Village because of its natural vantage point, and Roose decides to send the Manderlys and the Freys to battle outside the gates of Winterfell, instead of waiting for a siege (mostly to alleviate tensions between the Manderlys and the Freys). So, the Battle of Ice will be… in the Ice —in that snowy village, surrounded by woods and two frozen lakes (which will probably come into play; we will see hundreds of Freys drown, I bet.) So yeah, I don’t think we’ll see Stannis take Winterfell from Roose and Ramsay this season (or early in TWOW), but that’s not the Battle of Ice that will open TWOW; that would be Stannis killing a lot of Roose’s men, the Freys, in that Crofters’ Village, and that we might get to see this season in the show.
  86. Kevan! 🙂 I hope he offers some good explanations for missing the wedding’s of his nephew Tyrion and his great-nephew Joffrey.

  87. Al Swearengen,

    I’m waiting for that Arms of the Kraken standalone movie announcement starring Patrick Malahide, Mads Mikkelsen, Ray Stevenson, and Jonathan Ryan as the Damphair. in IMAX 3d

  88. Greatjon of Slumber:

    Walder Frey
    Gendry
    Balon Greyjoy
    Bryden “The Blackfish” Tully and Edmure Tully
    Beric Dondarrian, Thoros of Myr, and Anguy

    I love when old characters are brought back on TV shows (Baabu Bhatt, Hunter Moseley)…

    Great list – thanks for pulling it together.

    Some thoughts:
    – David Bradley is awesome and I would love to see him again. If Black Walder and Lame Lothar return, they better be wearing those ridiculous hats!
    – Gendry is a big question mark. No real need for him, I suppose, other than the fact that Joe Dempsie is popular.
    – Balon needs to re-appear, even briefly.

    Leeches

    – Blackfish: YES; Edmure: meh
    – BWB: Yes, please. They are out there and I would hang out with them.

    Finally, thanks for making me smile by mentioning Baabu Bhatt…in a GOT thread no less. Brilliant!

  89. Luka Nieto:
    Great news about Kevan. Still, the leaked script summary already confirmed his return, as well as Lancel’s.

    We may have known about Kevan’s return, but many were worried about the possibility of recasting, so this is happy news for some.

  90. Hodor’s Bastard:
    I’m cheering for Varys, Grey Worm and Theon. This is the season for eunuchs!

    Do you realise that implies the season to come has no balls? Maybe a slip of the tongue could be easily remedied by my cousin…. a certain (guitar-toting) executioner.

  91. saki:

    Hey. Guys, can you tell me if this article is real? http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-book-ending-which-characters-survive-1201424268/

    The stories for Daenerys and Jaime surprised me the most.

    Cersei didn’t seem to exist in this early draft, neither did Sansa. (So Jon Arryn died for what reason? How did Bran become paralyzed in the first place?)

    I agree with Annara Snow that the Jon-Arya-Tyrion love triangle might be used with Dany instead of Arya.

    About Jaime and Tyrion burning down Winterfell, it makes me wonder if

    the Lannister brothers will burn down Casterly Rock, when they go to war against their sister Cersei to remove her from power in KL, after fighting the Others/WW in the North is settled.

    And the last paragraph listing who would ultimately survive might end up being true after all.

    That was so much fun to read. It’s fascinating how the characters and storylines were developed to what they are now.

  92. Somehow, I feel Gendry could bump into Arya (as someone else) in Braavos, thus proving her disguise works. He’d definitely remember Arya, but not…. Cathy Canal (?).

    To have Kevan back makes sense because of Tywin’s funeral, and the tradition of taking bones home for burial. To have him figure in a power struggle with Cersei must be on the cards. As to his ‘farewell scene’…. perhaps that could be delayed until next season.

    I’d love for the show to set something up with Thenns. Maybe they’re the ones who’ve done more to cause The Others to begin waking. Their lands are closest too. Of course, this is a long set up to something else and I’ll save my theory regarding The Others for later.

    The one gossip-piece that I’d like to knock down before it reaches here is this insane notion, based on Sansa in a bath. It is utter stupid for LF to be hinting that Sansa takes revenge and then for her to be in Winterfell (supposedly – where this stupid theory goes – to replace fake Arya) and marry her to Ramsey. We have some great Northern terms for such ideas – WANK!!
    LF to do a double-flip? No way! His first aim is to secure The Vale, which he most certainly hasn’t succeeded in accomplishing, despite Alayne’s confessing she’s Sansa. The revenge he refers to is towards The Freys, at The Twins. Strategically, The Twins cuts the North from the South. This scenario lends itself to Dark Sansa taking on LSH, or part of that character.
    However….. Does Alayne Stone have the heart? (It’s an obvious play on words to prove something is too obvious.) Enter Brienne (with iPad – oops! Pod). PAUSE. THINK.
    If Brienne renews her oath, to serve the daughter of Catelyn…. Doesn’t this add to those words we heard in the trailer? It gives some form of salvation for Brienne that she’ll search for. Also, she’s made for sword-swinging rather than Sansa, who could become more of a schemer ( I hope!).
    Sansa needs to keep LF in her sights. Allow Brienne to become the figure of LSH, taking on the imagery of the Hooded Woman.
    As Jaime’s arc is not taking him anywhere near Brienne…. As casting for LSH hasn’t (officially) taken place…. Plus, there was a lovely drop when Sansa was coming away from KL, with the hooded cape…. Plus, at The Bloody Gate, LF mentions for Sansa to lift her hood…. Have Brienne meet Alayne (Sansa) out of plate, in a hooded cape.
    How to bring BwB back? Simple. Headless chicken scenario. Replace Beric with Brienne. The chickens have a new head.
    A line for Pod – She kicked The Hound’s ass off a mountain. (As we’ve seen.)
    Cue Mountain-men with BwB – Aye! Us lot seen ‘er do it.
    It’s daft but it works! Brienne leads BwB.

  93. Uther Snow,

    I think not. The article says they are dressed in season 5 costumes when filming these allegiance clips. Plus look at Arya for example. She has grown quite a bit since season 2.

  94. Bard:
    Kevan! I hope he offers some good explanations for missing the wedding’s of his nephew Tyrion and his great-nephew Joffrey.

    Same as the books, probably: tending to Lancel’s Blackwater injuries and subsequent breakdown.

  95. Uther Snow,

    That’s interesting, but I reckon it’s way too big a subversion of Brienne’s character. I mean she’d sure be OK with punishing the Freys/serving Sansa/avenging Catelyn/finding redemption of sorts, but ambushing random Freys and hanging them…she’s way too pure and honourable a knight. She’d fight them (and win) in the open, in a fair duel. I think the audience reaction to Brienne abandoning her ideals would be verrrrry angry.

  96. A Girl Will Obey: but ambushing random Freys and hanging them…she’s way too pure and honourable a knight

    Actually, maybe not. Certain forms of death confer nobility on the executed, including killing them with duels. Other forms of death, such as hanging, are for people without honor, such as criminals. So, just hanging Freys treats them like criminals: and someone as hung-up on honor as Brienne might feel that Freys no longer deserved honorable deaths.

  97. Wimsey,

    Hmm yes that does make sense. The wrath of the righteous hehe. I’m curious to see what will happen to all concerned…

  98. Wimsey: Actually, maybe not.Certain forms of death confer nobility on the executed, including killing them with duels.Other forms of death, such as hanging, are for people without honor, such as criminals.So, just hanging Freys treats them like criminals: and someone as hung-up on honor as Brienne might feel that Freys no longer deserved honorable deaths.

    Agreed here. Hatred of the Freys seems to supersede Brienne’s ideals for the GoT audience.

  99. Uther Snow: Do you realise that implies the season to come has no balls? Maybe a slip of the tongue could be easily remedied by my cousin…. a certain (guitar-toting) executioner.

    There are so many tongue-in-cheek innuendos contained within your response, I don’t know where to begin. 😉 One thing that is for certain, there shall be many ball-busting moments this season, perpetrated by ball-less players, and probably a few teases that leave us with balls of blue.

    Three cheers for Wilko Johnson’s recovery! Although he cannot use Ice anymore, there may be some use for Ilyn’s greatsword again in KL (or the riverlands) soon….

  100. Dogcheese,

    There have been a lot of articles posted here over the past few days and a ton of posts, so it’s very understandable you may have missed the discussion/debate, but that came up yesterday.
    Someone (I believe it was Tormund’s Woman) very quickly found a similar door in the Eyrie, and if you look around, you’ll find similar doors elsewhere in Westeros. I think there’s one with the same rectangle pattern in King’s Landing, I believe in Sansa’s room (maybe the scene where Tyrion comes to tell Sansa they’re going to marry?). The interior molding is wood, as opposed to stone, but the door is similar, and the exterior molding, I believe, is stone. Basically, it appears that pattern on doors is not exclusive to Winterfell.

  101. Dogcheese,

    That doesn’t mean it isn’t

    Sansa in Winterfell

    , just that the doors aren’t definitive proof. I think so many folks, myself included, are so curious about what her storyline is going to be, if they find something that seems to point in a certain direction, they’re gonna go with it.

  102. The best show on earth will blast walking dead ratings down to Hell. Can’t wait, welcome back Thrones.

  103. Nymeria Warrior Queen: , just that the doors aren’t definitive proof.

    Ah, logic 101! Kudos for not committing the fallacy of affirming the consequent!

    The doors qualify as evidence that Sansa is at any place that has such doors. That seems to be, well, anywhere.

  104. The Kevan news is good.

    Middleman between Lancel and The Faith and Cersei.

    Also, not sure if this has been mentioned because I didn’t read every comment, but some people worried about Kevan’s storyline,

    given Varys’ trip across the Narrow- Seems likely to me Varys will get Tyrion situated, maybe with Mormont, and bounce after they have connected. Delivering Tyrion to Dany could potentially be proposed by Varys and used as a task to “redeem” Mormont, before they end up captured and taken to the pits along the way.
    Meanwhile, Varys has travelled back to westerns (jetpack not necessary as it would likely be several episodes before we see him again- just in time to “treat” with Kevan in Ep10).
  105. TheBerylfly,

    I care about Kevan. He was the best part of the books post-Tywin and his constant ownage of Cersei was a delight to read. Also his story arc has quite the shocking conclusion, considering how efficient he is at his job.

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